Absolut & Tomorrowland Go Again for 2025.
Tomorrowland, a world within a world. The renowned electronic dance music festival championed unity more than ever before this year. Just a day before the start of the first weekend, Tomorrowland’s main stage – which took over two years to plan and construct – went up in flames. For most, this would’ve spelled the end of proceedings before they had even started, especially given the importance of the area at the festival grounds. Despite all odds, the hardworking men and women of Tomorrowland worked around the clock to get the festival back up off of its knees. From borrowing parts of Metallica’s world tour stage to rebuilding the spot while the first weekend’s acts performed, Tomorrowland 2025 could not be defeated. In turn, Absolut x Tomorrowland’s United We Dance platform felt more relevant than ever.
PHOTO CREDIT: Absolut
The duo’s ongoing partnership is well documented, having initially linked up back in 2017 on a local level. Fast forward to 2025, both Absolut and Tomorrowland are still going, pushing each other to continue tackling the big issues, side by side. Having both built platforms of their own, Absolut’s cultural influence and rich collaborative history intertwines effortlessly with Tomorrowland’s all-encompassing world, one that makes unifying collaboration easy.
Deb Dasgupta, VP of Global Marketing for Absolut Vodka, divulged more about the duo’s joint partnership:
“Our ongoing partnership with Tomorrowland is underpinned by our strong shared values. These are at the heart of the collaboration which means we are always on the same page about what the collaboration means, what we do and what we want to achieve. Our collaboration has gone from strength to strength as we strive to drive positive change in the industry and the world. Absolut and Tomorrowland know that great things happen when we mix and come together, and that there is no more powerful way to bring people together than the universal language of music. Music has the power not just to entertain, but to shape cultural attitudes, norms and expectations across decades, age groups and borders.”
Leaning on its joint United We Dance platform for the fourth year in a row, Absolut x Tomorrowland returns to create a more inclusive version of tomorrow. Since 2022, Absolut and Tomorrowland’s United We Dance platform has used the universal language of music to bring people together, tackle prominent societal issues, and make meaningful change, most notably addressing issues of discrimination, abuse, and safety. The formation of the Diversity & Inclusivity committee has made sure to put long-term thinking at the forefront, being made up of representatives from Absolut and Tomorrowland, an industry expert, a politician, as well as a global DJ, ensuring a balanced and more equal future for the music industry. Undertaking heavy background research to underline the issues impacting society in the modern age, the Absolut x Tomorrowland D&I committee have tackled the ongoing global issue of loneliness head-on, focusing on impactful onsite and online activities that facilitate human connection.
Speaking with Annika Skohg, Global Marketing Manager of Experiences & Partnerships, we asked her why tackling the loneliness epidemic was of paramount importance to both Absolut and Tomorrowland, this year in particular:
“Each year, our partnership’s Diversity & Inclusivity Committee drives awareness with meaningful actions on a highly-charged topic relevant to festivalgoers. Last year, the committee chose the theme of loneliness, which had been declared by the World Health Organisation as a critical health threat. Our initiatives to address this included a huge breakfast event for the United We Dance community, cultural exchange speed dating and a six-episode podcast series where global DJs spoke candidly about their experiences with loneliness, mental health and connection. The response to these activations was impressive and highlighted that we are driving real positive change through huge social engagement.
This overwhelmingly positive feedback from our community led us to continue the theme of loneliness for 2025. Loneliness continues to be a huge issue that affects so many people around the world and we have the opportunity to continue tackling this. For 2025, we have brought back the speed dating, communal lunch and podcast.”
First addressed in 2024, the topic of loneliness needs to stay on everybody’s lips, and Absolut and Tomorrowland know that. Some studies have concluded that loneliness affects those aged 19 to 29 most, with 27% reporting that they feel very or fairly lonely, and that it impacts Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people more.
