Every October, Amsterdam transforms into the pulsating heart of global electronic music culture. For five electrifying days, the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) brings together artists, producers, industry professionals, and fans for what has become the world’s largest celebration of electronic music and its surrounding culture.
But the 2025 edition promises something even more special — a deepened commitment to innovation, diversity, and connection that aligns not only with ADE’s mission but also with Amsterdam’s own 750th anniversary celebration.
A Citywide Symphony of Sound and Vision
Unlike most festivals, ADE doesn’t revolve around a single main stage or venue. Instead, it unfolds across hundreds of spaces throughout Amsterdam — from monumental clubs and concert halls to art galleries, planetariums, and even churches. The result is a decentralized, city-wide festival that celebrates every dimension of electronic music.
“The ADE Festival that most people know happens in a decentralized manner with hundreds of event organizers and promoters hosting ADE events throughout the city,” the ADE Team explained. “We operate much more on a ‘curate the curators’ level.”
In 2025, ADE’s lineup bridges generations — legendary acts like Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, and Black Coffee share stages with boundary-pushing artists such as KI/KI and Jeff Mills, who will host his own artistic projects instead of traditional DJ sets. This intergenerational exchange reflects ADE’s broader goal: to honor the roots of electronic music while driving it forward.
The Expanding ADE Lab and Culture Hub
This year, ADE Lab moves to Westergas, becoming a hub for emerging talent and innovation. It’s where producers, DJs, and creatives converge to learn, collaborate, and showcase their work. Surrounding the Lab Village is a vibrant intersection with ADE’s Arts & Culture program — where music meets visual art, performance, and experimentation.
Meanwhile, the debut of the ADE Culture Hub at Felix Meritis marks another milestone. Scheduled for Saturday, this new initiative merges ADE Pro, ADE Lab, and other programs under one roof, spotlighting grassroots innovation and sound-system culture. “One of the main themes for this first year is Soundsystem culture,” the ADE Team shared, “which brings in a lot of showcases, interesting cultural talks, and more.”
Celebrating 750 Years of Amsterdam
In honor of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, ADE is aligning its programming with a special “Arts & Culture x 750” and “Friends x 750” series. Expect immersive experiences like Dome Concerts at the ARTIS Planetarium featuring Suzanne Ciani, and a 39.5-hour ambient marathon at Thomaskerk — blending spiritual soundscapes with artistic endurance.
As ADE winds down, the celebrations continue straight into Amsterdam’s official birthday on October 27, with one last ambient showcase at Concertgebouw featuring Young Marco, Legowelt, and Mary Lake. Across the city, nearly 130 venues will host free or low-cost cultural happenings — from vinyl marathons to in-store DJ sets — ensuring that everyone can take part.
Beyond Five Days: ADE’s Global Impact
ADE’s influence doesn’t end when the last beat drops. It’s where the global industry converges, sparking collaborations and ideas that ripple throughout the year. “Beyond the five days, ADE is where the global industry connects,” the ADE Team said. “The knowledge, energy, and connections built here travel home with our delegates.”
At ADE Pro, discussions around AI, sustainability, and artist independence take center stage. The conference unpacks how new technologies are transforming music creation, curation, and monetization — while also addressing how artists can remain authentic and independent in an increasingly platform-driven world.
Complementing that, ADE Green dives deep into sustainability with sessions like “What’s Next for Circular Festivals?” and “AI for Impact.” It’s a space where creativity meets ethics, driving the industry toward a more conscious future.
A Festival for Everyone
Perhaps ADE’s greatest hidden gem is its inclusivity. While the spotlight shines on big-name events, the festival also offers free community programming that welcomes all ages and backgrounds. “Last year, one highlight was a community dance project with the elderly,” the team recalled. “It reminded us how powerful music is in connecting people who might not otherwise meet.”
This inclusive ethos extends to ADE’s support of female, non-binary, and underrepresented voices in electronic music. Partnering with shesaid.so since 2017, ADE continues to foster mentorship programs, networking events, and panels focused on diversity and equality — ensuring that the next generation of talent reflects the world we live in.
Balancing Legacy and Innovation
As ADE continues to evolve, it stays grounded in its mission: supporting both the grassroots and the global. “We represent and showcase the full lifecycle of the electronic music sector,” said the team. “From nurturing young talent at ADE Lab to hosting the icons that inspire them — it’s all about keeping the culture alive and forward-thinking.”
What makes the 2025 lineup unique compared to previous editions?
