Amsterdam Dance Event 2025: The Essential Events, According to Its Managing Director

Every October, the pulse of Amsterdam quickens with the arrival of major key players in the dance and electronic space for one of the biggest events on the industry calendar: Amsterdam Dance Event (Oct. 22-26).

The annual festival, first held in 1996, is one of Europe’s most integral music conferences with an array of live performances, DJ sets, panels, speeches, parties and business opportunities in the lively Dutch capital. The full programme is extensive, with major labels, distributors, and promoters rubbing shoulders with local creators on the underground scene.

Headline names throughout the extensive schedule include an intimate fireside conversation with U.K. rapper and DJ Skepta, a panel with Daft Punk creative director Cédric Hervet and performances from Dutch dance don Armin van Buuren alongside scene leaders Honey Dijon, Confidence Man, Jeff Mills and more.

“The cool thing about ADE is that we have over 1200 events, and the bad thing is that we have 1200 events,” laughs Jan-Willem van de Ven, ADE’s director. Its vast schedule means that there are endless opportunities to connect and do business, or to party through the night with the scene’s top touring acts – but always a reason to come back the following year.

“ADE is both an experience and business meeting point,” he says. “You can discover well over a thousand events in the city, get marketing intelligence and find yourself in a space where creative communities are celebrated. For music pros, the priority is to come back every year because everybody is there; we want it to be the best moment of the year to do business.”

2025’s edition, van de Ven says, is where years of planning has coalesced and “everything connects” across the music and wider arts and culture program (including events to celebrate the city’s 750th anniversary). Years impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – right around when Jan-Willem took on the role of director – gave him and the team time “refine” the event and make tweaks in the ensuing years.

A refreshed app aids attendees as they navigate the massive line-up. ADE Lab, which features masterclasses and studio sessions for aspiring musicians, has moved to the Westergas area, a key hub in the city’s creative community. 

Part of the reason ADE thrives is due to the electronic scene is a “grown-up industry” with a strong record of breaking stars and making commercial gains; in 2022, the dance scene was valued at $11.3 billion by the IMS Business Report, and in 2026, ADE will host its 30th anniversary celebrations. “It’s more than something that pops up and goes away,” he adds. “You see so many more artists becoming pop stars, and I do think that will trickle down to the rest of the industry.”

Securing a fireside chat with Skepta is a coup years in the making and will see the British pioneer discussing the continuing success of his Mas Tiempo imprint. Also likely to be well-attended is a panel with Cédric Hervet, longtime Daft Punk collaborator, about the French duo’s foray into Fortnite, and how new opportunities keep EDM artists at the forefront of cultural relevance and innovation: “To see these new platforms such as Fortnite and Epic Games and tap into electronic music is also a way of showing that the industry has grown-up.”

He concludes, “the electronic music scene gathers here, and we wanted to capture that momentum to make sure we marked the occasion with worthy programming.” These are some of his personal highlights for 2025 edition.

ADE PRO

Google DeepMind | Beyond Prompts: Creative Tools for Making Music in the Age of AI – Thursday, Oct. 23, 2:45 p.m.

Jeff Chang, Director of Product, Google DeepMind, gives a keynote speech on how musicians at Google DeepMind are building to enhance production and performance workflows.

Epic Games | Press Play! The Daft Punk Experience in Fortnite – Thursday, Oct. 23, 1:30 p.m.

Hear from the teams at Daft Punk and Epic Games on how they brought the Daft Punk Experience to life inside Fortnite.

In Conversation with Skepta: From Bars to Beats – Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, 4:15 p.m.

Skepta in conversation with DJ Target about building his Mas Tiempo label, curating sound, and creating space for new voices in underground club culture.

KI/KI | Breaking the Feedback Loop: Redefining Success and Identity as a Woman in Electronic Music – Friday, Oct. 23

Amsterdam’s trance-techno trailblazer KI/KI, boundary-pushing producer HAAi, and DJ-performer Bashkka reflect on what it means to carve out space and identity as women in electronic music today

Sound Systems: Raves, Riots and Revolution – Saturday, Oct 25, 2:45 p.m.

This panel explores the political and cultural power of sound system culture – how it mobilises people, challenges authority, and creates new spaces of belonging.

Festival

Intercell x Patrick Mason All Night | Levenslang – Thursday, Oct. 23, 11:00 p.m.

Patrick Mason takes over Levenslang with an all-nighter built on impulse and chemistry.

PRAISE – Honey Dijon x ZO! Gospel Choir | De Nieuwe Kerk – Friday, Oct. 24, 4:00 p.m.

De Nieuwe Kerk has been a stage for national milestones in the city: from royal inaugurations, state farewells, to historic unions. A place where Dutch history is both made and remembered. Now, for the first time in over six centuries, electronic music fills its sacred halls with Honey Dijon and the ZO! Gospel Choir, as they open a new chapter during ADE.

Job Jobse | Hemkade – Friday, Oct. 24, 6:00 p.m.

Job Jobse returns to Amsterdam Dance Event 2025 for an extended 4-hour set at the famous Hemkade warehouse, a venue deeply rooted in Dutch club culture.

ZeeZout ADE Special | Het Concertgebouw – Friday, Oct. 24, 6:00 p.m.

Where club night meets concert hall, and ancient traditions echo through new directions. Dance with Carista, Eris Drew & Octo Octa, Vuur, and Young Marco between red velvet and golden glow.

20 Years of Dave Clarke Presents | Melkweg – Friday, Oct. 24, 11:00 p.m.

Melkweg celebrates a special milestone during Amsterdam Dance Event: 20 Years of Dave Clarke Presents. Expect a multi-layered night filled with live acts, hybrid sets and a thought-provoking film programme.

Arts & Culture

ADE x 750 | Suriname Rising – 50 Years of Freedom in Music | Concertgebouw – Thursday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m.

A musical show at the Concertgebouw in which Surinamese traditional rhythms and electronic music merge and celebrates 50 years of Surinamese independence.

Jeff Mills presents Tomorrow Comes The Harvest feat. Jean Phi Dary & Prabhu Edouard | Paradiso – Friday, Oct 24, 8:00 p.m.

A performance continuing Jeff Mills and late afrobeat drummer Tony Allen’s Tomorrow Comes the Harvest project with keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary and tabla virtuoso Prabhu Edouard.

ADE x 750 | ZERØBPM –  39,5 Hour Ambient Meditation Experience | de Thomaskerk – Friday, Oct 24, 7:30 a.m.

ZERØBPM brings a a 39.5-hour ambient meditation experience, a weekender of ambient performances by 26 artists from the techno scene.

ADE x 750 on the Monday after ADE | Young Marco, Legowelt, Mary Lake live ambient sessions | Concertgebouw – Monday, Oct. 27, 2:45 p.m.

To mark Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, ADE presents a special night of live ambient sessions at the historic Het Concertgebouw.