Court rejects interim ban on Tomorrowland, festival to go ahead

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the dance festival, one of the most popular in the world, extended its usual three-day schedule to six, over two weekends instead of one. A group of seven local residents applied to the court to have the licence that was granted by Antwerp province and the towns of Boom and neighbouring Rumst suspended, arguing they would suffer additional nuisance from the extended festival.

The court declared the application for an immediate suspension inadmissible on the grounds of lack of urgency. Residents had been aware since last December of a planned second weekend, and urgency would have demanded an application be lodged earlier than two months after that, the court said.

In addition, the decision to suspend the licence was outside the jurisdiction of the judge in this case, since it would have prevented the festival from going ahead, while a judge in an interim interdict case is only empowered to take temporary measures.

The interim procedure was also not the place to rule on the demand of the residents to have noise restricted to 45 decibels in the daytime and 40 decibels in the evening, according to the court.

Tomorrowland organisers said they were relieved at the ruling. “We’ve done everything over the last year to make sure the festival was in good legal order, and now we can continue work on what should be an unforgettable anniversary edition,” spokesperson Debby Wilmsen said. The organisers would continue to work closely with local residents, including those who applied for the injunction.

“People shouldn’t cry victory too soon,” commented Griet Cnudde, lawyer for the residents. “We will be undertaking further action because there is too much at stake for my clients to give up now.”