The Music and Arts Schools Behind Tomorrowland, From Nepal to Brazil
Four schools on three continents, paid for by the festival’s own community, and the teachers who ended up on the Belgian grounds.
Ashish is 32, and until this summer he had never left Nepal.
For five years he has taught music at a Tomorrowland Foundation Music and Arts School, a job that put the festival’s name on his classroom wall long before it put his boots on its ground. Then he flew to Belgium. Boom, the main stage, the whole thing in person. The Foundation shared his story as one of its latest pieces, and it lands harder than any fundraising line could.
Roop’s path ran a similar direction. He teaches music and DJing at the Foundation’s school in Kolkata, India, and he made it to the festival grounds too, bringing his own energy to the stage world he’d spent years teaching kids about.
What the Foundation Actually Does
The mission is simple to state. The Foundation works with independent nonprofit organizations that help vulnerable children and teenagers express themselves through music, dance, and art, and rebuild some self-esteem along the way. The idea underneath it is that creative expression matters for a child’s development as much as classroom knowledge does, and that kids who get it are better placed to break the cycle they were born into.
The centerpiece is the Music and Arts School program. Four are listed right now: Langrug in South Africa, Sekha in Nepal, Kolkata in India, and Itu in Brazil. The Kolkata school was built with the organization Ek Tara, whose founder, Vinita Saraf, spoke at the Love Tomorrow Summit on July 23, 2026 about building dignity and opportunity through education. Separately, the Foundation has a long running partnership with Mobile School, which works with street children around the world.
The schools, at a glance
- Langrug, South Africa: Music and Arts School
- Sekha, Nepal: Music and Arts School, where Ashish teaches
- Kolkata, India: built with Ek Tara, where Roop teaches music and DJing
- Itu, Brazil: opened October 10, 2024
Why Itu
Itu is the hometown of Tomorrowland Brasil, in the state of São Paulo. About one in five children and teenagers there live in social vulnerability. The Foundation partnered with the municipality to rebuild a community center into a school serving more than 4,000 kids, with proper music and arts rooms, a modern playground, and a sports court. It follows the template set in Nepal and India.
Brazilian DJ and producer Zerb, who played Tomorrowland Brasil in 2023, appears in the project’s film talking about growing up around music and teaching, and why he believes contact with art changes how people see themselves and the world.
Who Pays for It
The audience. That’s the short answer. The Foundation is funded entirely by donations from the People of Tomorrow, plus the proceeds from social tickets sold for Tomorrowland Brasil. No outside sponsor is credited.
You can follow ongoing projects on the Foundation’s project page, keep up with news on its Instagram account, or donate directly.