The ADE Festival that most people know happens in a decentralized manner with hundreds of event organizers and promoters hosting ADE events throughout the city. As a result, ADE operates much more on a ‘curate the curators’ level, where our different program tracks (the Festival, the Pro Conference, our Arts & Culture program, and more) cross over into each other to make good things happen by utilizing and supporting a variety of initiatives throughout all tracks.
On the Festival side, the lineup sees legends like Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, and Black Coffee as well as some of the most wanted artists of the moment like KI/KI and others. The emphasis is on innovation and diversity by letting icons share the stage with emerging talents, to ensure a lineup that represents and honors the rich history of electronic music while also looking ahead. That’s why at ADE we see artists like Jeff Mills hosting their own artistic projects and events, rather than just playing a DJ set.
Another way we cultivate this is by our growing ADE Lab, which moved to Westergas this year creating the space for new talent to meet each other and the industry and develop their skills. At the grounds of the Lab Village is also a huge cross-over with our Arts & Culture program.
How do you balance booking global headliners with spotlighting emerging artists?
This is such an important part of what we do as ADE. We work with 200+ stakeholders and promoters from which legacy icons are showcased every year. To secure the future generations, we work with a festival commission to push for and support new initiatives and diverse line-ups. Hosting a decentralized program makes for a lot of suitable spots for big headliners while also having space on smaller stages for emerging talent. This distinguishes ADE from other music festivals.
Are there particular showcases or special events you think will define this year’s ADE?
This year we’re kicking ADE off with six Opening Specials on Wednesday, a city-wide curtain-raiser that fuses electronic music with visual arts, orchestral collaborations, and site-specific performances to set the tone for the week. And another one we’re really excited about is the new ADE Culture Hub on Saturday at Felix Meritis (the home base of the ADE Pro Conference), where ADE Pro, ADE Lab, and other programs converge to spotlight grassroots innovation and sound-system culture alongside future-facing talent. One of the main themes for this first year is Soundsystem culture, which brings in a lot of showcases, interesting cultural talks and more.
This year overlaps with Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary—how is ADE connecting with that milestone?
ADE is aligning closely with Amsterdam 750 through a city-wide Arts & Culture x 750 series and an expanded Friends x 750 program: throughout the week we’re staging dedicated showcases in iconic venues, such as immersive Dome Concerts at ARTIS Planetarium with Suzanne Ciani and others, a 39.5-hour ambient marathon (ZERØBPM) at Thomaskerk with 26 performing artists, and more. We’re even extending the celebrations, because immediately after ADE ends, the city’s official birthday starts, October 27. We’re presenting one more showcase with live ambient sessions by Young Marco, Legowelt & Mary Lake at Concertgebouw. Meanwhile, Friends x 750 activates nearly 130 locations with mostly free daytime happenings. Think in-store DJ sets, radio livestreams, music-infused sports events, and vinyl marathons, inviting all of Amsterdam to take part.
How do you see ADE’s role in shaping global electronic music culture beyond the five days in Amsterdam?
Beyond the five days, ADE is where the global industry connects. You could compare it to a catalyst. The knowledge, energy, and connections built here travel home with our delegates, which then sparks growth and fresh ideas in local scenes worldwide.
How is ADE tackling topics like AI in music, sustainability, and artist independence?
Across the conference we’re unpacking how AI and machine learning are reshaping creation, curation, and monetization. ADE Pro brings big digital platforms and thought-leaders together to show how artists and teams can harness new tools rather than fear them. We’re also doubling down on strategies for independence, whether you’re an independent artist, label, event, or company. Meanwhile ADE Green focuses sustainability efforts into actionable steps as we’ve always aimed for, resulting this year in sessions like “What’s Next for Circular Festivals?” and “AI for Impact.”
What do you think is the biggest “hidden gem” of ADE that people often overlook?
People sometimes overlook the fact that, beyond the festival events and conferences, there are free events designed to make ADE accessible to everyone. Last year, one highlight was a community dance project with the elderly, a reminder of how powerful music is in connecting people who might not otherwise meet.
How does ADE support new voices—female, non-binary, and underrepresented communities—in electronic music?
At the Festival, our commission keeps a sharp eye on curating a diverse representation throughout the program by financially supporting organizers that book for new initiatives and diverse line-ups. Since 2017, ADE has worked with shesaid.so, a global community of women, gender nonconforming people, and allies from across the music industry. Together, they’ve developed mentorship programs and networking events to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
How do you keep ADE fresh while maintaining its identity as a cultural institution?
Fostering and embracing grassroots initiatives — like those at the ADE Culture Hub — while keeping space for the bigger names. ADE represents and showcases the full lifecycle of the electronic music sector.
