ADE at a glance
Launched in 1996 as a small music conference, ADE is run by a not-for-profit foundation, the Amsterdam Dance Event Foundation. In 2025 it welcomed around 600,000 visitors and 11,000 music professionals. The programme features more than 1,200 events in over 300 locations: clubs, concert halls, museums, theatres, churches and industrial sheds.
ADE is made up of three parts:
- ADE Festival: club nights and concerts, by day and by night, organised by more than 300 clubs and cultural institutions.
- The conference: ADE Pro, for industry professionals (artists, labels, agents, promoters), and ADE Lab, for young artists and early-career professionals. Several themed programmes are attached to it: ADE Green (sustainability), ADE Startups and ADE Culture Hub.
- ADE Arts & Culture: exhibitions, installations, screenings, workshops and concerts where electronic music meets other art forms, in places such as the Van Gogh Museum, the Wereldmuseum, the Muziekgebouw, the Artis Planetarium, the Tuschinski cinema and the Oude Kerk. Part of this programme is free.
For visitors who come to party, the festival is what matters: you don't sign up for "ADE" as a whole, but pick one or more specific nights.
Tickets: single events or the ADE Pro Pass
Club night tickets
This is what surprises visitors most: there is no single festival ticket. Each event is organised by its own promoter or venue, which sells its tickets separately. ADE's official programme, on its website and in its app, lists every event and links each one to the organiser's ticket shop. ADE does not sell day passes or conference-only passes either.
Prices vary widely from one event to the next. A few examples noted for 2026: about €17 for a hardcore and hard techno night, €47 for Dave Clarke's night at Melkweg, €50.40 for Speedy J's audiovisual live show at Paradiso, and €74.50 to €81.50, depending on the sales outlet, for one day of the Into the Woods festival at NDSM. The big nights sell out months in advance, and several were already sold out at the start of October.
Most events are 18+, some 21+ or 23+: bring ID, as it is checked at the door.
The ADE Pro Pass
The ADE Pro Pass is aimed mainly at professionals. Valid for all five days, it was priced at €725 (plus a service fee) at the time of writing. It gives access to the full ADE Pro conference (including ADE Green, ADE Culture Hub and ADE Startups), the networking areas, the festival and the Arts & Culture programme, plus five days of free GVB public transport. It does not include ADE Lab, which has its own passes.
Note that entry to club nights with the Pro Pass is not guaranteed. Each venue sets aside a limited number of places for pass holders and applies a "full for now" policy once that quota is reached. If there is one night you really don't want to miss, ADE itself recommends buying a single ticket. The pass is personal: you collect it with ID at the Info & Ticket Desks, at Felix Meritis (Keizersgracht 324) and at Stromma Pier 6 opposite Central Station (Damrak 16), from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 October; both desks are closed on Sunday.
Resale and fake tickets
For a sold-out event, only use TicketSwap, which ADE presents as its official resale platform, or the resale system offered by the organiser's ticket shop. Turn down tickets offered on social media, in chat groups or on the street outside venues: screenshots of tickets, codes that have already been used and tickets that don't exist are common, and money sent by bank transfer is lost. Always start from the event page in ADE's official programme, which links to the authorised ticket shop. Other common scams in Amsterdam are covered in our guide to scams and safety in Amsterdam.
The main venues of the 2026 edition
Gashouder, at the Westergasfabriek
A circular former gasholder from the western gasworks, the Gashouder (Klönneplein 1) stands in Westerpark, north-west of the centre. It is one of ADE's flagship stages: in 2026, Armin van Buuren opens the festival there on Wednesday 21 October from 11pm to 6am, and Eric Prydz plays there early in the evening on Thursday 22. The venue also hosts concerts from the Arts & Culture programme. For the surrounding area, see our guide to the Westerpark neighbourhood.
Melkweg and Paradiso, near Leidseplein
A few minutes' walk from Leidseplein, these two venues run concerts and club nights throughout the five days. Melkweg (Lijnbaansgracht 234A) hosts the ADE opening concert, with KYBBA and the Metropole Orkest, already sold out, followed by club nights every night. Paradiso (Weteringschans 6-8) has, among other things, a two-day audiovisual live show by Speedy J across its three rooms. This is the most central area and the easiest to reach for a first ADE night.
