AN ABODE ABOVE THE CLOUDS

Happy campers of Tomorrowland – welcome to DreamVille! You’ll be pitching your tent in a city above the clouds, more free and hospitable than any other you’ve been to, one where you’ll find only the friendly, like-minded people of Tomorrow. It’s the kind of place you’ve only come across in your dreams, unless you’ve been to Tomorrowland before, of course. To celebrate your arrival, DreamVille has invited every single townie to the ultimate warm-up party The Gathering, which is happening this very Thursday. And before you fly off, carefully read through the practical information, as this is where you will find all of the knowledge you’ll need to understand the lay of the land at DreamVille.

Practical Information

OPENING HOURS

DreamVille welcomes you from 11:00 on Thursday, July 20, and bids you goodbye on Monday by 12:00 at the latest. Long sleepers on Monday will receive a friendly reminder from DreamVille’s staff.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE GATHERING

No matter how long you’ve travelled and how exhausted you are, you can’t afford to miss The Gathering, Tomorrowland’s one and only official opening party. All DreamVille and Global Journey ticket holders are welcomed at this magnificent first rave of the festival, starting at 13:00 and finishing at midnight.

RE-USABLE CUPS

Tomorrowland works to reduce its carbon footprint every year, which is why reusable cups are being introduced at DreamVille. To maximize the return of these cups for reuse, a deposit will be charged for them at the bar. Finished your drink? Bring your cup back to the bar and get a refund back on your bracelet. No reusable cups will be used on the Tomorrowland festival site, so please refund your cup before going to the festival area.

FESTIVAL ENTRANCE FROM DREAMVILLE

Friday & Saturday: until 23:00

Sunday: until 22:00

MARKETPLACE OPENING HOURS

Thursday: 11:00 - 02:00

Friday & Saturday: 08:00 - 16:00 and 23:00 - 02:00

Sunday: 08:00 - 16:00 and 22:00 - 01:00

Monday: 08:00 - 12:00

Note: some stands may close slightly earlier or later in the afternoon.

FIRST AID

Look for the First Aid signs in case of a medical emergency. Location A: Main Avenue between Montagoe and Easy Tents areas Location B: Right by Entrance 1

Location C: Magnificent Greens Red District

All locations are open day and night.

PHARMACIES

In case of less urgent medical needs, please head to one of the pharmacies in Rumst. The nearest one is Apotheek Cools, Jan van Eyklei 2. Opening hours: Thursday & Friday 08:45 - 12:30 & 13:45 - 19:00, Saturday 09:00 - 12:00. Closed on Sunday.

LOST & FOUND

For any lost items (besides your mind), make your way to the Lost & Found Info Desk at Entrance 1. Open 24/7 all weekend long until 14:00 on Monday. You can also fill out a form for lost items at tomorrowland.com/lost-found.

DISTRICT HOUSES

These are your local Mairie or Hôtel de Ville. If you’re staying at the Magnificent Greens, Friendship Garden or Easy Tents area, go to your local District House with all your questions, found items or for the latest copy of Tomorrowland Today. Open round the clock.

BAKERY

Thursday: 11:00 - 20:00

Friday - Sunday: 07:30 - 15:00

Monday: 07:30 - 11:00

CARREFOUR SUPERMARKET

Thursday: 11:00 - 01:00

Friday - Sunday: 08:00 - 14:00

Monday: 08:00 - 12:00

BBQ ZONES

When the sun graces us with its presence, it’s time to ignite the grills! Discover the dedicated BBQ Zones across the Magnificent Greens, Easy Tents and Friendship Garden areas. Stock up on all your BBQ essentials from the nearby supermarket at the DreamVille Marketplace and let the flames ignite your culinary adventure. Want to take your BBQ skills to the next level? Ask one of the BBQ chefs to show you the art of grill mastery!

SHOWERS

Start or end your day fresh! Montagoe showers are free, Easy Tent showers are accessible for 2 Pearls, and Magnificent Greens, Friendship Garden and Camp2Camp showers cost 3.5 Pearls. All of the outdoor showers are freely accessible.

SAFETY

Safety first. The local police station address is Cleemputplein 5, 2850 Boom.

CAMPSITE HOSTS

DreamVille’s friendly campsite hosts are always there to help. They patrol the campsites round the clock and are at your service at the District Houses.

