Former director Richard Zijlma described Amsterdam as the "perfect ecosystem" for an event like ADE, and that's no coincidence. The city offers a unique combination of factors found nowhere else in the world: A Rich Ecosystem and Infrastructure: Amsterdam has a long and storied history as a hub for musical innovation and club culture. Within a few square kilometers, you'll find world-famous venues like Paradiso and Melkweg, as well as industrial complexes like the Gashouder. The city also boasts a large number of high-quality hotels and, though we love to complain about it, an efficient public transport system. Partnership with the City: Many countries and municipalities don't have the same proactive attitude towards festival organizers as Amsterdam does. The city realized long ago that it's better to manage things properly than to prohibit them. The municipality continuously collaborates to ensure the event runs as smoothly as possible. International Status: Amsterdam is known worldwide as a top tourist destination, thanks to its rich history and iconic canal houses. We are also seen as a tolerant and helpful city, with many types of shops that are forbidden in most other countries.

What is the Amsterdam Dance Event?

Every year, Amsterdam undergoes a metamorphosis. The canals turn yellow and black, and those seeking sleep regret choosing a canal house with thin walls. For the rest of us, that week is a tangible, pulsating energy with a high BPM that we look forward to all year. It's the week when the global community of artists, professionals, and fans come together for their collective pilgrimage to the capital of dance music.

The Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is an annual music event in October, consisting of a week of over a thousand parties spread across hundreds of venues, drawing hundreds of thousands of guests to Amsterdam. For some, it's just about going wild with friends; for others, it's a cultural paradigm shift; and for a select few, it's just another night's gig. ADE comes in all shapes and sizes, offering something for everyone. But how did ADE become so massive, and why does it happen in our small country?

The history of the Amsterdam Dance Event

First, it's important to understand how dance music was perceived at the time. Its roots lie in 1980s and 90s Chicago and Detroit, where it faced significant resistance in the US. In the Netherlands, the opposite was true; we embraced dance music, and it even peaked in the mid-90s. The national newspaper De Volkskrant dedicated a full-page article to the first house parties, something unimaginable in the US back then. Our government also proactively supported Dutch music culture, creating fertile ground for an initiative like ADE to flourish.

The first edition took place in 1996, organized by the Buma Cultuur foundation, which supports and promotes Dutch music nationally and internationally, and Richard Zijlma. Zijlma began his career as a production assistant for events, quickly rising to production manager before taking matters into his own hands and managing several music-related institutions, including ADE until 2018 and the Conservatory of Haarlem.

That first edition saw only 300 visitors and was held in a single hotel on the Vijzelgracht. By the following year, several iconic venues like Paradiso, Melkweg, and Escape were on the schedule, hosting 30 performances for a similar number of attendees. The goal was twofold: to celebrate the vibrant local scene and to create a business hub where professionals could exchange ideas and discover new talent. This has remained the core character of ADE ever since.

A brief timeline:

2006-2010: The iconic black-and-yellow branding and cube logo were introduced, which have since become synonymous with the event.
2011: ADE was already huge: 130,000 visitors, 52 venues, and over 700 DJs and performances. ADE Playground (now ADE by Day) was launched, introducing a substantial cultural day program with film screenings and art exhibitions.
2012: ADE expanded from a 4-day to a 5-day event, largely because so many unofficial after-parties were being held on Sunday by people who didn't want the party to end.
2014: The event more than doubled in size: 350,000 visitors across 85 locations, hosting over 300 events.
2015: A 'modest' increase to 365,000 visitors.
2020 & 2021: The event was largely canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022: Post-pandemic, the desire to party returned with a vengeance, resulting in a record 450,000 visitors and over 2,500 artists at 130 locations.
2024: The past year was the biggest ever for ADE, with 500,000 visitors, 1,000 events, and 200 venues across the city.

For most, ADE is the party they look forward to after recovering from the summer. However, ADE has never been just a music festival. It has always been a conference for business meetings between international parties, a platform for creativity and sustainability, and a stage for technological exchange. But above all, it's for people who want to celebrate life together. The heart of ADE is the ADE Conference, divided into ADE Pro for music professionals and ADE Lab for up-and-coming artists.

