Amsterdam, Off The Dancefloor – A Cultural Guide to the City during ADE

Every October, Amsterdam turns the volume up. For five days, it seems like every club, warehouse, bar, gallery and unexpected corner of the city gets swept up in the Amsterdam Dance Event – the most epic city-wide electronic music festival in the world. Bringing music industry experts to discuss the future of the business at the conference and fans together to listen to the latest sounds, and this year it’s a big one: ADE turns 30, celebrating and bringing the electronic music world back to Amsterdam from 21–25 October, 2026

Culturalee Amsterdam Editor Jessica Hartley selects highlights of exhibitions to see, places to eat, where to shop and music venues to visit in Amsterdam during ADE.

It’s one of our favourite cultural moments of the year, but even we know that the most dedicated dancefloor devotees have to come up for air eventually.  You’ll need coffee, proper food, somewhere to sit down. Perhaps something beautiful to look at that isn’t a lighting rig. And one of the joys of ADE is that the energy spills well beyond the clubs and the conference stages – with fashion, art, photography, design and food all finding their way into the week. 

So, here are our favourite Amsterdam spots and cultural events to weave into your ADE schedule with highlights including Yayoi Kusama + Adam Pendleton at the Stedelijk, THECLA at Felix Meritis, Dave Clarke at SPRMRKT and A History of Black Music at Werkplaats.

COFFEE + SOUND: a Sense of Place

Tucked away in the Jordaan, a Sense of Place is a destination in and of itself: a coffee bar for people who like to go deep. Coffee is treated as gastronomy, natural wine gets the same attention, and Sunday mornings bring Beyond, a six-course coffee omakase from coffee specialist Lucas Hernandez. Sound is just as central to the experience. Not your average flat-white stop.

During ADE, the space offers the other side of the week’s usual intensity: seated, by daylight and coffee in hand. Its new custom hi-fi system by Selim Erdil Soundworks (S.E.S.) makes its debut, the first custom installation from S.E.S.’s new flagship line and one co-designed with the a Sense of Place team. FULI also temporarily reshapes the room into a slower, lower-slung lounge for four days of music, conversation and listening.

Friday’s Soft Signals is a highlight, opening with a special ADE edition of Beyond before sound artist Nisham Olakara performs a spatial audio work created from months of recordings made inside the café itself. Saturday brings live music and Hi-Fidelity Coffee Sessions, while Sunday hands things over to Orbit Wax and a day of record selectors. Come for the coffee, stay for the music. Or vice versa.

Image credits: a Sense of Place

Practicals:
Willemsstraat 141-H, 1015 JC Amsterdam
Friends of ADE programme: 22–25 October
Seated, while seats last
Website | Friends of ADE announcement | ADE programme

FASHION: multiple identities 

Hidden away in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, multiple identities is a brand and design practice where nothing starts from scratch. Its modular mi_kit System takes existing garments and turns them into a new layering system, breaking all down to sleeves, bodies, holsters and other components that can be switched around and letting you self-actualise your expressions, looks and attire on the go. Think Lego for your wardrobe.

At its physical home, mi_space, multiple identities continues to explore how fashion can be made and worn differently, through its own modular pieces and a growing run of collaborations. Its recent work with historic Italian knitwear house Oscalito is one example, with another release with ISAORA coming in November.

During ADE, there’ll still be plenty of the studio’s signature scarf sleeves up for grabs, with the doors open from 21–23 October, followed by a takeover and big sale from Amsterdam football-meets-fashion label Lack of Guidance from 23–25 October. Definitely worth a detour between dancefloors.

Image credits: multiple identity / Peter Tijhuis

Practicals: 
Sint Annendwarsstraat 6, 1012 HC Amsterdam
21–23 October: mi_open studio
23–25 October: mi X Lack of Guidance takeover + sale
multiple identities / mi_space | Lack of Guidance

ART: CATTLE – BLUE at Felix Meritis

The ADE ground central is of course the Felix Meritis, where Amsterdam artist THECLA has turned salvaged denim into a new body of work. CATTLE – BLUE brings her recurring female figures into four large-scale tapestries, shown alongside paintings old and new, exploring freedom, power and the pressures placed on women.

Much of the denim is vintage or deadstock, including jeans from THECLA’s own wardrobe, cut apart and stitched back together into something entirely new. The works are dotted throughout Felix Meritis, from the restaurant to the hallways and staircases, so you can enjoy them as you wander through the building or take a seat and recharge between ADE appointments. It’s art without having to add another crowded stop to the schedule.

Running until 15 November, CATTLE – BLUE offers a quieter cultural pause in the middle of your week.

Image credit: THECLA / Felix Meritis 

Practicals:
Felix Meritis, Keizersgracht 324, 1016 EZ Amsterdam
CATTLE – BLUE: 19 September–15 November
Felix Café: Wednesday–Saturday, 16:00–22:00; access to the rest of the building varies depending on programming
THECLA | Felix Meritis | Exhibition details

PHOTOGRAPHY, FASHION + MUSIC: Dave Clarke at SPRMRKT

Most people know Dave Clarke as “the Baron of Techno” and a legendary music producer, but photography has been running alongside his music for years. After his 2024 solo show at Amsterdam’s Leica Gallery, he’s back this ADE with Slam Bam! Must Click! at SPRMRKT, a 400m² concept store and creative hub where fashion, photography, music, art and design all meet. The show brings together twelve monochrome portraits of artists Dave has photographed over the years.

