The Ultimate Guide to ADE 2026: Dates, Venues & the 30th Anniversary
Amsterdam Dance Event returns Wednesday 21 – Sunday 25 October 2026, and this one matters: it is ADE's 30th anniversary. For five days the whole city becomes the world's largest club night and the industry's most important meeting point at the same time — hundreds of events across dozens of venues by night, and a sprawling conference by day. This is your orientation for the entire week: what's confirmed, how tickets and passes actually work, where things happen, and how to plan a run of nights without burning out on day one.
ADE 2026 at a glance
- Dates: 21–25 October 2026 (Wednesday to Sunday)
- Edition: 30th anniversary — expect specials and one-off programming tied to the milestone
- Two events in one: ADE Festival (the nightlife) + ADE Pro (the daytime conference)
- Scale: historically well over 1,000 events across 200+ locations, from 200-capacity basements to arena shows
- Confirmed opener: Jean-Michel Jarre, opening concert 21 October at AFAS Live
What's confirmed so far
The marquee announcement is a big one. Jean-Michel Jarre — the pioneer whose 1976 album Oxygène helped bring electronic music to a global audience — has been named ADE's special guest of honour for the 30th edition. He opens the festival with a concert on 21 October at AFAS Live, presented by MOJO and Insomniac, and will also sit for a keynote interview at ADE Pro. It's a fitting pairing: Oxygène turns 50 the same year ADE turns 30. We go deeper in our Jean-Michel Jarre at ADE 2026 spotlight.
Beyond the opener, ADE announces its club and festival programming in waves through the autumn, and individual promoters drop their own line-ups on their own schedules. Rather than chase rumors, keep an eye on our continually updated ADE 2026 calendar — that's where confirmed events land as they're announced.
ADE Pro vs. the festival: know which ticket you need
This trips up almost every newcomer. ADE is really two things running in parallel:
- ADE Pro — the daytime conference: panels, keynotes, workshops and networking for artists, labels, promoters and industry. Access is via an ADE Pro pass. Jarre's keynote sits here.
- ADE Festival — the reason most people fly in: the club nights, warehouse parties, arena shows and afterhours. These are ticketed individually per event by the promoters running them, and sold through platforms like Resident Advisor, Ticketmaster and the venues themselves.
Buying an ADE Pro pass does not get you into the parties, and a party ticket does not get you into the conference. Most attendees who aren't working the industry side skip the Pro pass entirely and simply buy tickets to the specific nights they want.
A day-by-day framework for the week
The full 2026 line-up isn't public yet, but the rhythm of the week is remarkably consistent year to year. Use this as a planning skeleton and slot events in as they're announced:
- Wednesday 21 Oct — Opening. The festival eases in. This year it opens in style with Jarre at AFAS Live. Early club nights start; a good evening to arrive, get your bearings and go in fresh.
- Thursday 22 Oct — Techno takeovers. The underground kicks into gear. Historically the night when the big techno labels and crews take over the mid-size venues.
- Friday 23 Oct — Peak begins. Larger productions and arena-scale shows come online; expect the marquee brand nights.
- Saturday 24 Oct — The big one. The heaviest night of the week — the largest festivals and headline events, and the hardest tickets to get. Book early.
- Sunday 25 Oct — Closing & marathons. Long closing sessions and afterhours. Pace yourself: the best Sunday sets reward anyone with something left in the tank.
New to all this? Start with our ADE 2026 First-Timer's Survival Guide.
Where it all happens
ADE is spread across the entire city, from canal-side institutions to industrial spaces in Noord and the western docklands. A few names you'll see again and again: Paradiso and Melkweg (the historic converted halls near Leidseplein), RADION and Shelter (for the harder, longer nights), the arena cluster in the southeast (AFAS Live, Ziggo Dome, Johan Cruijff ArenA), and a rotating cast of warehouses in Noord and along Elementenstraat. We map the essentials in our underground venues guide.
How to get tickets and passes
- ADE Pro pass: via the official Amsterdam Dance Event site. Early-bird tiers sell out first and are the cheapest.
- Jarre opening concert: via MOJO / Ticketmaster.
- Club nights & festivals: per-event, mostly through Resident Advisor and Ticketmaster. Popular Saturday events sell out weeks ahead — decide your must-sees and buy early.
- A note on resale: stick to official resale (RA's face-value ticket exchange, or the promoter's own) to avoid touts and invalid tickets.
We are an independent guide — not the official ADE organizer or a ticket vendor. Always confirm details on the official channels before you buy.
Getting around during ADE
Amsterdam is compact and most venues are 10–20 minutes apart. Bikes are the local move; trams and the metro cover the rest. Grab an OV-chipkaart or tap in and out with a contactless card on GVB. The catch: regular trams and metros wind down around 00:30, so learn the night-bus (Nachtbus) routes for your venues before you go out, or budget for the occasional taxi/Uber between the far-flung spots.
Plan your ADE 2026
Here's the short version: lock your Saturday first, build the rest of the week around it, sort transport for the late nights, and check the calendar often as the line-up fills in. Bookmark our ADE 2026 calendar and, if it's your first time, read the first-timer's survival guide next.
ADE 2026 FAQ
When is ADE 2026?
21–25 October 2026 (Wednesday–Sunday) — the 30th-anniversary edition.
Who is confirmed to play ADE 2026?
Jean-Michel Jarre is confirmed as guest of honour, opening on 21 October at AFAS Live. The wider line-up is announced in waves through the autumn.
Do I need an ADE Pro pass to go to the parties?
No. The Pro pass is for the daytime conference. Club nights and festivals are ticketed separately, per event.
How do I get around late at night?
Bike, night bus, or taxi. Trams and metros mostly stop around 00:30, so plan night-bus routes ahead.
Is ADE only techno?
No — it covers the full electronic spectrum plus a large daytime industry conference.
See you on the dance floor. 🎛️