Eleven years old this year, Dekmantel Festival isn’t exactly a newcomer on the festival scene. And yet, it’s still showing others how it’s done.
This mecca for techno-heads isn’t big, but it is legendary. For five days every summer, Amsterdam turns into a place where thundering bass notes reign supreme, first in the town, and then in the leafy woods next to Schiphol airport (where it’s located between Friday and Sunday).
For the roughly 15,000 people that attend every day, it’s a chance to let loose with some of the world’s best electronic music artists, spread across seven stages that cater to pretty much any taste you can imagine.
This year, that involved headline slots from Four Tet, Honey Dijon and Avalon Emerson – all huge names – as well as acts that ran the gamut from Blawan to local artists on the up (UpSammy).
Heading inside for the first time is a heady experience. Dominating the festival is the main Loop stage, which was designed for the 10th anniversary mega-bash last year to represent a ‘full circle’ moment. Dekmantel finishes at 11pm (though the afterparty continues in the city until 7am); not ideal, because the space really comes alive at night, where the hundreds of strobing lights built into the structure turn the space into the ultimate outdoor nightclub.
This year, the acoustics had been tweaked slightly, but the bones of the space remained the same: a wide open circular dancefloor ringed with a first-floor balcony from which spectators could watch (and dance) too. This was where the headliners played their slots, but often, the real reward came from venturing away from the big stages and diving into what was on at the smaller ones.
For hardcore German techno fans, the dark and covered UFO I and II stages felt like being transported into the heart of a sweaty rave. The Selectors stage – by far the most aesthetically pleasing, with a façade sewn out of parachute silk and ringed all around by trees – played an ever-changing line-up that stretched from Shanti Celeste to vinyl expert Ogazón.
Right next to it, the Greenhouse housed the Sunflower Sound System: the pioneering sound rig custom-built by Floating Points, who played a 10-hour set there with Palms Trax on the Friday. Unsurprisingly, given that every inch of it had been engineered to offer the optimal sonic experience, the music was excellent.
Factor in The Nest, which housed a lot of UK-flavoured bass, and it was hard to know what to choose from most days. We ended up spending a lot of time at the Radar stage: a massive confection of scaffolding surrounding a central booth where some of the industry’s hottest artists came to play.
Unsurprisingly, there was always a queue – not a surprise when people like Quest, Special Request b2b Tim Reaper and Two Shell were on the bill. When the rain came, people ignored it for fear of losing their spot in the crowd and continued to dance anyway.
The weather wasn’t kind; in fact, it tipped it down for much of the weekend. While we were prepared with raincoats (and the festival gave out free ponchos at the bars), the majority of the other festivalgoers weren’t so lucky; one particularly heavy shower on Sunday night saw punters running for cover under staircases, in the eating areas, or just committing to being drenched and partying on at the stages.
And while the party spirit remained undampened, there were a few issues. The toilets were both clean and flushing, which was great, but came without any kind of soap or hand sanitiser, which wasn’t.
The food trucks were a cut above the regular festival food – I’ve never had okonomiyaki (a type of Japanese savoury pancake) at a festival before, or bitterballen (Dutch deep-fried meatballs), and both were delicious – but there weren’t many of them, which made eating there three nights in a row a bit of a slog.
Despite this, as Avalon Emerson wrapped up the Sunday night set with her sunny techno, it was hard not to feel a pang. Dekmantel is head and shoulders above anyone else in the field; for anybody who loves electronica, visiting feels like making a sort of musical pilgrimage. Everybody should go at least once, ideally more; roll on 2026.
Heading to Dekmantel 2026? Here’s what to know
More information on the 2026 line up, pre-registration and tickets will be coming shortly here.
How to get to Amsterdam
It’s a breezy one-hour flight from London; for eco-friendly travellers, Eurostar has just opened a terminal in Amsterdam. The train journey takes around six hours, so pack sandwiches.
Where to stay
For comfort-lovers, The Hoxton has two hotels located around the city. Both are located inside historical buildings (one in the old mayor’s house, the other in a former shipping HQ), but they’re been efficiently renovated into trendy spaces frequented as much by locals as tourists. Opt for their branch in the Herengracht if you want to keep it central; we stayed in the Hoxton Lloyd, whose Eastern Docklands position puts it alongside some of the city’s trendiest bars and restaurants (rooms from £207; thehoxton.com).
If you fancy staying closer to the action, Sir Albert hotel is a speedy 20 minute taxi journey from the festival (or 45 minutes via the public transport system). The hotel itself, which is located in the trendy De Pijp area, boasts design-heavy interiors, but (more importantly) the most comfortable beds you could possibly wish for. They’re plush, they’re big and they come with their own custom-made bed linen; perfect after a hard day of partying (rooms from £221; sirhotels.com).
