Music Festival

ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event)

The world's biggest club festival and electronic music conference, held annually across 300+ venues in Amsterdam every October.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

October

massive attendance

Visit Website

Music Genres

EDMelectronichousetechnoconference

About ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event)

The world's biggest club festival and electronic music conference, held annually across 300+ venues in Amsterdam every October.

Want to attend ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event)?

Visit the official website for tickets, lineup information, and more details about this amazing music festival.

Get Tickets

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is a five-day electronic music conference and festival held every October across more than 300 venues in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1996, it combines a daytime industry conference (ADE Pro) with nighttime club programming, making it the largest electronic music gathering in the world.

What Is ADE

ADE runs from Wednesday through Sunday in mid-October. The 2026 edition runs October 21 to 25 and marks the festival's 30th anniversary. The ADE Pro conference component runs October 21 to 24 at venues including Felix Meritis and the Meervaart Theatre. It covers music business topics like streaming royalties, AI in music production, sync licensing, and artist management.

At night, the festival takes over clubs, warehouses, churches, and public spaces across Amsterdam. Programming spans techno, house, trance, drum and bass, hardcore, and ambient. Major residency nights include Awakenings, Drumcode, Afterlife, Anjunadeep, and Charlotte de Witte's KNTXT.

The 2025 edition drew 600,000 visitors across 3,500 artists and 1,200+ events. The 2026 anniversary edition projects similar scale with 400,000+ attendees, 200+ stages, and 3,300+ artists.

2026 Lineup Highlights

Jean-Michel Jarre headlines the official opening concert at AFAS Live on Wednesday, October 21. Other confirmed bookings include Speedy J presents STOOR Live at Paradiso (October 24 and 25), KI/KI's 5-hour daytime set at Ziggo Dome (October 22), and Paradise x Loveland at Mediahaven (October 23) headlined by Jamie Jones.

Further residency announcements typically drop in waves through June, July, August, and September. The full lineup covers techno (the deepest programming), house and tech-house, trance, drum and bass, hardcore and gabber, and experimental/ambient.

Tickets and Practical Info

ADE programming splits across three tiers:

ADE Pass: Festival-wide pass covering a broad subset of events
Individual event tickets: Sold separately, mostly through Resident Advisor or Paylogic
Free programming: Gallery exhibitions, daytime DJ sets, label showcases, and panels

The largest headline events, including Jean-Michel Jarre's opening concert, require a separate ticket beyond the ADE Pass.

Book accommodation by mid-July. ADE-week hotel prices typically run 2 to 3 times normal rates. Westerpark, Amsterdam Noord, and Oost offer the best value near major venue clusters.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

ADE is the single best networking event in electronic music. The conference program puts you in rooms with label heads, booking agents, streaming platform editors, and sync supervisors. If you produce electronic music, attending ADE Pro can directly lead to bookings, label signings, and sync placements.

Artists performing at ADE gain exposure to an international audience of industry professionals and fans. A single standout set at a smaller venue can generate buzz that leads to European tour opportunities. Read our music festival strategy guide for tips on getting booked.

If you are planning to tour internationally, ADE week is the time to be in Amsterdam. Check our international touring guide for logistics planning. Use our tour revenue calculator to estimate what a European run could earn you.