Absolut Vodka and Yinka Ilori Unveil Art Experience at Tomorrowland
The creative collaboration launches at Tomorrowland Belgium 2026 with an immersive installation designed to turn moments of celebration into moments of connection.
Absolut Vodka announces its first artistic collaboration in the festival space, partnering with renowned multidisciplinary British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE to continue the brand’s artistic legacy. As Creative Director for Absolut’s festival activations, Ilori has created an immersive installation that blends music, art and movement; and marking the first time his work has been showcased at a music festival.
Launched at Tomorrowland Belgium last weekend, the partnership signals a new dawn for Absolut’s global cultural programming, firmly establishing creativity at the centre of how the brand inspires and brings people together through music, art and shared experiences. The collaboration debuted with an immersive installation at the Belgian festival, where festivalgoers were invited to experience the joy of coming together through visual art and movement.
Connection can too often feel fragmented. Increasingly driven by algorithms and identities, Absolut believes creativity remains one of the most powerful forces that brings people together in moments of shared happiness. From pop artist Andy Warhol to Tabasco brand, Absolut has collaborated with pioneers over several decades to challenge convention and inspire new perspectives.
Known for transforming everyday spaces into bold, joyful environments, Ilori’s work explores community, optimism and human connection through color, storytelling and participatory design. This partnership reflects a shared belief with Absolut that creativity should not simply be observed, but something for communities to experience and shape together. With loneliness continuing to impact people across the world, spaces like this that facilitate human connection and engagement are more important than ever.
Ilori’s installation celebrates the joy of coming together, aiming to reflect the euphoric feeling of unity that will be familiar to festivalgoers around the world. Blending visual art, movement and music in his unique style, the immersive environment invites visitors to become part of the artwork itself. Taking cues from global movement traditions including West African masquerade, Brazilian Capoeira and Persian Sufi whirling, the installation transforms dance into a visual language of connection.
Interactive projections respond to guests in real time, capturing movement and translating it into evolving layers of colour, light and shadow. As individuals move through the space, they collectively shape the artwork around them, creating an inspiring expression of togetherness. The installation will feature an immersive art room, interactive cylinders, dancefloor, DJ booth and Absolut cocktail bar, creating a vibrant gathering place across both weekends of Tomorrowland Belgium.
Craig van Niekerk, Global VP Marketing at Absolut, said: “Absolut is excited to be working with Yinka Ilori as part of our festival activation in 2026, reinforcing and continuing our artistic legacy. Festivals are a key moment for our consumers to connect, with data showing that 70% of festivalgoers are Gen Z or Millennials1, and through our partnership with Yinka we are creating a new experience for them that moves beyond celebration and allows meaningful connection. Yinka’s work is rooted in joy, community and togetherness; values that sit at the heart of Absolut and our United We Dance partnership with Tomorrowland. We look forward to continuing to evolve this in ways that engage our consumers and make the expected more imaginative.”
Yinka Ilori, Creative Director for Global Festival Activations at Absolut,commented: “Everything I create begins with people. I think about how spaces can make us feel welcome, connected and part of something bigger than ourselves. That’s what made this collaboration with Absolut so exciting: our shared interest in bringing people together. Tomorrowland is already a place where people experience joy, freedom and belonging through music. My role has been to build on that energy and design an experience that invites people to participate, connect and create memories together. What interested me about this project was creating something people could actively engage with… something where interaction itself becomes part of the experience.”
Absolut Vodka is the official vodka of Tomorrowland, and the longstanding United We Dance partnership is rooted in shared values of creativity and inclusivity, celebrating music as a universal connector. The partnership is now in its tenth year, evolving from a local level sponsorship to a global platform, with Absolut Vodka activations now taking place at Tomorrowland festivals in France, Colombia, Brazil and at Tomorrowland’s first full-scale Asian festival in Thailand later this year.
1 Source: Ticket Fairy
About Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is a worldwide leader in the spirits and champagne industry, blending traditional craftsmanship, state-of-the-art brand development, and global distribution technologies. Our prestigious portfolio of premium to luxury brands includes Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur and Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes. Our mission is to ensure the long-term growth of our brands with full respect for people and the environment, while empowering our employees around the world to be ambassadors of our purposeful, inclusive and responsible culture of authentic conviviality. Pernod Ricard’s consolidated sales amounted to €10,959 million in fiscal year FY25. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 indices.
About Tomorrowland Belgium
Tomorrowland Belgium, with a crowd of 400,000 is one of the world’s biggest electronic dance music festivals. It is located in a beautiful natural place: the recreation area of De Schorre in the town of Boom in Belgium. It is a true fairy tale world situated in beautiful natural surroundings with a strong eye for detail, such as enchanting décor, magical stages, fascinating acts and peripheral animations, tasty and healthy food & drinks from around the world and spectacular fireworks – an unforgettable and incomparable show. Every year, the festival features a special theme that inspires the famed mainstage design and stage production.
Tomorrowland caters to all genres of electronic dance music with hundreds of renowned artists performing across more than a dozen different stages. Being home to hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life, one of the most unique things about Tomorrowland remains the whole world coming together in one magical place with everyone being equal and uniting as one, symbolising the values of freedom, respect, diversity, and solidarity.
About Yinka Ilori
Yinka Ilori MBE is a multidisciplinary British Nigerian artist, designer and founder whose bold visual language draws on his dual heritage to convey new narratives through contemporary design.
Humorous, provocative, and playful, his projects demonstrate how design can bring together communities, reimagine spaces, and have a positive impact on society, while evoking a sense of joy and optimism. Spanning a wide range of disciplines – including branded partnerships, gallery exhibitions, and his own line, Yinka Ilori Objects – his work engages themes that resonate with audiences worldwide and is guided by a belief that art and design should be accessible to everyone.
A graduate of London Metropolitan University’s BA in Furniture and Product Design, Ilori’s work has been showcased globally through solo and group exhibitions, public commissions and set and exhibition design. In 2025, the same year that he was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) by the Royal Society for Arts (RSA), he launched the Yinka Ilori Foundation with a mission to create playful, inclusive, and sustainable community spaces that foster creativity, opportunity, and self-sufficiency, especially for children and youth.