On Thursday 22 October, Dave invited designer Isaac Sellam and designer/DJ An Vandevorst for The Art of Noise, a conversation about the crossover between fashion, photography and music, followed by An behind the decks. Entry is free, but RSVP is required and spots are limited. If you miss the evening, the exhibition is open daily from 21–25 October, 10:00–21:00.

Image credits: SPRMRKT 

Practicals:
SPRMRKT
Muiderstraat 21, 1011 PZ Amsterdam
The Art of Noise – Part One: Thursday 22 October, 18:00–22:00
Free entry; RSVP required and spaces are limited
ADE event details | SPRMRKT

DESTINATION DINNER: Graham’s Kitchen in De Pijp

Over in De Pijp, Graham’s Kitchen is the casual fine dining spot worth crossing town for. British chef Graham Mee trained in Michelin-starred kitchens before opening this small, chef-led restaurant, where the food is seasonal and prepared with precision, but the atmosphere stays warm, welcoming and completely relaxed. It’s pretty much the most fun place for a dinner during ADE.

You can hand things over to the kitchen with a four-to-six-course seasonal menu, or go à la carte Tuesday to Thursday, with the current menu moving through dishes like hamachi, langoustine, barbecued lamb and celeriac. After a few days of eating on the run between panels and parties, this is the spot worthy sitting down for a proper meal.

ART: Yayoi Kusama + Adam Pendleton at the Stedelijk

If you’re going to squeeze in one museum stop during ADE, the Stedelijk is making a pretty strong case for it. A major Yayoi Kusama retrospective features more than 70 years of her groundbreaking work, from painting and sculpture to fashion, performance and those unmistakable installations, dots and mirror rooms.

Under the same roof, Adam Pendleton: Some Wild Kind of Language marks the American artist’s first museum exhibition in the Netherlands. Paintings sit alongside monumental drawings, with Pendleton even transforming the Stedelijk’s historic white staircase into a dramatic ‘black cube’ of gold-on-black works. A strong double bill for anyone craving a little gallery time between ADE plans.

Practicals:
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam
Open daily 10:00–18:00
Yayoi Kusama: until 17 January 2027; advance reservation required
Adam Pendleton: Some Wild Kind of Language: until 17 January 2027
Stedelijk Museum | Yayoi Kusama | Adam Pendleton

VINYL + CULTURE: A History of Black Music at Werkplaats

This one sits somewhere between an exhibition, listening session and music lesson, Refuge Worldwide, United Identities and ChariTea are taking over Werkplaats at Volkshotel Amsterdam with A History of Black Music Through Vinyl. Twenty-five records stretching back to the 1950s tell the story through both sound and sleeves, with DJs playing the albums on display while accompanying texts dig into the social context behind the music.

There are overlooked gems alongside the better-known records, and the installation stays up through the weekend, with artworks spilling into the szwindows of the Volkshotel too. It’s a chance to go beyond the obvious, discover some lesser-known tracks and get a deeper sense of the social history behind Black music, and just how much of today’s sound has grown from it.

Practicals:
Werkplaats at Volkshotel, Wibautstraat 150, Amsterdam
Opening: Thursday 22 October, 18:00–00:00
Installation on view through Sunday
Free entry
ADE event details | Refuge Worldwide | Watch on Instagram

ART + SOUND: Pantheon Amsterdam

One of ADE’s more unexpected settings this year is a 17th-century canal house with a hidden church in the attic. Pantheon Amsterdam at Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder brings eight contemporary artists into this extraordinary historic space, with new altarpieces and installations exploring faith, identity, exclusion and recognition. 

During ADE, artist and DJ Slimfit takes things a step further with Opacity, mixing classic music, live electronic composition and ancestral rhythms across three intimate performances inside the clandestine church. A rare chance to swap the club for a hidden chapel without leaving the sound behind. 

Practicals
Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder, Oudezijds Voorburgwal 38, 1012 GD Amsterdam
Pantheon Amsterdam: 21 October 2026–24 October 2027
Slimfit performances: 22, 23 + 24 October, 19:30–21:00
Museum open daily 10:00–18:00
Pantheon Amsterdam | Slimfit performances | Museum & tickets

SOUND + STILLNESS: ZERØBPM at De Thomaskerk

For anyone feeling the full force of ADE by Friday morning, ZERØBPM offers a fairly radical alternative: three days of ambient music, meditation and deep listening inside Amsterdam’s brutalist De Thomaskerk. More than 30 international artists take over the church from morning until midnight, swapping dancefloor tempos for immersive soundscapes designed to slow things right down.

Each day follows a different meditation, moving from the Deep Sea on Friday to the Cosmos on Saturday and Mother Earth on Sunday, with a meditation master holding the silence at the centre of the room throughout the day. And they mean silence: no talking, no phones, no alcohol. Just arrive, listen and be still for a while. Possibly exactly what you’ll need by day three of ADE.

Practicals:
De Thomaskerk, Prinses Irenestraat 36, Amsterdam
23–25 October, 07:30–00:00 daily
Tickets are sold by timeslot; no late entry
ZERØBPM at ADE | Read more about ZERØBPM