And did you know that ADE doesn't organize the music events itself? Instead, it invites venues, DJs, companies, and other concepts to host events that fit the theme, with ADE only setting the framework. This has been a key formula for its massive success. As a result, ADE Festival consists of an ADE by Day and an ADE by Night program for music events, which, together with ADE Pro, Lab, and Arts & Culture (which explores the cultural significance of dance music), creates a comprehensive experience.

Why Amsterdam?

Former director Richard Zijlma described Amsterdam as the "perfect ecosystem" for an event like ADE, and that's no coincidence. The city offers a unique combination of factors found nowhere else in the world:

A rich ecosystem and infrastructure: Amsterdam has a long and storied history as a hub for musical innovation and club culture. Within a few square kilometers, you'll find world-famous venues like Paradiso and Melkweg, as well as industrial complexes like the Gashouder. The city also boasts a large number of high-quality hotels and, though we love to complain about it, an efficient public transport system.
Partnership with the city: Many countries and municipalities don't have the same proactive attitude towards festival organizers as Amsterdam does. The city realized long ago that it's better to manage things properly than to prohibit them. The municipality continuously collaborates to ensure the event runs as smoothly as possible.
International status: Amsterdam is known worldwide as a top tourist destination, thanks to its rich history and iconic canal houses. We are also seen as a tolerant and helpful city, with many types of shops that are forbidden in most other countries.

Why October?

The choice of mid-October is highly strategic, positioning ADE perfectly within the annual cycle of the global music industry. The end of summer also marks the end of the busy festival season, with the Ibiza closing parties just wrapped up. By scheduling ADE in October, it functions as the season finale for the entire industry. It's the ideal moment for professionals to come together, evaluate the past year, close deals, and forge plans for the year ahead, without clashing with hectic summer tour schedules.

Furthermore, the Dutch autumn weather forces everyone indoors, creating a beautiful contrast to the open-air festivals of the summer. It is, as aptly described, the perfect "remedy for your autumn blues", a bridge between the end of one season and the start of preparations for the next.

Are we the only ones?

Absolutely not. There's also the Winter Music Conference (WMC) in Miami, for example. However, the nature of this event is quite different from ADE. WMC started in 1985 and takes place every March. It’s warm in Miami, so the focus is often on pool parties. The attendance is also significantly smaller, with around 100,000 visitors compared to ADE's 500,000 last year. WMC is also more of a standalone event, whereas ADE feels like a city-wide takeover by the dance scene.

Who runs ADE?

Since 2018, the Amsterdam Dance Event Foundation has been an independent non-profit organization. It consists of a few dozen employees, including the board, a management team, marketing and logistics experts, and a team dedicated to securing sponsorships to fund everything. The City of Amsterdam also contributes financially to solidify its status as the capital of dance music.

Celebrate Safe

Over the years, there have been several deaths at events, often linked to substances like cocaine and MDMA. Drug use is inextricably linked to the dance scene and, by extension, to ADE. Every year, the foundation invests heavily in education through its "Celebrate Safe" campaign, collaborating with organizations like Jellinek (addiction care) and Unity (drug education). The campaign focuses on the following pillars:

Respect each other’s beliefs and differences
I love my ears
Using alcohol or other drugs is never without risks
Know your limits and respect those of others
Enjoy safe sex without regrets
Love your body
Get home safe
Take care of each other
The crew is there to keep you safe

It is always important to inform yourself about potential dangers and to do your part, along with your fellow party-goers, to create a safe atmosphere. At Ready2, we do our utmost to create blogposts on how to best prepare for a party and how to recover in the days after. With our festival recovery supplement and our platform, we help you party sustainably.

CelebrateSafe has an overview of their 9 pillars to, well, celebrate safe
Unity (Dutch organisation, with an English page) is an excellent resource for information surrounding everything associated with nightlife
Jellinek has a free testing service in the Netherlands