For 2025, Absolut x Tomorrowland prioritised purpose-led experiences to help unify festival-goers in new and forward-thinking ways, doing so in both real life and through various digital channels. Despite this year’s festivities having come and gone, the duo’s United We Dance stretches beyond, forming avenues for connection before, during, and after the festival. Some examples include how Tomorrowland’s existing communities are built upon, with a podcast and website facilitating this digital movement. The United We Dance artist podcast series – which is streamed through One World Radio, the Tomorrowland App and DAB+ – follows on from six 2024 episodes and talks to some of the world’s leading DJ talent, discussing everything from human connection and the challenges of self-expression to living with loneliness.
Alternatively, “IRL” met digital in the middle through a WhatsApp group that was set up prior to the festival, aiming to connect cultures and people on the ground before they had even touched down in Boom, Belgium. This saw members obtain details of on-site activities, including community-style lunch events and “Culture Connects”; a friendly, speed-dating style event. Not stopping there, Absolut x Tomorrowland made sure connections were made without having to utter a word, handing out wearable special-edition United We Dance bandanas to guests who joined the United We Dance community beforehand, acting as an signifier for likeminded individuals involved in the community.
Last but not least, it wouldn’t be an Absolut collaboration without some vodka. Being a centre point of the festival, the latest concoction from Absolut was made available at an on-site activation at Tomorrowland 2025, a place where festival-goers could choose from a wide selection of classic cocktails or the inaugural official Tomorrowland cocktail. What do you get if you mix a dash of rhubarb serve with Absolut’s Original Vodka, some lemon juice, Prosecco, and soda water? A rather tasty “Tomorrowland Spritz.” Trust us, it’s a winning recipe.
Want to learn more about what Absolut x Tomorrowland, United We Dance, and tackling loneliness? Check out the links below, as well as our interviews with both Absolut’s Annika Skohg and Deb Dasgupta.
Could you tell our readers a little bit about how the partnership with Tomorrowland came to be? What was the original vision and how has it evolved with each passing year?
AS: Absolut first partnered with Tomorrowland Belgium in 2017 at a local sponsorship level, with our brands aligning on our shared values of creativity and inclusion. As Tomorrowland has grown and evolved to now encompass global festival iterations in places like France and Brazil, so have the collaboration opportunities with Absolut to reach more people through the universal language of music to achieve positive change. For Absolut, what began as a minor activation has grown into a 360-programme, with more than 10 markets activating across all the touch points – from social to digital, to off-trade and on-trade, on-site and influencers. We quickly identified that we have a lot of common ground with Tomorrowland, and our partnership takes a truly collaborative approach as it continues to evolve with each year.
DD: The partnership now includes the United We Dance platform, which saw the creation of a D&I committee that was designed to demonstrate our long-term commitment to the industry and beyond. Each year, the D&I committee chooses a pivotal, research-backed issue impacting society and takes meaningful action to create positive change, implementing onsite and online initiatives around this to engage people from across the globe.
Absolut’s history of immersing themselves in different cultural landscapes has cemented the brand as an industry frontrunner. How does this latest instalment in the United We Dance partnership feed into that and align with the brand?
DD: The United We Dance partnership reflects Absolut’s core brand values, ones that we also share with Tomorrowland. We share a vision for a more open and inclusive world, and the belief that what unites is stronger than what divides. Using our combined influence and reach, we strive to accelerate equality to create a better tomorrow. Looking more broadly at other Absolut culture partnerships beyond the festival space, specifically with our artist-edition bottle collaborations with Andy Warhol in 2024 and Keith Haring in 2025, we’re always looking to stay at the forefront of culture an authentic way, grounded in our brand values.
Unifying people has never been more important than it is right now in 2025. What opportunities will people be given to connect at the festival? And what do Absolut and Tomorrowland want them to take away from their time there?
AS: The Culture Connects speed dating event and community lunches are the biggest on-site opportunities for connection among the United We Dance community. We want festival-goers to feel enriched from their experiences with the Absolut and Tomorrowland touch points, and that they’ve had valuable experiences with fellow attendees and made wider connections with likeminded individuals.
DD: Our gifted United We Dance bandanas, worn at the festival, will act as an identifier for like-minded individuals to connect throughout the weekend, whilst promoting an environment of acceptance and self-expression.
