Party tips for ADE 2025

From Amsterdam With Love & BlackGold 10 Years

A nice pre-party option, this opening event packs into the cosy space of classic Amsterdam record store and coffee shop Black Gold. From midday until mid-evening, they’re hosting an instore party and eight-hour vinyl-only jam session for their 10th birthday party – and the city’s 750th. Come sip a drip-filter and wiggle along to some deep cuts from these hallowed record boxes.

From Amsterdam With Love & BlackGold 10 Years | Wednesday 22 October | 12:00–20:00 | Black Gold Amsterdam Coffee & Vinyl | Free

50:Hertz Club Train

Now here’s a premium club experience that will really move you. All onboard the party train this ADE for a series of exclusive events within the wagons of a moving train. For the second year running, 50:Hertz is inviting a wide range of DJs and organisers to go truly off the rails. As one of only 400 guests, experience ADE in style and take a tour of the Amsterdam Area – propelled only by the selections of your DJ of choice.

50:Hertz Club Train | Wednesday 22 – Sunday 26 October | Various times, 4hrs | Leaving from Central Station | €53.50–78.90

Amsterdam Alternative Dance Event

Not everyone in the city welcomes ADE: the yearly tradition of resistance to the festival is almost as enthusiastic as its attendees. In this spirit – though they insist they are not opposing the festival directly – local collective Amsterdam Alternative programme a series of events that are more affordable and accessible, across the city’s former squats and independent venues, including Cinetol, De Nieuwe Anita and Parknest. This year, you can join Saturday’s free street parade, a couple of sharp-edged techno parties at OT301, or one of several punk and ska shows – the perfect antidote, if not alternative, to ADE.

Amsterdam Alternative Dance Event | Wednesday 22 – Sunday 26 October | Various times and venues | Free – €22 for two-day ‘passepartout’ at Cinetol

Boogie Brunch

Round off ADE in style at the city centre's art’otel, home to the lively ARCA Bar and an inspiring in-house art gallery. On Sunday, the hotel teams up with the Boogie House collective for a mellow yet soulful Boogie Brunch — the ideal spot to recharge after a full-on week of music or to sneak in one last groove before the festival wraps up. Expect feel-good tunes from Boogie House founders Kirilski and Dreadluxx, alongside a fresh new brunch menu and hangover-curing sips.

ARCA Bar | Sunday 26 October | 12:00 - 17:00 | Various

Danny L Harle

Get “Harlecore” this ADE to a vibrant explosion of sugary, high-energy dance-pop music. Alongside A.G. Cook, Danny L Harle is one of the chief architects of PC Music, the collective that birthed “hyperpop”: a scene as spiky as it is unapologetically camp, bubblegum and heavy with hooks. Harle, who has collaborated with everyone from Dua Lipa and Charli XCX to Nile Rodgers, is invited by local promoters PYXLS – champions of hyperpop who emphasise its accessibility and appeal to queer audiences – alongside supporting acts YoungWoman and Willem Feltzer. A perfect standalone or warm-up to one of several parties at Melkweg that follow.

Danny L Harle | Thursday 23 October | 19:00–22:30 | Melkweg | €29.90

Club Raum invites Clone Records

Perhaps Amsterdam’s most reputable new club, opening in April 2024, Raum is queer run and a veritable local institution – both of LGBTQ+ representation/inclusivity and of cutting-edge electronic music. One of many stellar lineups there this ADE, Thursday night invites iconic Rotterdam label Clone for a takeover, with label head Serge, Utrecht-based Jannah and a host of German artists, including techno legend Marcel Dettmann – tonight playing a special house set. Consider also warming up earlier with a free exhibition and talk from Raum’s artist in residence. If that doesn’t tickle your pickle, browse Raum’s other parties this ADE, but don’t sit on it too long if you want to get a ticket.

Club Raum invites Clone Records | Thursday 23 October | 23:00–05:00 | Raum | €27.45

Black Coffee

Want to go big this ADE? It doesn’t get bigger in Amsterdam than the 17,000-capacity stadium Ziggo Dome. This year, they invite one of South Africa’s most globally revered DJs: Black Coffee. Nkosinathi Maphumul has been around since the mid-’90s, but has become such a mainstay in electronic dance music that he’s become a Grammy winner and regular at super-festivals like Tomorrowland and Coachella, not to mention a producer for Drake. Expect a masterclass in techno and afro house – and a party of gargantuan scale.

