By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Where
- Felix Meritis and 300+ venues across Amsterdam
- Tickets
- Ticketed
- Time of year
- October
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
From ADE: Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24 October 2027, announced the week after the 2026 edition. It falls inside the autumn school holiday for the north and middle of the Netherlands, 16 to 24 October 2027, so the city is at its fullest that week. The programme and Pro Pass prices follow in the months before.
We may earn a small commission from bookings made through this link. Prices stay the same for you.
The Amsterdam Dance Event is five days and nights of electronic music across the city every October: more than 1,300 events in over 300 clubs, concert halls, record shops and galleries, alongside a conference for the music industry. There is no single festival ticket. Each club night is sold by its own venue or promoter, some events are free, and an ADE Pro Pass covers the conference and, where capacity allows, the festival events. Hotel rates rise across the whole city that week.
What Amsterdam Dance Event actually is
It began as a small industry conference and is now, by its own count, the biggest electronic music event in the world, reporting a record 600,000 visitors and 11,000 music professionals.
The festival is an umbrella rather than a promoter. The ADE Foundation, a non-profit, does not book the line-ups: it invites clubs and cultural institutions to run their own events under its name, from Paradiso and the Melkweg to record shops and ferries. That is why the programme is so large, and why there is no single gate to buy entry at.
By day the conference runs at Felix Meritis on the Keizersgracht and other official venues, with ADE Pro for working professionals and ADE Lab for young producers and newcomers: talks, masterclasses, mentoring and networking sessions.
Where it happens
- The clubs and concert halls. The big nights are spread across the city, from Paradiso, a former church, and the Melkweg near Leidseplein to clubs across the IJ in Noord. Check each event’s venue before you plan an evening around two of them.
- Felix Meritis, for the conference. The daytime programme centres on the old society building on the Keizersgracht, and most of it needs a Pro Pass.
- Record shops, galleries and ferries, for the free side. In-store DJ sets, exhibitions, workshops and talks run through the week at no cost, many of them in the daytime, and ADE publishes its own pick of the free events.
Tickets and what it costs
There is no wristband for the whole festival. Each club night or concert is ticketed by the venue or promoter running it and linked from its page in the ADE programme, so a week of ADE is bought night by night. Popular nights can sell out, so buy those as soon as their line-ups appear.
The ADE Pro Pass is built for the conference: four days of talks and networking, entry to festival events where capacity allows, the official bag and free travel on Amsterdam’s trams, buses and metro for the five days. It goes on sale months ahead, cheapest in a pre-sale for people who pre-register.
Official information and booking: www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl/en
Getting there
Use the trams, metro and buses, plus the free ferries across the IJ to Noord. The venues are spread across the city, and ADE has offered every visitor a discount on GVB day tickets, while Pro Pass holders travel free. A bike is quicker still if you are confident on one in the dark.
Book a bed as early as you can. ADE week is one of the dearest of the year for Amsterdam hotels, with rates across the city well above the rest of October, and it can overlap the Dutch autumn school holiday, when families fill the museums and hotels too.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Booking October without checking the dates
Rates rise across the whole city that week, not just near the clubs. If you are not coming for ADE, choose another week.
Buying a Pro Pass just for the parties
It is designed around the conference, and entry to festival events depends on capacity at the busiest venues. If you only want the nights out, buy those tickets one by one.
Planning two venues a night across the city
The clubs are not all central, and getting into the busiest ones takes time. One main event an evening, with something nearby as a fallback, is the realistic plan.
Ignoring the free programme
Record-shop sets, exhibitions and talks run all week at no cost, often in the daytime, and they are the easiest way into the city’s scene without a ticket.
Other Amsterdam events
Frequently asked questions
What is the Amsterdam Dance Event?
Five days and nights of electronic music across Amsterdam every October: more than 1,300 club nights, concerts and free events in over 300 venues, with a conference for the music industry by day.
Do you need a ticket for the Amsterdam Dance Event?
For most events, yes, but there is no single festival ticket. Each club night is sold separately by its venue or promoter, the conference needs a Pro Pass, and some events are free.
Are there free events at ADE?
Yes. In-store DJ sets at record shops, exhibitions, workshops and talks run through the week at no cost, and ADE publishes a selection of them before the festival.
Where is the Amsterdam Dance Event held?
All over Amsterdam, in more than 300 clubs, concert halls, record shops and galleries, with the conference centred on Felix Meritis on the Keizersgracht.
When should I book a hotel for ADE?
As soon as you know you are going. Rates rise across the city that week, and the festival can coincide with the Dutch autumn school holiday.
Sources
- ADE, tickets and the next dates
- ADE, FAQ
- ADE, about the event
- ADE, the festival programme
- ADE, editorial picks of free events
- ADE, practical information and travel
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.