ADE completes 30th anniversary programme with 3,600+ artists
The landmark edition will take over more than 300 venues across Amsterdam from October 21 to 25
Amsterdam Dance Event has revealed the completed programme for its 30th anniversary edition, bringing more than 3,600 artists to over 1,300 events across 300+ venues throughout Amsterdam from October 21 to 25, 2026.
Three decades after launching in 1996 with just 300 professional delegates and three nighttime venues, ADE has grown into one of electronic music’s largest annual gatherings. This year’s anniversary edition will bring that history into focus while continuing to look at where club culture, technology and the wider electronic music industry are heading next.
The final wave of artists includes Armand Van Helden, Boys Noize, Dax J, DJ Tennis, Djrum, Gerd Janson, GiGi FM, Grace Dahl, Hannah Laing, Jamie Jones, Len Faki, Mama Snake, Marie Montexier, Martin Garrix, Mau P, Marlon Hoffstadt, SHERELLE and Speedy J, among many others.
They join a sprawling programme that stretches across house, techno, hard dance, bass, experimental electronic music and the scenes existing between them, with names including Anetha, ANNA, BLOND:ISH, Carl Craig, Chris Liebing, Cinthie, Clara Cuvé, Colyn, Courtesy, Enrico Sangiuliano, Héctor Oaks, Interplanetary Criminal, Logic1000, Louie Vega, Paula Tape, Sebastien Léger, Sofia Kourtesis, Sonja Moonear, Traumer and Young Marco appearing across the five days.
30 years of ADE
Central to the anniversary is the 30 YEARS ADE Icon Series, a selection of 30 events designed to trace electronic music’s past while connecting it to its next generation.
Jean-Michel Jarre will serve as Guest of Honour, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of his landmark album Oxygène. His ADE appearances include a performance at AFAS Live and an exclusive keynote interview as part of ADE Pro.
Elsewhere, Boris Acket will present his large-scale EINDER installation alongside performances from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Elias Mazian, while Swan Lake Remixed for ADE brings together Dutch National Ballet and ISH Dance Collective at the Gashouder.
ADE will also turn the lens back on itself. The 30 Years of ADE conversation brings together figures including Anna Knaup, Maria Jimenez, Richard Zijlma, Jan-Willem van de Ven and Gary Smith, moderated by Dave Clarke, to examine how an industry gathering founded in 1996 became a fixture of the international electronic music calendar.
ADE Pro looks at what comes next
The ADE Pro Conference will bring another extensive group of artists and industry figures into the conversation.
Armin van Buuren joins Jean-Michel Jarre, Lady Starlight and JakoJako for Music & Machines: A Conversation Between Artists from Different Generations, while Afrojack, Mau P, Octo Octa, DVS1, Max Cooper, HoneyLuv, Sofiya Nzau, Joseph Capriati, Reinier Zonneveld, Cruel Santino and DJ Scratch are among the latest additions to the conference programme.
Technology and the infrastructure surrounding electronic music will also play a significant role. ADE Pro’s Insider Knowledge series includes sessions involving Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube Music alongside NVIDIA, Helix Records, Believe, Warner Music, Sony Music, Universal and Armada.
But some of the programme’s biggest questions go back to the fundamental reason the industry exists in the first place: people gathering around music.
Why Humans Still Need Dancefloors? brings Eris Drew together with Alice O’Grady and Club RAUM’s Sven Bijma, while ADE and VibeLab will present the Nighttime Culture Index, an initiative examining the cultural vitality of nightlife across cities around the world.
Beyond the club
ADE’s anniversary programme also continues its expansion beyond conventional club spaces through its Arts & Culture programme.
Museums, churches, record stores and cultural institutions across Amsterdam will become part of the festival. The programme includes DISCO I’m coming out at Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, hybrid live performances from Slimfit at Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder, Thomas Azier presenting PANORAMA at raam art space, and a live audiovisual performance from Colin Benders and Othernode at Fabrique des Lumières.
On Saturday, the Culture Hub returns to Felix Meritis with MC Culture at the centre of its programme, exploring the voices, communities and storytelling traditions that have developed alongside electronic music.
Thirty years after its first edition, ADE is no longer simply an industry conference or a week of parties. For five days each October, Amsterdam becomes a meeting point between clubs, artists, labels, promoters, technology companies, cultural institutions and the people building whatever comes next.
The 30th edition of Amsterdam Dance Event takes place from October 21 to 25, 2026 across Amsterdam.
