Thousands of people from over 55 different countries, performers dancing with fire, acrobats walking on ropes in mid-air, fireworks being shot in the sky, both local and international DJs making the crowd go wild: this was Unite with Tomorrowland.
Tomorrowland, the biggest global electronic music festival, united with Malta, Greece, Portugal and Spain for the third time on Saturday July 27 at the Marsa Sports Grounds.
The event consisted of a live stream of Tomorrowland’s main stage in Belgium and of a 12-hour live performance of local and international DJs.
Even though the festival was spectacular, not everything went the way it was supposed to.
The good
A staggering 94 per cent of attendees said that the Malta event was a great success last year and that they were eagerly waiting for the third edition.
“We have been here since five [pm],” said Stephanie Camilleri, a second-time attendee of the festival who was there with her cousin Genna. “Last year was amazing and when I was given the opportunity to come again, I couldn’t say no. I want to see Armin Van Buuren play live.”
The DJ line-up for the event included Grammy-nominated Dutchman and world-famous DJ Armin van Buuren and Steve Aoki, who is also a Grammy-nominated artist who has collaborated with musicians including Linkin Park, Afrojack and Iggy Azalea, among others, as well as numerous local DJs.
I couldn’t say no. I want to see Armin Van Buuren play live.- Stephanie Camilleri
This year’s theme was Amicorum Spectaculum, a magical mystical world where steampunk circus meets Moulin Rouge. DJs were surrounded by a team of aerial performers, slack liners, fire performers, jugglers, stilt walkers, bubble artists and acrobats, while performing on a typical Tomorrowland stage, a towering structure that is the main focus of the festival.
The scenes were incredible: acrobats walking on a rope above the crowd while confetti canons fired at them and fire performers dancing with fire wheels and other props while standing in the middle of the crowd.
The organisers did an excellent job of making people feel like they were experiencing a true Tomorrowland event, known for its quirkiness and spectacular shows.
The set list was good, not just for Tomorrowland’s main stage, but also for the four stages uniting. Both Steve Aoki and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike got people hugging one another and jumping from one side to the other at the beat of their music.
Tomorrowland is a great example of people coming together to enjoy an event dedicated to music, not just in one country, but from five different locations.
The bad
However, not everything went as smoothly as it was meant to, as DJ Steve Aoki showed up three hours after he was headlined to perform.
Because of this, the live satellite connection with the Tomorrowland main stage in Belgium was interrupted after the performance of Vini Vici and just as David Guetta was about to play, because Steve Aoki was about to start performing live in Malta.
“I came here mainly for Steve Aoki and when he didn’t show up, I was ready to go home. But my friends convinced me to stay and enjoy the rest of the festival. I am happy I did because if I had left, I wouldn’t have gotten to see him perform,” said Margaret Taylor, 27-year-old British attendee on holiday in Malta.
Luckily for everyone who was hoping to see David Guetta perform, he is set to come to Malta for a live performance on August 15 in Ta' Qali.
The ugly
46 people were arrested during the festival after being caught with drugs.
The police issued a statement about the arrests, saying people from a variety of countries had been caught with cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and synthetic drugs.
The youngest person caught was 16 years old and the oldest was 43.
The Anti-Drug Squad arrested Maltese nationals, European, African, Indian and US nationals, with ages ranging between 16 and 43 years. They were found in possession of cannabis and cannabis resin, ecstasy, cocaine and synthetic drugs.
Some of the arrested people were fined on the spot, whereas others are expected to be arraigned in court in the coming days to face charges of drug possession.