With the Sensation crew premiering their latest event – ‘Ocean of White’ – in Belgium, new heights were bound to be reached in event delivery. Trains all over northern Belgium were packed to the rafters, with punters dressed head to toe in white all heading to one place; Ethias Arena. From wedding dresses to Star Wars storm troopers, if it was white you could bet someone was wearing it!

At 9pm outside the venue it was apparent that some were enjoying themselves a little bit too much, leaving little chance that they would ever make it to Armin’s 3am set (though you should never underestimate the Europeans when it comes to partying). With virtually no security checks or police presence, it was a world away from the strict security we’re used to at dance festivals back home. 10pm rolled around, and like clockwork the lights dimmed and the trademark Sensation voiceover took to the airwaves, introducing Barry Fore & Tom Leclerq to kick off proceedings. Having both played regularly in the Belgian club scene over the past five years, it was no surprise the crowd welcomed them warmly. With only a one hour set they wasted no time in setting an energetic pace for the evening.

Martin Solveig soon took over the reigns, accompanied by a blistering light show. Playing his signature dirty house beats through until just after midnight, his set included a remix of his iconic hit Everybody, as well as and his recent release I Want You. Dr. Lektroluv, better known to some as The Man With The Green Mask, was next to hit the decks. With the rotating stage doing its thing, he wasn’t shy in whipping out a few dance moves along the way for his hometown crowd. With the job of pumping up everyone for the Megamix (a Sensation institution!) there were few left idle. Day and Night was just one of the crowd-pleasing remixes he dropped.

After the last-minute cancellation of his New Year’s Australian tour, Eric Prydz may have had a price on his head back home but once the Swedish marvel took centre stage excitement was in the air. With such a solid portfolio of releases to his name, there was little the man could do wrong. An extended version of Pjanoo was certainly one of many stand-outs. The crowd moved freely as many fans took up seats in the stands to get a prime position for the headline act – it could be assumed that there were probably a few sore dancing feet at this point, and one can’t help but feel sorry for those girls who opted for heels over flats – what were you thinking?!

Armin Van Buuren – no stranger to Sensation or any other major European dance event for that matter – was casual in appearance, but in front of a crowd of 15,000 he is never one to under-deliver. A well-oiled machine in human form, the Dutch master of trance had just 80 minutes to take the crowd to Armin-land (a blink of an eye compared to his marathon eight hour sets). With the production team pulling out all stops, we were treated to pyrotechnics, bikini-clad dancers, lasers and indoor fountains. Like a one-dayer against Bangladesh, it was over in no time at all, though smiles were surely found on everyone’s dial.

Closing out the show Tocadisco, who gave a healthy does of favourites including some Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Michael Jackson, and Basement Jaxx’s Where’s Your Head At?. When the latter track rang out, this reviewer thought it was an appropriate time to call it a night and begin the four hour commute back to Holland. What a party, once again!