This is a personal look into what goes down at ADE and what a week as an attendee looks like! From meetings to mixers to events, there is no time for sleep at the largest electronic music gathering in the world.
For privacy reasons, the meetings will not be written in detail, but the times will be to get an understanding of how it was spaced out and conducted. Another note is that many of the mixers are private events and not anyone can attend. Here is a turn-by-turn, timed look at ADE from my perspective, it includes every meeting, mixer and event that I attended. What is not included is all the greetings conducted in the streets when seeing familiar faced everywhere. See below for what four hectic ADE days look like!
Wednesday, 16th
Meetings
- 10:45 AM – Meeting
- 11:30 AM – Meeting
- 2:30 PM – Meeting
- 3:00 PM – Meeting
- 3:30 PM – Meeting
Events & Mixers
- 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM – Australia House Lunch
This was a fantastic lunch put on by the Australian House, a place that was available all week for Australians and more to hangout and meet.
- 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Spotify Huis
An exclusive Spotify mixer that was held to meet artists and the like throughout. - 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM – Circuit Group Mixer
Once again another mixer, brought to life by the Circuit Group – held at the Felix Meritis, free drinks and many industry people mingled. - 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Mixmag x Australia Industry Mixer
Another mixer, this time at the Australia House, where Australians and others united. - 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM – Armada Music Mixer
Armada Music’s fantastic mixer is held at their large office, the multi-level office party is always a good time, even if a bit out of the city. Food trucks and a nightclub within their office make this a notable mixer for every ADE. - 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM – Warner/Spinnin Mixer
A very busy mixer from Warner and Spinnin’ Records, showcasing their talent in party crafting and DJ selection. - 9:15 PM – 10:30 PM – Insomniac Records x W Hotels – Mau P
A very exclusive party that was held in one of the top suites at the W Hotel, featuring none other than Mau P. With Belvedere cocktails and a Mau P set in a hotel room for 30 people – this was certainly a highlight of ADE. - 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM – JACK MGMT x YAP AGENCY x SINPHONY Mixer
An intimate affair with the Timmy Trumpet teams and his agency YAP. The mixer lead into Timmy Trumpet’s label night at AIR. - 12:35 AM – 1:15 AM – The Bonanza Mixer
A big team-up of The Media Nanny, The Brand Father, Circulate, Entourage, Spike Management and Audio Obscura, in proud partnership with Audemars Piguet and Armani Exchange, presented the Bonanza mixer. The multi-room event hosted the likes of Alex Wann, NOYA, Mochakk, Seth Troxler for an awesome time.
Thursday, 17th
Meetings
- 11:00 AM – Meeting
2:30 PM – Meeting
3:00 PM – Meeting
Events & Mixers
- 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM – Meet The Media
An official ADE networking event with patrons having the opportunity to meet industry professionals within the media landscape of electronic music. - 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM – EDM.com Day Event
A networking event held by EDM.com and other partners. Whilst it was slightly inconvenient to get to, it was fun and had a great vibe. - 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – State of Play: Australia House House
This conference was held at Australia House that delved into notable Aussie exports Nina Las Vegas, CYRIL and Upper90. The informative session, moderated by Mixmag was a look into each individual’s careers, inside and outside of Australia. - 5:25 PM – 6:15 PM – Warner Music Office Mixer
A quick drink at the Warner office to celebrate the Bridges For Music bike riders who rode from London to Amsterdam for charity. - 6:30 PM – 6:45 PM – Dyson Store Mixer
Another quick stop over to check out the Dyson OnTrac headphones. - 8:10 PM – 8:40 PM – creADE connections Mixer
Presented by TheOrigins, TheJagency, NIRO Group, thegoodheart, DJ Mag Germany, creADE was a mixer held in an art gallery, with awesome people, DJ sets and art it was a great mixer. - 8:40 PM – 10:00 PM – Insomniac Records x W Hotels – HUGEL
Back to Insomniac’s party at the W, with HUGEL headlining a very exclusive set. Lots of talking and listening to great music, with delicious cocktails. - 10:30 PM – 11:30 PM – Worship
The Worship crew (Sub Focus, Dimension, Culture Shock, 1991) held an awesome party on a venue that was on the water, making for a unique experience with terrific drum and bass music. - 11:40 PM – 1:30 AM – Tomorrowland presents Afterlife
It was an amazing time seeing Afterlife for the first time, from the visuals to the music – this is a must for all that are fans of melodic techno. Having Tomorrowland involved made for an extra special event. - 1:30 AM – 2:30 AM – STMPD Label Party
Next door to Afterlife was STMPD’s party, expanding their venue from previous years to encompass a lot more. Martin Garrix’s set, with his special guest made for a wicked time. - 3:00 AM – 3:45 AM – ANTS
Ibiza came to Amsterdam with ANTS’ massive party offering some amazing house music.
Friday, 18th
Meetings
- 11:00 AM – Meeting
- 12:00 PM – Meeting
- 1:00 PM – Meeting
- 1:30 PM – Meeting
- 2:00 PM – Meeting
Events & Mixers
- 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM – Maddix All Day Rave
Maddix held a seven-hour set, going B2B with many top artist including Hardwell and Armin van Buuren. It was an awesome time seeing the different artists mixing their styles into Maddix’s. - 5:45 PM – 7:00 PM – Dedicated Agency Mixer
A mixer celebrating the artists of Dedicated Agency and their respective partners. - 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Revealed Mixer
A mixer for the many artists and acquaintances of Revealed Recordings. - 12:00 AM – 2:20 AM – Jonas Blue & Friends
Jonas Blue and friends brought together some of the best house artists at ADE together for some amazing sets at AIR Amsterdam.
Saturday, 19th
Meetings
- 12:00 PM – Meeting
- 1:00 PM – Meeting
- 2:00 PM – Meeting
- 2:30 PM – Meeting
- 3:15 PM – Meeting
- 12:15 AM – Meeting
Events
- 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Colyn b2b Innellea Pop Up
Colyn and Innellea went back to back at a hair salon, making for an awesome and unique experience. - 7:30 PM – 10:15 PM – Dockyard Warehouse Festival
Dockyard Festival was simply eye-opening, located at the docks of Amsterdam – the four-staged event was massive and something you would not expect during ADE. With many attendees, the festival was thriving with people and artists. With stage takeovers by HE.SHE.THEY and Artbat – the was a party everywhere you looked. This festival should certainly be added to your 2025 plans. - 2:30 AM – 5:30 AM – Revealed Label Night
Revealed’s label night, with a set from Hardwell was super cool. The two staged event had their label artists spread across the main stage and their Legacy stage, which showcased the older Revealed sound. The highlight of the night was Dyro, Dannic and Hardwell (aka the Dutch House Mafia) playing back-to-back, playing all their classics. Unfortunately for the DJs in the main room, this side room took all the attention, rightfully so.
Sunday, 20th
Spent the entire day in bed…
ADE looks different from an industry individual to a punter, but either way, it’s an incredible time with the majority of the electronic music world coming together. It is also a very gruelling time, taking all your energy with little sleep, so rest up and use your time wisely in 2025.