FARMHOUSE BREAKFAST

Find the Bakery and Carrefour shops at Marketplace for a generous selection of breakfast options, or look for the Farmhouse, where you’ll find a wonderful selection of food stands including Alpro, Gazsinker, Duroc d’Olive, Soupa Doupa, Hangop Yoghurt, Have a Roll, and Look I Like. Alpro and Farmhouse breakfast vouchers can be used here.

WHERE CAN I FIND THIS NEWSPAPER?

Take a little stroll in the morning to visit your local District House and pick up your daily copy of Tomorrowland Today. Look out for the real-life newspaper hawkers who will personally hand you a mint copy to bring along to your home camp!

PADEL COURTS

The Padel Courts arrived in 2022 and they are here to stay. Somewhere in between tennis and squash, padel is an extremely fun and relatively easy game to play. Book your court for 24 Pearls per hour, including rackets and balls for four players. All proceeds go to the Tomorrowland Foundation!

THE RECYCLE CLUB

Shining bright between the Recovery area and the Marketplace, The Recycle Club is there for you to make recycling as easy as possible, letting you earn recycle tokens when you hand in your separated rubbish. Use the bags provided in the Recycle Kits handed out on the camping, hand them in and you’ll stand a chance to win various prizes, too! Need more bags or want to know more about the recycling program? Don’t hesitate to ask the members of the Recycle Team or Recycle Club to learn more.

Work It Out

DreamVille will be your vibrant home for the next few days, but while the festival spirit is in full swing, there’s no need to abandon your healthy routine. Whether you’re seeking an invigorating workout or a moment of tranquility, there’s something here for everyone. Don’t forget to refuel at the Funky Fruit Oasis, where you can munch on nature’s candy and give your taste buds a fruit-tastic fiesta. Get ready to embrace the groove and unleash your inner fitness warrior at the various workout areas!

RECOVERY AREA

If the dance floor of the Holy Grounds doesn’t quite satisfy your calorie-burning desires, fear not – this year’s group fitness classes are here to take your workout to the next level! Feel the burn with an invigorating Bodypump session, amp up the intensity with high-intensity interval training, or groove to the rhythm while learning new moves in an LM Dance class.

BALANCE AREA

Unwind your mind and enhance your stability at the Balance Area. Nurture your inner serenity with Kundalini yoga, gracefully transition between poses with Vinyasa yoga, or take it to the next level with power yoga or hatha yoga. This is a sanctuary for your mind, your body and your soul. Namaste!

CHILL-OUT AREA

DreamVille’s Chill-Out is where exercise, entertainment and eating meet. Kickstart your day with a wholesome breakfast and a tennis match, or wind down after the festival with a refreshing cocktail while lounging in a cozy hammock. Back by popular demand, the Padel area returns this year as well. Every swing supports a noble cause, as proceeds from the Padel area support the Tomorrowland Foundation, so you can gear up and break a sweat for a good cause.

BUMPERBALL

It’s an exciting new addition this year: Bumperball. This delightful sport offers a one-of-a-kind workout that will have you exercising your agility while leaving your funny bone tickled. Make sure to put your best foot forward on either Friday or Saturday, and on Sunday, get ready to gear up for a tournament. With free entry, this is an exciting opportunity to join in on the fun. So, lace up your shoes and get ready to bump, thump and thwack!

FUNKY FRUIT OASIS

Even champions need a tasty pit-stop now and then. Don’t skimp on your vitamins, friends! Swing by the Funky Fruit Oasis instead, where you’ll find a fruit-lover’s paradise and smoothies that pack a healthy punch. It’s the perfect spot to recharge your batteries after all that dancing and working up a sweat. Give your body some fruity love and keep those energy levels high.

Nocturnal Antics

When darkness falls at DreamVille, communication becomes a work of art in itself. As the vibrant energy of Tomorrowland merges with the enchanting night sky, new and ingenious ways of connecting with fellow dreamers emerge. Discover the innovative ways to communicate and connect during these magical hours.

Glow Vibrantly: When words fade, light signals shine bright. Use glow sticks, LED bracelets, and accessories to catch attention and invite interaction.

Dance Connections: Let your hands speak the universal language of gestures. High-fives, thumbs-ups, and dance moves transcend barriers, fostering connections without words.

Wave Messages : Flags become visual communication tools. Wave them with purpose, conveying messages or drawing others toward your joyful spirit.

Radiant Expression: Transform into a living work of art with glow-in-the-dark body paint. Radiate vibrant colours and patterns, igniting conversations and forging connections through visual spectacle.

