Tomorrowland 2025 goes sustainable
Many were shocked to see the main stage dramatically engulfed in flames the night before the opening of this massive world renowned festival. The organisers remained incredibly calm and positive, with the signature of confidence and mastery of spectacle that reflects Tomorrowland.
For its 20th edition, Tomorrowland continues to set the global standard for festival experiences in record-breaking summer of unity and music. But 2025 will also be remembered for proving that sustainability can be just as magical.
In Boom, close to Antwerp, Belgium, 400,000 “People of Tomorrow” from over 200 countries gathered over two weekends, as the world’s largest electronic music festival delivered a terrific celebration of music, unity, and wonder.
Indeed, this year marked a milestone for sustainability with the full-scale adoption of RFID-enabled reusable cups across Tomorrowland and DreamVille.
With four robust partners deSter, Aucxis, CupNation, and Weezevent, Tomorrowland replaced all single-use drinkware with sleek, semi-transparent smart cups , each carrying an embedded RFID chip linked to the festival’s cashless system.
“This is a major achievement in waste reduction for an event of this scale. We have been working on this since 2019 (with the pandemic interruption) in our Route 360° scheme.
For this edition, around the 16 stages on the 84 acres plot we have about 1 kilometre of bars to cater to the festivalgoers, while the official campsite is about 190 acres . So the place is huge and the infrastructure has to follow accordingly.
At the heart of the system is a high-capacity cleaning infrastructure powered by CupNation, capable of washing up to 500,000 cups per day at facilities nearby. The cups are designed and produced in Belgium by deSter, a company known for sustainable packaging. The cups are made in PP, hot washable and convey a simple branded logo of Jupiler, AB Inbev being the preferred partner for beer. On purpose, we kept the look as simple as to avoid them to be kept as collector and to showcase their belonging to a closed-loop local economy,“ explains Anouk Winant head of Tomorrowland sustainability .
The other key player is Belgian technology firm Aucxis. With 40 years experience in business automation, it provided the RFID integration ensuring fast, accurate tracking of every cup’s journey from bar to return station. In addition to tracking, The STAR (Sustainable Tracking of Assets for Reuse) offers the automatic deposit refund and real-time data insights.
”The system is smooth: at the point of purchase, attendees paid a deposit of one Pearl per cup, automatically registered to their festival bracelet or card. Returning the cup to any RFID-equipped return station triggered an immediate refund, making the process user-friendly.
“You can offer drinks to your friends and the deposit for the empty cups when returned are granted back to your account. The system allowed millions of cups to be reused and recirculated throughout the two weekends,“ commented Ben De Cock, head of food & bev at Tomorrowland.
Weezevent is Tomorrowland’s cashless partner. In addition to the whole ticketing and deposit-refund system, it is responsible for the NFC wristband system that integrates access control, cashless payments, and attendee engagement technologies.
“These wristbands are key for secure, real-time transactions at food stands, merchandise booths, and bars, effectively eliminating the need for physical cash or cards. The system enables access management to restricted zones such as VIP and backstage areas, leveraging individual wristband data to grant or restrict entry.
“Each wristband is capable of being scanned at speeds of up to 800 scans per hour, significantly reducing queue times and improving operational efficiency. Additionally, the platform supports gamified experiences and branded sponsor activations through NFC interactions. The NFC chips functions even without wireless network, which is an important asset at festival,” commented David De Wever, MD from Weezevent Belgium.
So the reusables were only part of these environmentally responsible solutions that matched the festival’s massive footprint without compromising on experience.
For the hundreds of thousands music lovers, it was more than just another reusable cup, it was a symbol of Tomorrowland’s ongoing evolution, where innovation meets impact.
