Tomorrowland not yet convinced to tour Thailand, despite gov’t claim
Organisers of Belgium’s EDM (electronic dance music) festival “Tomorrowland” say they have not confirmed that the music festival will take place in Thailand, contrary to local reports.
In a statement published on EDM.com on Thursday, Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen addressed reports by numerous media outlets, which cited Thai government spokesman Chai Wacharonke as saying that the organisers of the iconic, Belgium-based EDM festival is developing an event for Bangkok in 2026.
While Tomorrowland’s proprietors are currently exploring an expansion to Thailand, they are in the due diligence phase and have not yet confirmed a new festival, said Wilmsen.
She explained that back in December the Tomorrowland team had engaged in discussions with various parties and explored potential locations for a Tomorrowland festival in Thailand.
“Deeply touched by the warm support, we must clarify the recent speculation: nothing has been officially confirmed or signed at this time,” Wilmsen told EDM.com. “The Tomorowland team is diligently conducting thorough research and exploration to assess the feasibility of hosting Tomorrowland in Thailand. There is still much to be investigated.”
Last Friday (March 22) Chai said that Thailand will be the first country in ASEAN to host Japan’s Summer Sonic music festival, as well as Belgium’s EDM Tomorrowland festival.
Chai added that Summer Sonic Bangkok 2024 was scheduled for August 24-25 this year at Impact Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi province, while Tomorrowland has scheduled an event in Thailand in 2026, which could be held for 10 consecutive editions.
The hosting of international events is part of the government’s policy of promoting the creative industry as an economic driver and making Thailand a global festival hub to boost tourism, he said.
Summer Sonic is an annual music festival held on one weekend in August simultaneously in both Chiba and Osaka, Japan.
Meanwhile, Tomorrowland is a large-scale annual electronic dance music festival held in Boom, Antwerp, Belgium. This year the festival will take place on July 19-21 and July 26-28.
Responding to Tomorrowland’s statement, government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said on Friday that it did not contradict his earlier update. Chai said the government had not announced the signing of a contract with Tomorrowland’s organisers to hold an event in Thailand in 2026.
“The earlier report just provided the public with an update that negotiations with the festival organisers were progressing positively, with high probability of the event being held in Thailand in 2026,” he said.
Chai also pointed out that the organisers’ statement did not conclusively say the festival would not be held in Thailand.
“The organisers are saying that they are researching and assessing the feasibility of holding an event in Thailand, which is in line with the government’s update on the negotiation progress, and therefore shows no contradiction between the two pieces of information,” he said.
