Amsterdam Dance Event 2026 (ADE): dates, programme, tickets & line-up

About this event

Every October, Amsterdam becomes the world capital of electronic music. Amsterdam Dance Event, ADE to everyone, takes over the city from Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 October 2026. Clubs, warehouses, concert halls, churches, museums, boats and rooftops run a night-time festival, a daytime industry conference and an arts & culture programme in parallel.

In 2026, ADE turns 30. Launched in 1996 as a small conference for the Dutch industry, its 2025 edition drew close to 600,000 visitors and around 3,500 artists, the densest concentration of electronic music anywhere on earth over five days.

The anniversary edition's centrepiece is already set: Jean-Michel Jarre, guest of honour, opens ADE 2026 at AFAS Live on 21 October with an exclusive show presented by MOJO and Insomniac, in the year 'Oxygène' turns 50. He also gives a keynote interview at ADE Pro.

How it works

Two ADEs in one

By night it's ADE Festival: the 1,200+ public parties, from a 200-capacity basement to AFAS Live and its 6,000 seats. By day it's ADE Pro: the industry conference, based at Felix Meritis, with its ADE Lab, ADE Green, ADE Startups and ADE Arts & Culture satellites. Both run at once, and plenty of visitors never see the half that isn't for them.

Why there's no single ticket

ADE doesn't sell a general admission ticket: it's a platform, not a promoter. Every party is produced and sold by its own organiser, Awakenings, Verknipt, Dockyard, Loveland, DGTL, Elrow, Drumcode, labels, clubs. In practice: open the official programme, pick your nights, buy each ticket separately. The only cross-cutting pass is the ADE Pro Pass, built for the industry.

How to plan your week

Three rules. One: headliners sell out in hours, the big Saturday parties are often gone before October. Two: budget for travel. Havenpark and NDSM sit north of the IJ (free ferry behind Centraal), AFAS Live is south-east by metro; two far-apart events on one night costs you an hour. Three: leave room for the unplanned, a lot of ADE happens in last-minute announcements and afters.

Programme strands

ADE Festival 21 → 25 October, mostly after dark

The public programme: 1,200+ events across 300+ venues, covering every electronic genre, techno, house, drum & bass, hardstyle, trance, ambient, afro house.

ADE Pro 21 → 24 October, Felix Meritis

ADE's founding conference: 11,000+ professionals, keynotes, panels, matchmaking and Business Hubs. Jean-Michel Jarre gives a keynote for the 30th anniversary.

ADE Lab Alongside the conference

The emerging-artist strand: workshops, production masterclasses, demo pitches in front of A&Rs, a demo contest and hands-on time with the latest gear.

ADE Green Alongside the conference

The sustainability programme: touring and festival footprints, audience mobility, energy and catering.

ADE Startups Alongside the conference

The music-tech track: startup pitches, investors, creation and distribution tooling.

ADE Arts & Culture 21 → 25 October, across the city

Exhibitions, audiovisual installations, screenings, performances and talks in Amsterdam's museums and cultural venues. Often free or cheap, and the best way to fill a day before the night starts.

ADE Friends All week

The partner programme: open sessions, label showcases and satellite events grafted onto the ADE week.

The programme, day by day

Wednesday 21 October

Opening night

Jean-Michel Jarre opens ADE 2026 at AFAS Live, an exclusive show presented by MOJO and Insomniac. During the day, ADE Pro opens at Felix Meritis. On the club side, Awakenings starts its five-day residency at SugarFactory and Loveland opens across its two sites.

🎟 Awakenings ADE

Thursday 22 October

The week finds its rhythm

The first big techno moment: Drumcode takes over SugarFactory with Adam Beyer, Enrico Sangiuliano, Ilario Alicante and Kevin de Vries. ADE Pro runs its second day of panels and meetings.

🎟 Awakenings ADE – Drumcode

Friday 23 October

Peak club night

Friday is the night when nearly every venue in town is running at once, statistically the densest night of the week, and the one where you have to make the hardest choices. Awakenings continues with its Friday Sessions at SugarFactory.

Saturday 24 October

The busiest day

Saturday is when the big formats land, and they start in the early afternoon. Dockyard Festival ADE opens at 1pm at Havenpark (four stages, 27+ artists including Dax J and Oscar Mulero), Verknipt takes AFAS Live from 1pm to 10pm, and Boris Brejcha brings FCKNG SERIOUS to Theater Amsterdam with Loveland from 3.30pm to 9.30pm. Enough to chain a day event into a night out.

🎟 Dockyard Festival ADE 🎟 Verknipt ADE Special 🎟 Boris Brejcha pres. FCKNG SERIOUS x Loveland

Sunday 25 October

Closing day

Sunday is a full programme day, not an afterthought: Verknipt plays AFAS Live again from 2pm to midnight, Awakenings closes out its five days at SugarFactory and Loveland shuts down both sites. Book a late flight or train, not a mid-afternoon one.

🎟 Verknipt ADE Special

Club

24 OCT 2026 · 15:30

Boris Brejcha pres. FCKNG SERIOUS x Loveland

📍 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Techno

≈ €55

Tickets & passes

≈ €25 – 45

Single-event ticket

The standard format: one night, one club, one ticket sold by the promoter from its official programme listing.

