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A Necessary Disclaimer
Before anything else, a quick disclaimer: we’ve been partners with Amsterdam Dance Event for several years. But this article is not sponsored — and never has been. What follows is simply driven by the desire to share what we believe is one of the most enriching, open-minded and strategically essential events in the global electronic music scene.
What ADE Is And What It Isn’t
ADE, or Amsterdam Dance Event, is far more than just a festival. It’s a temporary ecosystem, an international hub where every autumn DJs, managers, promoters, journalists, labels, clubs, activists, developers, and of course, audiences, converge.
Over the course of five days, Amsterdam transforms into the world capital of electronic music. Conferences, panels, screenings, workshops and showcases take over dozens of venues across the city. By night, Amsterdam becomes one vast party : clubs, theatres, squats, warehouses and galleries all join in, from Wednesday to Sunday.
For Industry Professionals
If you’re a journalist, agent, promoter, manager or label, ADE can be a turning point in your career. That said, it’s crucial to distinguish between national and international ambitions. For those focused primarily on the French market, we’d recommend Paris Electronic Week in September, which serves that purpose perfectly. But if you’re aiming to build connections beyond borders, ADE is the place to be (although ideally, do both, the French market has its own very specific codes).
The Pro Pass offers access to a rich, intuitive and exhaustive database. It allows you to message professionals directly, set up meetings, discover new projects and connect with the right people all within a long-term strategy. With a bit of organisation, it’s entirely possible to schedule more than ten meetings per day.
Our advice: schedule your meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. These are the most reliable days. From Friday onward, conversations tend to blur into nightlife — meetings are often rescheduled or cancelled. Prepare a clear, direct, and honest pitch. Avoid buzzwords. Be specific about what you’re asking for: a collaboration, feedback, an introduction? Clarity is a rare currency.
If you’re a journalist, you won’t leave empty-handed — ADE is a goldmine of interviews, on-the-record conversations and intimate encounters with artists who are often inaccessible the rest of the year.
For DJs
ADE is not a booking marketplace. If you’re coming in the hope of handing over a USB stick to a club booker and landing a gig, chances are you’ll leave disappointed. But that doesn’t mean ADE has nothing to offer.
If you’re looking for a manager, a label abroad, or a long-term team to support your development, this is the right place. Valuable connections often happen outside the official programme, over coffee, at the edge of an afterparty, or while waiting in line.
Show up, stay curious, but don’t push. Industry professionals are overwhelmed with requests, it’s impossible to respond to them all. One real encounter is worth more than a hundred unread DMs.
For Ravers
You love the party? You also care about what it means, and what it could become? Then ADE may be one of the best places on Earth to experience both at once.
The conference programme is rich, critical, and wide-ranging, covering topics from ecology and mental health to diversity, the evolution of local scenes, and technology. The Dutch, often pioneers in these domains, present bold innovations in sustainability, club design and inclusivity.
As for the parties, they take on many forms: grand institutions, tiny backrooms, daytime festivals, experimental nights, hybrid formats blending music with visual art, performance and immersive design.
It’s also a very particular moment in the calendar, the end of the season. Professionals are more relaxed, artists more accessible. The entire city turns yellow and black, the event’s colours. It’s an intense, demanding, sometimes disorienting but always stimulating moment.
Why We Keep Coming Back
Because ADE manages to bring together, year after year, the artistic, economic and social dimensions of our scene. Because we meet extraordinary people. Because we set up our own studio there, to record live interviews and DJ sets for Clubbing TV. Because it’s an event where we feel like ravers, professionals, observers, and fully alive.