EDM.com's Guide to ADE: 26 Things You Can't Miss at the 2026 Amsterdam Dance Event

Every October, Amsterdam becomes becomes the world capital of electronic music for five delirious days.The usual soundtrack of bicycle bells, tram rails and rain ticking against café windows gets swallowed into an endless drumbeat as ADE takes over clubs, warehouses, record stores, conference rooms and whatever other corners of the city can fit a sound system.

That’s the magic of ADE.It’s a festival, a conference and a citywide scavenger hunt rolled into one, and you’ll make discoveries everywhere from iconic arenas to bakeries to underground cellars you might otherwise walk straight past.

For newcomers, the sheer scale can be dizzying.For seasoned veterans, their knees are battle-tested.

There are enough events to make both of their heads spin, so each year EDM.com digs deep into the programming to highlight various must-see panels, parties, raves, art installations and more.Read on to discover 26 experiences you can’t miss in 2026.

ADE passes are available here.Wednesday, October 21 Music & Machines: A Conversation Between Artists from Different Generations Location: Rosewood Amsterdam (Ballroom) | Prinsengracht 432 – 436, AmsterdamTime: 12:45 – 13:30Lineup: Armin van Buuren,Jean-Michel Jarre, Lady Starlight, Meike Jentjens, JakoJako Jean-Michel Jarre joins a panel exploring the relationship between artists and technology.

From early experimentation with electronic instruments to today’s production environments, the conversation traces how tools shape sound, and how artists continue to redefine those tools.Together with Lady Starlight, JakoJako and Armin van Buuren, the panel opens up a dialogue on creation, authorship, and the evolving role of machines in music.

Drawing on Jarre’s book Machines, to be launched at ADE, the discussion looks ahead to how technology will influence new forms of expression in electronic music.More information here.

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