Tomorrowland returned to Shanghai this October for the second edition of The Magic of Tomorrowland, and the two-day event sold out completely. The Belgian festival giant teamed up with Hero Esports, INS LAND and Budweiser to take over the Hero Dome, a purpose-built indoor venue at INS SEA, a new waterfront development in the city's western Huangpu district.

The scale of the production was remarkable for an indoor show. The mainstage stretched 88 metres wide, backed by 72 moving ceiling screens, nearly 2,900 square metres of new LED, almost 700 lights and lasers, 120 speakers and a 20-metre catwalk with 24 performers in locally made costumes. Everything, from the scenography to the food stalls and merch, was built locally, adapted to Chinese safety rules and planned with sustainability in mind.

The lineup mixed international headliners with homegrown talent. Night one opened with Chinese DJ Sally and built through Lost Frequencies, a back-to-back set from Cassian and Kevin de Vries, and MORTEN and Linska, before Axwell of Swedish House Mafia closed things out. Night two belonged to Tiësto, with support from an ARTBAT and R3HAB back-to-back, Miss Monique, Alison Wonderland and Joel Corry, plus local artist Evin King.

There was a second stage too: Paperworld by Budweiser hosted intimate sunset sets from Hauzer, Nosi, Bhaskar, Carly Wilford, DJ L, Zok and Mansun Lui — a nice contrast to the mainstage spectacle.

One genuinely unusual highlight for a festival: the food. Around 15 brands served everything from Thai street food to Chinese regional cooking, and several were Michelin-recognised. Yongfu brought its one-star Ningbo cuisine, Qingxi Hui served two-star Chaoshan food, and Xiding offered its famous sea cucumber dumplings. Festival dining rarely reaches this standard anywhere in the world.

For travellers, this is a signal worth watching. Tomorrowland's spokesperson Debby Wilmsen said the festival is proud to see the EDM scene grow in China, and both organisers hinted at more editions to come. If you're an electronic music fan, Shanghai is quietly becoming a serious destination — big-name acts, world-class production and a crowd that turns out in force, all without the camping and mud of a European mega-festival. The indoor, city-based format makes it easy to pair with a proper city break: the Bund, the French Concession and Shanghai's food scene are all on your doorstep.

Tickets sold out fast for this edition, so anyone tempted by a future one should move quickly when dates drop.