Black Coffee | Friday 24 October | 20:00–02:00 | Ziggo Dome | €75.04

Dusty Cabinets

Or perhaps you’re after something weirder and cosier? Out near Sloterdijk Station, De Sering is a community kitchen and very public-feeling event space with a post-industrial flavour. This ADE, they welcome back regulars Dusty Cabinets, purveyors of bass-heavy, dub-influenced music – all supercharged by an expanded version of their signature Krackfree Soundsystem. Friday brings artists from left-field UK label Accidental Meetings, while Saturday gets a little spooky with noisemakers 5 Gate Temple. Either way, expect nightlong sub bass and a cute crowd.

Dusty Cabinets | Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October | 23:00–06:00 | De Sering | €14.60–€22.50 or €39.40 for both nights

SOBER

Ecstasy on the dance floor need not be chemical, and many of us prefer the intoxication provided by rattling bass, vibrant atmosphere and head-spinning selections. That’s the philosophy of SOBER, a local queer-led party for sober techno lovers. No alcohol will be served throughout this event at Parallel, which follows a free panel talk on the topic, asking: what is to come of this growing movement to reimagine nightlife without alcohol or substances?

SOBER | Saturday 25 October | 15:00–21:00 | Parallel | €17.50

Labyrinth

This top-value, local star-studded party dubs itself “a spiritual and architectural ode to RADION”. The club’s new flagship night has its work cut out for it: RADION is an enigmatic, unique space that’s hard to pin down. That said, most will cite its inclusive but scuzzy atmosphere, its tendency towards raw-edged techno and – yep – a fair bit of nudity. One of many ADE events likely to sell out this year, Labyrinth presents an international lineup including German techno veteran Chris Liebing, alongside local heroes from Job Sifre to Vuur.

Labyrinth | Saturday 25 October | 23:00–07:00 | RADION | €25

ZeeZout

For many ADE visitors, it’s go hard or go home: big line-ups, all-day affairs, high ticket prices. If you’re going to commit in this way, you’re looking for events organised by the Netherlands’ biggest festival names: Awakenings, DGTL, No Art, DKMNTL, Into the Woods, etc. ZeeZout stands shoulder to shoulder with these giants, this year bringing inviting international heavyweights like Helena Hauff and Shanti Celeste alongside Dutch heavy-hitters from Elias Mazian to Identified Patient and Twiena. As with most of these events, it’s almost sold out at time of writing, but when has that ever stopped the hardcore crew?

ZeeZout | Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 October | 14:00–23:00 | het Rijk van de Keizer | €59

De Nacht x Amsterdam 750: The Final Festival

What better way to play out ADE than at this show-stopping finale at neighbouring clubs SkateCafe and Garage Noord. Between them, these two institutions are hugely responsible for supercharging the cultural cachet of this formerly industrial part of Amsterdam Noord, where now you can barely move for hip bars, clubs and restaurants. So it’s fitting that they together host this festival with De Nacht, a citywide programme celebrating Amsterdam’s anniversary through its nightlife. After a concluding discussion on the topic, dance from afternoon until dawn along to some of the city’s most established and well-loved DJs from across the scene.

De Nacht x Amsterdam 750: The Final Festival | Sunday 26 October | 15:00–05:00 | SkateCafe and Garage Noord | €22.50–32.50

Hoe_mies

This one’s for the femmes. Despite the centrality of queer artists and culture to electronic dance music – in Amsterdam and beyond – it’s not always that obvious at ADE where the most queer-friendly parties are. That’s definitely not the case this year on Sunday at Radio Radio. This micro-club in the Westergasfabriek – Amsterdam’s former gas refinery turned park and cultural centre – sets to pack the place full, inviting Berlin-based Hoe_mies to do the (dis)honours. The focus here is on FLINTA (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Nonbinary, Transgender, and Agender people) and femme DJs, including Amsterdam’s Slimfit and Angelboy, alongside international selectors.

Hoe_mies | Sunday 26 October | 23:00–06:00 | Radio Radio | €26.50–31.50

Safety disclaimer and advice during Amsterdam Dance Event

We want you to have a fantastic time at ADE — but safety first. Know that the (mis)use of drugs is illegal, and there are real health risks involved. Stay hydrated, eat well, and avoid mixing substances. Through ADE's “Celebrate Safe” campaign, venues will have enhanced security, medical aid stations, and staff on hand to provide assistance. For your journey home (or between events), services like Diva Ride (female-driver option) are available to offer an inclusive ride. Take care of yourself and those around you. If anything feels wrong, physically or in your surroundings, don’t wait: get help immediately. Know your limits and respect those of others.