Amsterdam-Noord: Shelter and NDSM
On the north bank of the IJ, Shelter occupies the basement of the A'DAM Tower (Overhoeksplein 3), below A'DAM Lookout, with club nights from Wednesday 21 October. Further west, the former shipyard at NDSM hosts the Into the Woods festival on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October, during the day, across seven indoor stages. If you spend the day in the area, the Eye Filmmuseum, next to the A'DAM Tower, makes a good visit before heading out. The neighbourhood is covered in our guide to Amsterdam-Noord.
Large venues and city-centre clubs
For headliners, ADE also uses the big venues: in 2026, KI/KI plays a five-hour set at the Ziggo Dome, in the south-east of the city, on 22 and 23 October. In the centre, Escape, on Rembrandtplein, is also one of the festival venues. The techno clubs on the outskirts, such as Radion and Garage Noord, and the rules of Amsterdam nightlife outside ADE are covered in our guide to Amsterdam at night.
The conference and the daytime programme
The ADE Pro conference takes place in three venues in the canal ring: Felix Meritis (Keizersgracht 324) for the main programme, the Andaz hotel (Keizersgracht 440) for the business hub, and Rosewood Amsterdam (Prinsengracht 432-436) for professional meetings. It is open to Pro Pass holders only.
Without a pass, the days are still full: the Arts & Culture programme offers exhibitions, installations, listening sessions and workshops, some of them free, and many club events start in the afternoon. The official programme, on ADE's website and in its app, lets you filter events to plan your days.
Accommodation: book early
During ADE, Amsterdam's hotels fill up fast and prices are higher than usual. Book as soon as you have chosen your nights, and check the cancellation terms. If your events are in Noord or at Westerpark, stay near a night bus line or a ferry: a cheap hotel far out in the suburbs can mean an expensive taxi at 5am. Some partner hotels offer a discount to Pro Pass holders. To choose a neighbourhood, see our guide on where to stay in Amsterdam.
Getting around during ADE
- Day and evening: GVB trams, metro and buses, paying with a contactless bank card (OVpay). In 2026, the code ADE2026 gives €2 off GVB day tickets bought online; Pro Pass holders travel free for five days.
- Night: once trams and the metro stop at around 12.30am, GVB night buses leave from Central Station; they have their own fare.
- Ferries: free, they link the back of Central Station with Noord. The F3 to Buiksloterweg (Shelter, A'DAM, Eye) runs day and night; the F4 serves NDSM.
- Taxis: use an official taxi rank or an app, never a driver who approaches you outside a venue.
Detailed fares and timetables: see our guide to getting around Amsterdam.
Partying safely
- Drugs and the law: in the Netherlands, possessing and selling drugs is prohibited. Only a small amount of cannabis (5 grams at most) is tolerated, within the coffee shop system. Hard drugs can lead to prosecution, and ADE points out that carrying them at parties and in clubs is illegal. Each club's house rules on cannabis vary.
- Drug checking: ADE refers visitors to the anonymous testing services of Jellinek and GGD Amsterdam, with no appointment needed. Because demand is high, they advise coming at least a week before the festival.
- Health: drink water regularly, take breaks in the fresh air, eat before going out and protect your ears with earplugs. Venue staff can help anyone who feels unwell: alert them straight away.
- Harassment: if you experience unwanted behaviour, tell the staff; if you witness it, ask the person whether they are OK.
- Street dealers: turn down any offer; drugs sold on the street are often fake or dangerous.
Summary table
| Item | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| 2026 dates | Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 October (30th anniversary) |
| Scale | More than 1,200 events in over 300 locations; around 600,000 visitors in 2025 |
| Club night tickets | Sold individually by each organiser, from about €17 to over €80 in the examples noted |
| ADE Pro Pass | €725 plus fee; conference, festival subject to reserved capacity, 5 days of GVB transport |
| Resale | TicketSwap, ADE's official resale platform |
| Minimum age | 18 for most events, sometimes 21 or 23 |
| Key venues | Gashouder (Westerpark), Melkweg and Paradiso (Leidseplein), Shelter and NDSM (Noord), Ziggo Dome |
| Getting home at night | GVB night buses from Central Station, F3 ferry day and night |
Prices checked in October 2026; each event's price is set by its organiser.
Further reading
For Amsterdam nightlife the rest of the year, read our guide to Amsterdam at night. The main concert halls and shows are covered in our guide to concerts and shows in Amsterdam, and to see what the city offers in each season, check our guide to the best time to visit Amsterdam.
