In Holland the summer is all about music festivals, dancing outdoors, the most popular DJ’s and drinking the newest and hippest drinks with your friends.
Nowhere in the world is there as much diversity than in Holland in terms of music and types of festivals. In February and March the ticket sales start for most of the festivals and within a few days everything is sold out.
The festivals are not only about music, it is all about the complete experience: from art to green energy, from creativity to technique. Before, you could only eat junkfood on site but nowadays you can even have organic food.
It’s time for Best of Amsterdam to set up a guide for you with the best festivals so you can start the pre-fun!
Contents
1. DGTL, March 25-27, 2016
Let’s start a revolution, and that is what they do! This festival is innovative, ‘green’, full with art and revolutionairy. During Easterweekend is the kick-off of the festival season with this unique festival where everything is taken care of.
This festival is amazing for different reasons: from the raw line-up, the live art to the unique stages that are all based on durability. The NDSM-Werf is known for its rough appearance and the extra minimalistic metal constructions where you see rusty materials, corrugated iron and oil barrels that make the setting complete.
The festival site is wide which makes it easy for visitors to move between stages and it also assures you that the music doesn’t flow over to other stages and gives you spots to chill and relax.
The weather usually is good at DGTL, but after sunset it can get a bit chilly. Bear in mind, it is still March. Luckily, sunset is early and it gives the ideal space for spectaculair lightshows like Bella Berlin in 2015. It was magical to see how the lasers reverberate from her suit full of small mirrors.
Every year has a theme. Two years ago it was plastic (for example the recycling of the caps of water bottles into a skateboard) and in 2015 it was energy. Several bikes were connected to a dome that illuminated when people were biking together.
Like every year, there is a top of the bill line-up ready for you again this year. On the bill are names like Âme, Maceo Plex, Prunk Noir, Moter City Drum Ensemble, Cinnaman, Job Jobse and many more. There is a focus on deep house, techno and electro which are perfect for this raw festival. Visually and musically you will be challenged!
There is a focus on deep house, techno and electro which are perfect for this raw festival. Visually and musically you will be challenged!
There are day tickets and weekenders for reasonable prices, so don’t wait too long because sales have already started!
2. Amsterdam Open Air, June 4-5, 2016
Every year it is bloody hot in the weekend of Amsterdam Open Air and we are not only talking about the temperature. The most beautiful people from Amsterdam and around come together to dance and parade like these are the last days of their lives. Hipsters, twerkers, tropical girls, handsome guys, young, old.. Amsterdam Open Air is for everybody.
It’s not only a happy place because of the sun, but also because of the dreamcatchers in the trees, the small mirrors that reflect the sunbeams, balloons, rose petals that are blown into the sky, aromatic flowers, tasty cocktails and smiling people.
There is not only a lot of diversity in visitors but also in stages. Previous years they had the GirlsLoveDJs and MTV stage where artists performed like FeestDJRuud, The Partysquad, Bakermat and Sam Feldt. A lot of ladies in their best outfits were dancing around and shaking their thing. At Format and Straf_Werk everybody went crazy on the deep house tunes and techno of Noir, Finnebassen and Dustin Zahn who did a love performance.
A nice vibe was at the Vunzige Deuntjes stage and the Yours Truly stage where to audience blew their energy through the roof. Sexy dance moves, R&B and hits by Kriss Kross Amsterdam and The Flexion & Sef. Because Amsterdam is breathing Deep House they even threw in some extra stages like Weiter, with Oliver Weiter and Arjuna Schiks and some
Because Amsterdam is breathing Deep House they even threw in some extra stages like Weiter, with Oliver Weiter and Arjuna Schiks and some juicy deep house tunes at Voyage Direct with Tom Trago adn Interstellar Funk. And of course, we cannot forget about the boys of Disco Dolly with KERK! and MickeyNice.
Enough famous names, good music, beautiful people and sun!
We haven’t heard the line-up or weather forecast for this year yet, but based on previous years it cannot go wrong! Tickets are a little more expensive but are being sold like crazy so don’t wait too long and get those tickets!
3. Down the Rabbit Hole, June 24-26, 2016
Magical, glowing, creative, spontaneous.. just some words that describe Down The Rabbit Hole at De Groene Heuvels at Beuningen.
This little sister of Lowlands, also organized by Mojo, is less commercial and not yet discovered by the bigger audience. Visitors differ from rockers to hipsters and from mainstream to alternative.
Go camping next to the water where you can bake an egg in the morning in front of your tent and then walk to the green festival area where you can do all sorts of activities. A Bob the Builder stage where everybody can build, saw and decorate the DTRH logo, a metal smith where craftsmen make small art, a bonfire with performances and several stages with music.
Bands, DJ’s, known and unknown, anyone can have fun here.
The appearance of this festival is special, the fences are covered with grass in artistic shapes and in the morning there is yoga in the dome that is covered with flowers. There are some nice
There are some nice chilling spots in the green grass and the food is great; you can find freshly grilled tosti’s, lovely Italian and sweet wafels. There are even special breakfasts with fresh bread, boiled eggs and orange juice.
