7 days at Tomorrowland Winter 2024 , Alps D’Huez, France
If it is going to be your first time going to Tomorrowland Winter, you have to read this complete guide to Eat, Board, Sleep, Rave, Repeat. I’ve been to both Tomorrowland Summer and Winter and I like this better as everything is compact (I can head back to rest as I wish), more options for food, its 7 days straight and I get to snowboard! It includes ski pass so i find it more value for money too.
How do I get there (Without the bus packages)
Car - If you’re not local, you can choose to fly into these few airports and (I highly recommend to) drive to Alps D’Huez - Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble or Paris. Having a car is convenient even if its a walk of less than 1km due to the slopes. You may be up at the slopes in the day or down at the stages at night but you’d still need to zip around for groceries and food if you’re lazy to walk. Only exception is if you stay in the center, around Av. de Jeux. I picked my car that I booked via AutoEurope at Lyon Airport and drove to Alps De Huez, stopping at Grenoble for lunch and grocery shopping (its cheaper here than up in the mountains).
Bus - This is great for budget travellers and I did consider this option as I didn’t think we’d need a car in the village but my partner prefers driving. There are shuttle buses from Lyon, Geneva and Grenoble and you can book them here.
Amenities around the village
To be honest, its possible to walk everywhere if you’re not lugging your ski gears nor too tired from the slopes or the party. There are 2 supermarkets, Carrefour and Spar. If you need the laundry, there’s one in the centre of the village. The are other activities such as swimming, ice skating, massage and retail therapy that you can do if you do not ski and they are all at the centre of the village, around Pl. Jean Moulin and Av. des Jeux.
Day Stages
Day stages starts at 11am/12pm and last till 4pm/5pm for the different stages
Reflection of Love (The human statue)- Take the ski lift Telemixte Du Signal. It is the lowest and most accessible day stage.
Crystal Garden by Ellesse (The eagle statue) - Take the ski lift Grandes Rosses, which is accessible via Telemixte Du Signal as well. This is the biggest day stage at Tomorrowland Winter and is the only one with an area for Comfort Pass holder. It is possible to ski to Crystal Garden from Frozen Lotus Stage, with a stunning view overlooking Crystal Garden.
Frozen Lotus (The painted flower glass) - Take the ski lift Telemixte Marmottes 1. This is the highest day stage and my personal favourite. It has a proper restaurant, Fruitier and a (nicer) cafeteria, La Folie Douce.
Night Stages
The entrance to the night stages is on Av. de Brandes and you will see the set up as you reach the intersection of Av de Jeux, Rue du Coulet and Av. de Brandes. They start at 7pm and there are 4 night stages that plays various kinds of EDM, much of which are similar to its respective stages in Boom.
Main Stage - It starts only on the 4th night of the entire festival and is a sheltered, 40m wide and 15m high tent that is air-conditioned so you can remove your jacket and wear your rave attire. The comfort area is at the second level, occupying 3 sides of the perimeters of the set up. It has VIP seats and standing tables, complimentary jacket checks, table service and free flow of canapés till 11pm. Performances here are helmed by more popular EDM DJs, just like the main stage in Boom, with visuals on the video tiles, confetti blasters, CO2 jets, flame and spark machines.
Cage - The vibe here is more underground. This is in a smaller and darker tent so yes, you can remove your jackets here to dance, playing mainly techno, some break beats and drum and base just like how it is in Boom. Expect to get sweaty in there.
Moose Bar - This is an eclectic outdoor stage and the music here seemed to be a mix and match of everything from funk to house to hard style. It wasn’t the type of music I fancy so I didn’t stay for more than 30 minutes.
Core - I loved Core in Boom so its easy to like and stay here for a long time if not for the fact that it is outdoors. You identify the stage with the iconic Medusa head and the flicker of every beam of light cuts into the dark night creating a trippy atmosphere.
What to wear
If you are skiing or snowboarding, you will be wearing your ski attire and dancing in your ski boots during the day. It can get a little warm as you start dancing and it is quite common for ravers to remove their ski jackets as the party goes on in the sunshine. The day stages open at 11am and ends at 4pm - 5pm at various stages. If you are not skiing or snowboarding, you can wear warmer sexy rave attire and put on jacket and boots. Shades and/or goggles are highly recommended as the reflective white snow can be quite blinding to the eye.
You can wear any rave outfit you desire at night if you’re going to the Main Stage and/or Cave. Men can go topless and women can bare some skin! Its quite the opposite if you’re going to dance at Core and/or The Moose Bar - layer up because its cold at night.
Where to eat
It largely depends on where you stay. If you’re staying in an Airbnb, you’d be cooking and if you’re staying in hotels, you’d dine at the restaurants. My friends and I stayed in an Airbnb and we bought groceries and made simple breakfast every morning and have a full lunch at the mountain cafeteria or restaurant. We only went to a restaurant for dinner (the first night when we didn’t party) through our 7 days stay.
Lunch Recommendation - Pre-book a seating at Frozen Lotus and pay for the front row seats. You get the best view of the dance floor, DJ and mountains. This often gets sold out quick and its unlikely you get a seat when you walk-in as they are always full for lunch (indoors and outdoors).
Dinner Recommendation - Chalet Dupersille is a nice steakhouse with good food, good atmosphere
Where to Stay
Accommodations here are expensive during the week so please book before they launch the ticket sale in September. Small decent hotel rooms like Appart'Hotel Prestige Odalys L'Eclose (4 stars) can set you back by about 250-300 euros a night. For budget conscious ones, I’d recommend you to book an Airbnb. If you are staying at a walking distance (by your own standards) to Av. des Jeux and Av. de Brandes, you can basically walk to the festival grounds.
Please only stay in Alps D’Huez village or accommodation within 30 minute walk from the street if you do not have a car as going back after the festival might be cold, wet and dangerous. Even the next town at Huez is far to walk and you’d need to pre-book a driver to take you back as there will not be any taxis nor buses at that time. We stayed along Rue de Signal which was a 5 minutes walk to Telemixte Du Signal and that makes accessing Reflection of Love and Crystal Garden day stages very convenient. We can ski into our accommodation at the end of the day too. These 2 hotels, Alp'Azur (3 stars) and Grandes Rousses Hotel & Spa (5 stars) are near where we stayed so you may consider staying there.