4 Reasons Why Music Lovers Should Visit Amsterdam This Autumn

Music festivals in Amsterdam!

Amsterdam, the home of dance festival mecca Dekmantel, has fast become a dream location for underground electronic artists, performing to heaves of enlightened fans. If you haven’t visited the gloriously picturesque, wildly laid back city before (or even if you have), we can give you four very valid reasons why now is the time to go.

1. ADE – Amsterdam Dance Event 19th – 23rd October

The prestigious Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) describes itself as “the leading electronic music platform and the biggest club festival in the world for the whole spectrum of electronic sub-genres”. Every October the Dutch capital transforms into a playground for music aficionados of specialist and non-specialist status, industry professionals flung together with bonafide dance lovers. The week-long event takes place across the city at over 100 locations including the Heineken Music Arena, Paradiso and Melkweg, combining industry conferences with a festival showcase of over 2,000 acts. The line up of artists is dynamic and diverse, with up and coming DJs to globally recognised heavyweights. This year everyone from Craig David, Skepta, Fedde Le Grand, Roman Flügel, Joris Voorn, Crystal Castles and Axwell & Ingrosso will be performing to an estimated 200,000 people, and you need to one of them.

For more info visit www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl

2. Innovation in the Dam 25th – 27th November

Calling all drum and bass, dubstep and garage heads, this one is for you. Innovation have been throwing drum and bass parties in Amsterdam for 11 years now, so you can bet your bottom dollar they know exactly what they are doing, and this year is no exception. The DnB party people have joined forces with Warning, one of the UK’s longest running dnb innovators, and as a result, 2016’s line up is their best yet. Andy C, Hype, Volt-age and Hazard are all confirmed, set to perform alongside amazing acts like Skibadee, Phantasy and Subzero & Original Sin. Taking place over three nights at the end of November and hosted by two clubbing giants (Melkweg and The Box), this looks to be the perfect opportunity to skank out to jungle, in one of Europe’s most colourful and liberal capitals.

Find tickets and more at innovationevents.co.uk/in-the-dam/

3. AMF Festival 22nd – 23rd October

The AMF festival is a cornerstone of the Amsterdam Dance Event, and takes place during the same week in October. Formerly the Amsterdam Music Festival, this world famous multi venue event takes place in several locations including the city’s largest stadium, the Amsterdam ArenA, as well as the city’s largest arena, Ziggo Dome. With a line up tar-geted to appeal to those with a taste for the giant superstars of EDM, AMF has booked the big guns, such as David Guetta, Alesso, Hardwell, Dillon Francis and Nicky Romero. Having recently rekindled their bromance at the Social Festival in the UK, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike are reuniting once again for this legendary weekender.

More tickets and info found at amf-festival.com

4. Valhalla 17th December

And for those of you who like to dabble in the weird and wonderful, Valhalla festival might just be exactly what you’re looking for. Merging electronic music and circus culture, this eccentric fusion is a sensual bombardment of all things unusual. The RAI Amsterdam is transformed into a mad house filled with crazy talented circus performers and live music of deep house, techno and disco variations. The line up boasts huge acts like Eats Every-thing, Skream, Hannah Wants and Shadowchild.

Find out more at valhallafestival.nl

by April Summers