Tomorrowland shifts 600,000 passes in 30 minutes
Some 600,000 visitors are expected at this year’s Tomorrowland in Belgium, after tickets completely sold out just 30 minutes after the on-sale.
The marquee festival will take place in De Schorre park in Boom, Antwerp, during three weekends rather than its usual two.
The organisers previously said that a third weekend would help “cushion the financial hangover” from six cancelled festival weekends, including four in Belgium (Tomorrowland 2020 and 2021) and two in France (Tomorrowland Winter 2020 and 2021).
“We are very happy to welcome 600,000 festivalgoers at Tomorrowland in Belgium this summer,” says Tomorrowland spokeswoman Debby Wilmsen. “It is great to see that people [stayed] positive in those challenging years and we are looking forward to share love, music and friendship soon.”
“It is great to see that people [stayed] positive in those challenging years and we are looking forward to share love”
The 16th edition of the Belgian festival will take place this year from 15–17 July, 22–24 July and 29–31 July and will feature more than 700 different artists spread over fourteen stages.
Alan Walker, Alesso, Armin van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Eric Prydz presents HOLO, Fisher, Kungs, Lost Frequencies, Major Lazer Soundsystem, Marshmello, Martin Garrix, Netsky, Paul Kalkbrenner are among the confirmed acts.
In addition to the flagship festival, Tomorrowland is also busy preparing for two weekends of Tomorrowland Winter in the Alpe d’Huez ski area between 19–26 March 2022.
The festival is also teaming up with another of Belgium’s biggest festival organisers, Rock Werchter, for a new two-day festival in Brussels.
Core festival will debut between 27–28 May this year in Osseghem Park, with up to 25,000 visitors per day.
Action Bronson, Caribou, Celeste, Cellini, The Blaze, DJ Harvey, Jamie xx, Meute, Mura Masa, Nina Kraviz, Paul Kalkbrenner, Ross From Friends and Sylvie Kreusch are among the confirmed artists.
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Deadmau5 residency launches new platform in metaverse
World-renowned producer Deadmau5 has developed a permanent virtual residency in Core, a new user-generated gaming platform by developer Manticore Games.
The experience, called Oberhasli, includes music, games, and other content curated by Deadmau5 and allows fans to connect and socialise with each other. Users can even listen to a sneak preview of Deadmau5’s next single at the jukebox.
Oberhasli launched on 15 October with a live performance by Deadmau5 but the metaverse continues to exist even after the one-off performance.
The virtual world is intended to be “a place to visit again and again, with fresh music, games, and content,” according to a press release.
“We’ve seen virtual concerts in the past, but after making a splash, they fizzle out; there’s no shelf life to them,” says Joel Zimmerman, aka Deadmau5, in a statement.
“With Oberhasli, I want to create a permanent mainstay for the artists’ metaverse, regularly updating it over time, switching things up and keeping it cohesive with real-world news and ancillary events.”
“We’ve seen virtual concerts in the past, but after making a splash, they fizzle out; there’s no shelf life to them”
Frederic Descamps, CEO and co-founder of Manticore Games, added: “We think the Metaverse will be built by thousands of creators, game makers, and artists who can share unique interactive experiences with their audience and generate income from their work. Oberhasli isn’t a sponsored marketing stunt — it’s a persistent home for all things Deadmau5 inside of Core.”
Deadmau5’s live performances are over but the digital concert is available for replay every hour in Core.
In addition, fans can complete an exclusive scavenger hunt to enter for a chance to win a ‘Guest List for Life’ prize to Deadmau5 concerts or a meet-and-greet with Deadmau5 at one of his in-person shows.
The experience is currently only available on PC but the website notes that it will be coming soon to other platforms.
Core is the latest platform to throw its hat in the ring by hosting live music experiences in the metaverse.
Fortnite and Roblox have led the charge so far, while Decentraland recently launched the world’s first multi-day festival in the metaverse.
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