FESTIVALS IN AMSTERDAM

In a country like the Netherlands where dance music is literally life, you can expect that there are hundreds of festivals every year. Events take place across the country all year round even outside the usual festival season during the hottest months.

It’s easy to guess which city is the party center of the Netherlands. Amsterdam – a city that has been known for centuries as Europe’s liberal party paradise. As 2019 is coming to an end, the larger portion of major events have already passed. Nevertheless, if you plan on visiting the city in the remaining couple of months, Amsterdam has a lot more to offer.

With this said, our mission today is to give you a complete list of the best festivals in Amsterdam that happen yearly and you can visit in 2020, as well as a detailed guide about the remaining festivals in Amsterdam for this year. In addition, we have also included the best events that will take place in Amsterdam in the remaining two months of the year.   

By chance, you have already heard a thing or two about the Amsterdam Nightlife Ticket. Perhaps, you found this particular article while you were contemplating whether you need to purchase a ticket or not. Maybe, you found out about the Nightlife Ticket while you were going through our useful blogs about the party life in Amsterdam.

For your information, the ticket gives you unlimited free access to over 30 clubs and venues for two days for the incredibly low price of €10. You also get discounts at key tourist and party locations, as well as a long list of additional extras that you can see here.

Last but not least, the Nightlife Ticket gives you the opportunity to experience five of the best NYE parties for only €10. You can read about the NYE festival event here.

Festivals in Amsterdam: What to see in 2020

This article will be structured in the following way: Amsterdam Festivals 2020, the best places to party throughout the year, the NYE Festival Event, and the best of the remaining festivals of 2019. Keep in mind that these are our personal choices and there are literally dozens of other festivals happening each year. Nevertheless, we believe that you can trust us having that partying is our way of life.

Awakenings Festival

What other festival to start with than the largest electronic music event in Amsterdam and definitely one of the most epic techno parties worldwide. When you think about Awakenings you should think about the biggest names in the business, a wild party including tenths of thousands of people, and an overall unforgettable to days.

Awakenings 2020 will happen on June 27 & June 28 and will actually be the 20th anniversary edition. This suggests that a grand festival is coming up next year that techno lovers should better see in person. While there is still no information regarding line-ups, prices, and extras, you can stay up to date with the latest news by following one of the festivals’ social media accounts.

Dance Valley

There is no way to miss mentioning the oldest electronic music festival in the Netherlands – Dance Valley. Throughout its 25-year history, the festival has become home to the biggest names in dance music and will continue in the future as it remains to be one of the most popular and beautiful Amsterdam dance festivals of the year.

Although the festival is not located exactly in Amsterdam, the short trip north to Velsen Valley is well worth it. Besides the obvious quality selection of artists, you will be left amazed by the extraordinary special effects that complete the entire party experience.

In 2019, the festival had 8 separate stages for the first time. Each one played a different genre and had its own personal style. While there are around 10 months left until the next edition, we suggest that you keep up with the news that will start to pop-out in the following months.

Kingsland

If you are searching for once in a lifetime experience in the Netherlands, then you should consider visiting Amsterdam at the end of April or more specific – around the 27th. You may not know but this day is a national holiday called King’s Day and is a countrywide party.

It does not really matter if you are in Amsterdam or in any other city. On this day, many of the Dutch citizens from around the country dress in orange and go out in the streets to join hundreds of fun events. Particularly in Amsterdam, you can join the incredible Kingsland festival.

The festival that takes place in RAI Amsterdam will satisfy every type of party taste as there are numerous different stages with artists and tunes from various genres. Overall, Kingsland is an incredible opportunity to experience the culture and party life of Amsterdam and the Netherlands altogether.

Milkshake

If you are all about gender and racial equality and carry the liberal vibes of the Netherlands everywhere with you, then you should definitely join Milkshake Festival in 2020. This extraordinary festival is all about freedom and unlimited self-expression.

As you can already feel, Milkshake is not your average music festival. When you take out the extraordinary concept and all the curious additions, it has multiple stages like any other festival and is primarily focused on electronic dance music.

The 2020 edition will take place from July 25 – July 28 and will once again gather thousands of people that think outside the box into a one of a kind party experience.

Amsterdam Music Fesival (AMF)

As of the most important dance festivals in Amsterdam, AMF takes place later than your regular major event – in October. In fact, the 2019 edition just happened a couple of weeks ago. This festival holds a special place in the world of EDM as it is also the event at which the Top 100 DJs list is announced every year.

Other than that, the line-ups for each edition of the festival include only the biggest names in the business which guarantees a good time. In addition, the special effects are absolutely out of this world, including the psychedelic laser show and the abundance of pyrotechnics.

A signature part of the festival is the DJ II=I concept. Every year, two renowned artists take on the stage together and combine their talents into one unique performance. In the 2019 edition, we saw the incredible Timmy Turner from Australia who combined forces with the exceptional dynamic duo from the Netherlands – W&W.

Weekly Events & Festivals at Dok Amsterdam and Noorderlicht

Amsterdam is incredibly rich in festivals and events and there really is no need for you to spend hundreds of euros when you have beautiful locations such as Dok Amsterdam and Noorderlicht.

Noorderlicht is truly a curious place. During the week, it is a lovely café and restaurant that suddenly transforms into a wild party location every Saturday. During the summer season, you will find numerous festivals and events at Noorderlicht which makes it perfect for someone that wants a more isolated type of party with a theme rather than a major dance festival with thousands of people.

If you want to party on the beach during the summer season, then Dok Amsterdam hosts the best festivals for you. Of course, besides the obvious exclusive events, Dok Amsterdam is open from Thursday to Sunday in the summer and on Friday and Saturday during the remaining months of the year. There is definitely no better beach location for parties in Amsterdam.

Besides that, you can enter both of these locations for free with your Amsterdam Nightlife Ticket. If you are in Amsterdam to party, you can take advantage and spend the day on the beach at Dok and prepare for the incredible clubs in Amsterdam at night.

The NYE Festival Event

I think we all know how expensive a New Year’s Eve celebration can be. Fortunately, this year you have the opportunity to choose where to celebrate without worrying about the starting price.

The Amsterdam Nightlife Ticket is partnering with 5 incredible venues for New Year’s Eve and now is your chance to book early access to one of the amazing parties. Whether you are looking for the craziest party around or you want something exotic and extraordinary, we can meet all your requirements for just €10.

If you want to become one with a crowd of over 1000 people and incredible music, you should choose Delirium Amsterdam. On the contrary, if you are looking for a more exclusive experience, you have three incredible locations to choose from – De Waard, Café Cha Cha, and Surprise Bar.

For a truly one of a kind experience, you can choose Hush – the first silent disco bar on this side of the Atlantic. Unfamiliar with the term silent disco? Simply said, you will be given a pair of high-quality headphones at the entrance and the only music you will hear that night will be through those headphones. There are several music channels to choose from and each channel has its own color that will appear on your headphones. This way, you will know whether the people next to you are hearing the same song or not.

Last but not least, what is a New Year’s Eve without champagne? As always, we strive towards providing a cheap alternative to the regular practices. The Amsterdam Nightlife NYE Champagne Package gives you the opportunity to enter one of the incredible parties and also get a champagne bottle for just €30.