This festival is a jack-of-all-trades where you can let yourself go and forget about the rest of the world. Everything is possible and nothing is obligated.. exactly the vibe we love.
The tickets are already on sale and a large part is already sold so we advise you not to wait too long!
4. Defqon, Juni 24-27, 2016
It is not all about the birds and the bees at the festivals in Holland, there is also room for the harder styles. A great example is Defqon 1, the hardcore/hardstyle festival with the theme ‘All Weekend Warriors Unite’.
People from all over the world are traveling to Biddinghuizen (same terrain as Lowlands) to party the last weekend of June at this magical (in the dark sense of the word) huge dance event.
There is this special atmosphere of solidarity between ten thousands of people that all share the same passion for hardstyle.
The stages are excessive, impressive and full of special effects like fire, CO2 and confetti swirls, preferably all together at the same time.
The volume of the music is loud which causes the bass to vibrate through your body and the crowd responds to that. Thousands of people are dancing like one like a community. The ground is vibrating underneath your feet, you can feel the sweat of people around you.. a true experience.
The showpiece is the end show at Sunday night were innumerable amounts of firework is blown into the air. The team of Defqon 1 starts designing this show one year upfront which causes 1 big oasis of colours and light, spectacular and breathtaking!
The line-up is not announced yet but it must be amazing like every year. Ticket sale starts in March!
5. Georgies Wunder Party, July 9, 2016
Ruigoord is the spot for true hippies, located in the center of an industrial area in Amsterdam. It is quite a far bike ride away from the center of Amsterdam, but it is worth it as soon as you arrive in the small forrest that is Ruigoord, where the residents open their backyard for the audience.
It is a spot were time stands still and you can enjoy the spacious surroundings between the kitchen gardens. Every year this spot is turned into a place where you can dance, hula-hoop, get yourself decorated and don’t have to worry about a thing.
A walhalla of music, from disco to house, deep house to 90ies hits. Names likes Lövestad, Soul Clap and Paul Woolfords are performing in front of the crowd.
The atmosphere is very intimate. There are (almost) no lines here, but that doesn’t mean Ruigoord is boring. There is just the right amount of people to create an epic party.
Last year, the Southern Comfort stage where KERK! played disco and 90ies hits was a great success. We have not ever seen so many happy faces when they heard LL Cool J and Blackstreet.
Ages are between 22 and 35 with especially visitors that are there for the ambiance and artistic surroundings. This year we are expecting a booming edition when it is all sunny and blooming again in the beautiful Ruigoord.
6. Milkshake Festival, July 30-31, 2016
For boys who love girls who love girls who love boys, also known as the ‘open-minded’ festival at the Westergastterrein.
All the regulars from the Reguliersdwarsstraat will dress the best in crazy creative outfits (sometimes you can see a lot of bare skin!) and dance all day at the Vieze Poezendek, the Now & Wow, the Glitterati or one of the other spectaculair stages. But don’t be fooled that this is a gay only festival, everybody is welcome here!
The complete setting is colourful, rich in fantasy, broad-minded and hysterical. Don’t forget to visit the pink church were people are dancing there butts off.
Everybody can be themselves and that is a great thing to see here. Nothing is too crazy, from transvestites to inflated penises that are flying around and great performances of Covergirl DJ Sunne (the first transgender DJ), DR. Lektroluv, Roog and Miss Monica.The complete setting is colourful, rich in fantasy, broad-minded and hysterical. Don’t forget to visit the pink church were people are dancing there but off.
This year is the 5 years anniversary of Milkshake and they have turned it into a weekend of fun.
Tickets are already in sale so buy your glitter unicorn suit and get ready for a fabulous weekend!
7. Mysteryland, August 27-28, 2016
We finish this list with one of the biggest festivals that is well-known for many years: Mysteryland.
At the Floriade terrain at Haarlemmermeer this 2-day festival takes place were you will find all music styles possible. The line-up is longer than a roll of toilet paper and the amount of stages is incredible.
Last year was amazing at the Crazy Town stage were FeestDJRuud gave his popular show, Club Godverdomme hosted the Pink Church and there were several big names like Martin Garrix and Oliver Heldens.
The real ravers could eat their hart out at the gigantic Q-Dance stage that looked spectaculair. Voor the intimate party people there were some smaller stages with cheerful stages and the swingers could dance at the hits of Kriss Kross Amsterdam at the Heineken stage.
We can talk endlessly about the 18 (!) stages that this festival offers but the best thing to do is just buy a weekender, while the dust from your walking shoes and go to Mysteryland together with the other 60.000 people because this is the ultimate closer of the festival season 2016.
We are really looking forward to visit these amazing festivals in Amsterdam this summer. We are working our buts of in the gym to make our boys festival proof and we are already shopping for the best outfits.
After this summer, if you haven’t partied enough yet, we will announce the best parties for Amsterdam Dance Event 2016 so stay tuned!