Guiding Beams: Flashlights become Morse code messengers. Flickers, patterns, and signals spark curiosity, guiding others towards your light.

Nighttime communication at DreamVille creates a web of connection. Embrace the darkness, express yourself freely, and welcome conversation. Allow your inner light to shine brightly, and let the night become a canvas for memorable connections that will linger in your heart.

ADSCENDO, ARISE!

The story of Adscendo is also the story of Ro, Ameris, Tomas, and their mythical winged friends – the main characters in ‘The Rise of Adscendo’, the first ever full-length Tomorrowland novel, which records the events leading up to Arcadiana’s present society. This weekend, every day, we reveal a few pages of the book’s first chapter. If you want to experience the whole epic story – all 374 pages of it – the second printing of the book can be ordered through the online or onsite Tomorrowland Store, while copies last. And rumour has it this is only the first of many Tomorrowland Tales…

Part

Chapter One

The alarm bell hit Ro like a punch to the guts. She was on her feet running out of the mess hall before she even realised what was happening. As she raced to the muster point before the stone docking jetties on the heights of Mount Nest, the jolt of adrenaline made her heart pound in her throat.

“What is it?” Derren Loft shouted, his voice still bleary from sleep. How he’d been able to sleep was beyond her. Whenever she was on duty she couldn’t even close her eyes.

Emergency calls like this were common. No one slept for long. Seasoned hands didn’t even try.

“Calm yourself.” She dragged Derren along behind her in the right direction. He pulled himself free and glared at her in that way all the new Windriders learned to do pretty soon after they’d got to active duty. She was used to it by now. No one wanted too close an association with any member of the Swift family. “We’ll be there soon enough.”

“Yeah, but… what’s the shout? It’s barely dawn.”

Barely dawn or barely dusk, it didn’t matter. They were on call and that was that. She grabbed her flight jacket from the hook beside the gleaming brass pole and slipped into it. The flaps hung beneath her arms, pulling them down with the weight of the material. Plain, functional, lifesavers. The flight jacket felt like a second skin to her.

“All hands to stations,” the aeronaut called from their designated balloon and Ro jumped for the pole, wrapping her legs around its sleek surface as she slid into the gondola of the balloon.

Derren landed beside her with less grace. Trying not to be too obvious about it, she kept him upright to check he’d put the jacket on correctly. Another scowl told her he didn’t want her help. Great. Just great.

The balloon lurched upwards, loosening its tethers on the cliffs of Mount Nest, home of the Windriders’ Guild, and the highest point of the city of Arcadiana and its surrounding islands. As they rose, she gazed at her home, the walled city occupying the whole of the central island. Beyond it the ocean speckled with its attendant islands.

The gondola was higher than the Aviary in moments. The Aviary, the home of the Birdsingers, was the only Guildhouse which reached almost as high as her own. Beneath them the city spread out with its spiderweb of irrigation channels, its slate roofs gleaming in the dawn. Gold decorations on the blue and red walls flickered into life with the sun.

The shadow of one of the soaring isles passed across the harbour beneath them and on out to the ocean. One of the higher ones, she figured, far above them, floating in the air. She squinted up but saw nothing except a shadow in the distance.

Dark and ominous, the huge floating mountains ranged across the sky, far above her island home, but they were beautiful as well, some bare rock, some covered in vegetation.

All around them balloons were rising, patterned and brightly decorated, lifting broad gondolas beneath them. It would look festive if she didn’t know that they were all Emergency Response teams.

A flock of gulls flew around the balloons and she glanced at the Birdsinger standing with the aeronaut on the raised dais in the centre of the gondola. Young, probably a friend of Saran’s, but not someone she knew. Her brother didn’t exactly socialise with her. He never had the time.

The Birdsinger said something to Windrider Gayle and pointed east. “Stand by,” Gayle shouted. Ro watched the osprey who aided him in his work rising high above them on an updraft and then dropping again to guide them. Gayle might have smiled—no more than a tightening of his grim mouth really—and then the balloon followed the bird and caught the breeze it had detected.

It didn’t take long to reach Ilana, an outer island in the archipelago.

Two balloons were already there, hovering over the crash site, and the crew looked like ants on the ground beneath them. Individual Windriders descended through the air, arms outstretched as they glided in formation with each other towards the scene. A third balloon was down, the great red and white punctured envelope billowing out across the field in which it had crashed like a blood-soaked flag. The gondola looked like kindling spread across the ground. There were boulders strewn across the scene.

To be continued...