Belgium’s Tomorrowland festival narrowly avoided cancellation after a fire severely damaged its main stage just 24 hours before the event’s scheduled opening. In an unexpected turn, heavy metal icons Metallica stepped in to provide critical staging equipment, allowing the festival to proceed as planned.

On Wednesday, July 16, a fire broke out on Tomorrowland’s iconic Mainstage, destroying large portions of the structure and threatening the start of the world-famous electronic music festival. Although no injuries were reported, the extent of the damage raised serious concerns about whether the weekend-long event could continue. With artists such as Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Eric Prydz, Steve Aoki, and Deadmau5 set to perform, organizers were faced with the daunting task of rebuilding a functioning stage in under 24 hours.

“We are focused on finding solutions for the festival weekend,” Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen said following the incident. “Years of love and passion have gone into building that stage. Those teams are devastated. But we are determined to welcome the 38,000 attendees with the best experience possible.”

That solution came from an unlikely but timely source. Metallica, whose M72 World Tour had recently concluded its European leg, had staging equipment stored in Austria. According to local media reports, the band’s stage was airlifted to the Tomorrowland site overnight and assembled just in time for the festival’s opening day. Wilmsen confirmed that crews had been working around the clock. “It is a miracle and we are beyond happy to be opening. Just two hours ago, we were still demolishing the remains of the old stage,” she told DJ Mag.

The support from Metallica first came to public attention via Martin Garrix, one of the festival’s headlining acts. The Dutch DJ and producer posted a photo with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich on social media and shared his gratitude: “Massive love and a big shoutout to the incredible Tomorrowland team for pulling off miracles and to Metallica for coming through with the new stage parts.”

As of July 2025, Tomorrowland is currently underway, with weekend one running from July 18 to 20, and the second weekend scheduled for July 25 to 27. Despite the initial disruption, all scheduled performances are proceeding as planned, and festival-goers have reported minimal impact on the overall experience. Organizers confirmed that while the replacement stage may differ in design from the originally planned Mainstage, production values remain high, with full audiovisual capabilities in place.

While Metallica has not yet made an official statement, their behind-the-scenes assistance was crucial to the festival's recovery. The staging solution enabled organizers to maintain the original schedule, preserving performances that would otherwise have been at risk. Now in its 21st edition, Tomorrowland continues to be one of the most influential events in electronic music.