≈ €55 – 70

Day event / large format

The big weekend fixtures (Dockyard, Verknipt, Loveland, Awakenings) sold per day or per night.

€675

ADE Pro Pass

Five days, every conference track (ADE Pro, ADE Green, ADE Culture Hub), access to the festival programme and the arts & culture programme, networking events and Business Hubs, year-round access to the ADE Pro database, five days of GVB public transport, the anniversary bag and 30+ sessions on demand.

Price TBA

ADE Lab Pass

The workshops, masterclasses and demo-pitch pass, going on sale closer to the event.

Per-night ranges are indicative: each promoter sets its own price, usually across three tiers (early bird, regular, last minute). The ADE Pro Pass price is the one published by ADE; always check the official ticket shop before buying.

Key venues

AFAS Live

6,000 capacity in Amsterdam Zuidoost, next to the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Jean-Michel Jarre's opening concert on the 21st, then Verknipt's double weekend on the 24th and 25th.

SugarFactory

Awakenings' ADE headquarters on Lijnbaansgracht: eight back-to-back parties from 21 to 25 October, from Opening Night to the Prophecy closing.

Havenpark

A dockland site in Amsterdam Noord, home to Dockyard Festival ADE: four outdoor stages on the Saturday, 1pm to 11pm.

Theater Amsterdam

A theatre turned club for ADE week, one of Loveland's two sites, hosting Boris Brejcha and FCKNG SERIOUS on the Saturday.

Felix Meritis

ADE Pro's historic home on Keizersgracht: keynotes, panels and matchmaking happen here from 21 to 24 October.

Beyond these, ADE week leans on the regulars of Amsterdam nightlife, Paradiso, Melkweg, De Marktkantine, Shelter, RADION, Thuishaven, Warehouse Elementenstraat, NDSM, plus dozens of spaces opened just for the week. The final list is published announcement by announcement in the official programme.

Practical info

Getting around

GVB metro, tram and bus cover the city, with a night service. The ferries behind Centraal Station to Amsterdam Noord are free and run 24/7, that's how you reach NDSM and Havenpark. Cycling is still the fastest way around the centre, though not at 5am after an all-nighter.

Where to stay

ADE week is one of Amsterdam's peak hotel weeks: prices easily double and hostels sell out. Book two to three months ahead, or look at Haarlem, Zaandam and Amstelveen, 15–20 minutes away by train.

Entry & age

The vast majority of parties are 18+ and ID is checked at the door. Many venues are cashless (card or tokens). Cloakrooms are paid, budget €3 to €5.

Getting there from abroad

Paris–Amsterdam is 3h20 by direct train into Centraal Station, right in the centre. Schiphol is 15 minutes from the centre by train, with connections from every major European city. Sunday evening return trains are the most sought-after of the week, book them at the same time as your party tickets.

FAQ

What exactly is Amsterdam Dance Event?

It's simultaneously the world's biggest club festival and the electronic industry's leading conference. Over five days, 1,200+ events run across 300+ Amsterdam venues: public parties by night, panels and industry meetings by day, exhibitions and installations alongside.

What are the ADE 2026 dates?

Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 October 2026, in Amsterdam. It's the edition marking 30 years of ADE, founded in 1996. The ADE Pro conference runs 21 to 24 October at Felix Meritis; the festival programme runs through to Sunday night.

Is ADE a single festival on a single site?

No, and that's the single most common misunderstanding. There's no festival field, no campsite, no all-access wristband. ADE is a programme spread across the whole city, where each event is produced and sold by a different organiser. You pick your nights from the official programme and buy each ticket separately.

How much does an ADE week cost?

Budget roughly €25–45 for a club night and €55–70 for one of the big weekend formats (Dockyard, Verknipt, Loveland, Awakenings). Part of the arts & culture programme and the ADE Friends sessions are free. The heaviest cost is accommodation: ADE week is one of the city's peak hotel weeks.

Is there a pass that gets you into everything?

Not for the general public. The only cross-cutting pass is the €675 ADE Pro Pass, aimed at the industry: it covers five days of conference, networking and Business Hubs, and also grants access to the festival and arts & culture programmes. An ADE Lab Pass goes on sale closer to the event.

Which day should I pick if I can only come once?

Saturday 24 October packs in the biggest formats (Dockyard Festival at Havenpark, Verknipt at AFAS Live, Loveland at Theater Amsterdam) and lets you chain an afternoon day event into a club night. Friday 23 has the largest number of parties running at once, so the widest choice. Wednesday 21 is official opening night.

Do I need to book tickets in advance?

Yes for the big nights: weekend headliners often sell out before October, and promoters release tickets in tiers (early bird, regular, last minute). That said, plenty of smaller clubs hold tickets back until the day itself, and new announcements keep landing right up to the final week.

Who's playing ADE 2026?

Jean-Michel Jarre opens the edition at AFAS Live on 21 October. On the club side, confirmed line-ups already include Adam Beyer, Enrico Sangiuliano, Ilario Alicante, Kevin de Vries and Victor Ruiz for Awakenings, Dax J, Oscar Mulero, Jennifer Cardini and Space 92 at Dockyard, and Boris Brejcha with FCKNG SERIOUS for Loveland. The rest of the 3,500 artists is announced progressively through to October.