Among the festival’s most innovative creations is the Floating Sky above the Freedom Stage. More than a visual centerpiece, the installation turns the space above the audience into an active part of the show. Combining motion, lighting and video to create a constantly evolving spectacle. For Xine Robotics, the challenge extended far beyond moving objects in the air. The entire structure needed to operate as a networked, monitored and safety-critical system capable of performing reliably above thousands of throughout the event. To meet those demands, Xine Robotics partnered with FACE, Luminex’s Belgian distributor.

Building a Safe and Networked Kinetic Infrastructure

To power its most complex stages and technical disciplines, Tomorrowland 2026 relied on a robust Luminex ecosystem. Across almost every stage on the festival grounds, reliable networking technology kept everything running smoothly. The deployment featured industry-standard gear including GigaCore switches, LumiNode processors, LumiCore merging devices, and Araneo software.

Xine Robotics and the Freedom Stage

‍At the Freedom Stage, Xine Robotics deployed the Floating Sky, an installation consisting of 420 winches moving above the audience. Reliability and safety guided the project from day one. Xine built the infrastructure around Luminex networking technology, combining GigaCore switches, LumiNode, LumiCore, and fiber connectivity.

To handle safety, they created a custom layer using LumiNode 4 DIN processors integrated into purpose-built enclosures. The system uses ArtRDM to enable, monitor, and disable winches in real time independently from the emergency stop network.

“Many devices on the market claim to support RDM, but not all of them handle the protocol consistently or according to strict timing requirements. Luminex is spot-on. It works every time, and that’s exactly what you need when you’re operating a system of this scale.”
– Frederik Colman, Product Manager, Xine Robotics

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Seamless Lighting Operations Under Tight Changeovers

Throughout the festival weekend, guest lighting programmers, touring productions and house operators continuously share the same lighting infrastructure. With artist changeovers sometimes taking less than a minute, maintaining uninterrupted operation is essential.

Phlippo Productions managed this by deploying nine GigaCore 20t, twelve LumiNode 12, and two LumiCore units. LumiCore allowed guest and house control sessions to remain active simultaneously, letting operators verify show files before transferring control without disconnecting systems.

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Read the case study: Luminex - Tomorrowland 2026
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Interested in other FACE brands @ Tomorrowland? Read:
Ayrton shines bright on the Tomorrowland MainStage 2026
420 ways Xine Robotics amazes the People of Tomorrow