Cultural tips for ADE 2024

Read the complete official ADE programme here and the arts & culture programme here.

Opening Concert: COCON II

Kicking off proceedings as usual this year is a series of opening concerts across the city, featuring everything from an acoustic set at the Van Gogh to free jazz techno fusion, and reinterpretations of Philip Glass and J Dilla. This performance at a roomy warehouse in Noord, Door Open Space, also combines classical and futuristic elements. In dramatic scenography by Nick Verstand, Cello Octet Amsterdam will be “embraced” by eight robotic arms as they perform pieces from contemporary composers including KMRU and Kara-Lis Coverdale. Expect explosive visuals and hypnotic music at this perfect start to the festival.

Opening Concert: COCON II | Wednesday 16 October | 19:00–20:00 | Door Open Space | €23.50

Stage of Mind: Beyond the Dance Floor

Former dental college RADION has long established itself as a breeding ground for homegrown and cult international techno scenes since getting its 24-hour licence back in 2015. But it is equally well known as a queer-friendly haven for open expression and diverse crowds. If sweaty, wall-shaking techno seems like an insurmountable barrier of entry for you, fear not! For one evening only this ADE, RADION regulars Stage of Mind are hosting this inclusive event “for the queer community and allies” to talk, connect and heal – with choice musical accompaniment by local DJ JF.Hector and guidance from mental coach Áquila Allucard. Unwind, unload and find like minds here in this safe space.

Stage of Mind: Beyond the Dance Floor | Wednesday 16 October | 19:30–21:30 | RADION | €10 / €13 / €18

Eva. Hate Me, Love Me

Hardcore? You’ll know the score, at this photo exhibition about gabber. Eva was a 16-year-old enthusiast in Rotterdam’s still-thriving gabber scene (a very Dutch brand of hardcore techno) when photographer Eva Meylink met her in 2019. She quickly became the subject of this photo series, a glimpse into the uniting power of this close-knit community – a lifeline for this bold, vulnerable raver. The exhibition opens on Wednesday evening, continuing throughout ADE. If you’re feeling the gabber spirit, check out the related dance and theatre performance Gabbers Waren We at DeLaMar.

Eva. Hate Me, Love Me | Wednesday 16 (opening) until Sunday 20 October | Melkweg Expo | freeGabbers Waren We | Wednesday 16 - Friday 18 | DeLaMar Theater

Occo Codex ‘24 Live

The beauty of ADE is that everywhere in the city opens up to visitors, with many unusual locations hosting unexpected events. A perfect example of such a rare collaboration is this concert in the Solderkerk, a hidden, 17th-century church in the middle of Amsterdam’s Red Light District. Jumping back to this early modern period of music, local techno DJ and producer JP Enfant is reinterpreting choirbook the Occo Codex (1515-1517) – originally written to commemorate the “Miracle of Amsterdam” – with a little help from organist Pietro Paganini. Jump futuristically into the past at this trippy, ambient takeover of these hallowed halls.

Occo Codex ‘24 Live | Thursday 17 & Friday 18 October | doors open at 18:00 | Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder | €19

Late Night Music presents Odyssey

Brush shoulders with a cosy crew of Kubrick fans at this intimate afternoon screening and social event at LAB111. This former pathological anatomy laboratory now serves as an independent cinema specialising in cult classics, with such a passion for Kubrick that their bar-restaurant is named Strangelove, after his iconic 1962 comedy. It’s a fitting location then for this original score for 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, put together by Australian and Kiwi producers on label Late Night Music. If that wasn’t enough, there’s free post-movie drinks and tapas in the bar upstairs. No surprise then that there’s very limited tickets – don’t sleep on this one!

Late Night Music presents Odyssey | Friday 18 October | LAB111 | €15 incl. drinks & tapas

Codes of the Dancefloor

Rediscover a dance form with deep roots in early club culture – and join in if you want! This triple-bill at Studio/K (one of the student-run locations part of the historic Kriterion foundation) contains a separate screening, workshop and club night, organised together with the DARKMATTER Collective. First off you can watch Q5: The Quintessentials, a movie about “waacking”, a dance style that emerged in the 1970s as an expression of oppression in the Latin and African-American LGBTQI+ underground clubs of Los Angeles. Then, optionally, you can replicate that energy in a social dance workshop – and keep things moving as the afterparty goes on until late!

Codes of the Dancefloor | Friday 18 October | Screening 19:00–20:30 | Workshop 21:00–22:00 | Party 22:00–04:00 | Studio/K | €7.50 screening / €10 workshop / €12.50 workshop + club night

Diaspora Radio: ABADIR & Hogir / Karima el Fillali

Travel across diasporic musical connections at this series of late concerts in Amsterdam’s premiere jazz venue, Bimhuis. Behind this vibrant evening is Diaspora Radio, a show on Amsterdam’s Echobox Radio that platforms voices from the SWANA (South West Asia & North Africa) diaspora – exploring stories of migration, biculturalism, identity and creativity. Musicians include ABADIR (an electronic music producer born in Cairo and based in Berlin) and Dutch singer Karima el Fillali, plus more performers and a DJ wrapping up the night’s programme. With these unique voices connecting contemporary sounds to diverse musical traditions, there’s sure to be a few surprises in store.

Diaspora Radio: ABADIR & Hogir / Karima el Fillali | Friday 18 October | 22:00–03:00 Bimhuis | €21

A Taste of Ballroom: Ethereal Nights

Don’t miss this theatrical performance celebrating queer ballroom culture – and vogue along afterwards if you’ve got the stuff. A Taste of Ballroom returns after successful iterations in previous years, with this collaboration from Dutch Ballroom Scene, artist and queer activist Yamuna Forzani and Vain Beauty cosmetics. After a drag make-up workshop, the performance Ethereal Nights features several performers schooling you in ballroom style. An optional ‘mini ball’ follows where you can compete yourself, for three prizes: Best Dressed, Drags Face and Shake That Ass! Strike a pose and take part in this enduring staple of queer club culture.

A Taste of Ballroom: Ethereal Nights | Saturday 19 October | 16:00–17:30 make-up workshop | 18:00–19:15 performance | NDSM Theater | €11 or €16 with ‘Mini Ball’

Young Composers at the Orgelpark

Bridge music’s past and future in this unique concert at Amsterdam hidden gem, the Orgelpark. This former church next to Vondelpark houses seven replica organs and hosts an extraordinary variety of concerts, from authentic historical renditions to futuristic experiments with ‘hyperorgans’ and ‘organ robots’. Given that organs are basically the original synthesisers, they have a central place in electronic music history – and at ADE, with this double bill of upcoming young composers, Frieda Gustavs and Frieda Gustavs. Prepare to be wowed by two reinterpretations of music by 19th-century Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, with organs accompanied by electronics, electric guitars, saxophones and trombones. As epic as it is unmissable.

Young Composers at the Orgelpark | Sunday 20 October | 20:15–21:45 | Orgelpark | €12.50 / €20

Rhythms and Knitting Communities

Get ready to thread together music, art, mental health and… knitting? This unusual, multidisciplinary event in the Werkplaats – Volkshotel’s groundfloor bar and work space – offers a cosy haven to unwind and get creative at the close of ADE. The centrepiece this afternoon is kXtog: A Knitting Performance by Rosa Mol, during which everyone takes part on a collaborative piece – knitting to the beat of DJ SERKET. A lecture by Nina Dam follows on the connections between rhythm and creativity, as well as free time to continue creating with materials provided. Don’t get in a tangle, just craft along with your friends.

Rhythms and Knitting Communities | Sunday 20 October | 15:00–19:00 | Werkplaats (Volkshotel) | €9.50