ADE 2017 - How to go big while spending little

Free Parties and Events during Amsterdam Dance Event

The Amsterdam Dance Event has started! If one thing is sure, there will be more events, parties and conferences than we can attend. But don’t jump the gun and spend all of your hard-earned money on tickets just yet! Whether you’re a student on a tight budget, an expat looking for the best bang for your buck or just super Dutch, we have selected a number of venues and events that will leave you and your wallet smiling. As you will find out, all of the suggestions you find on this list are entirely free of charge and some of them even throw a little surprise into the ring!
Without further ado, let’s explore the best bargains ADE 2017 has to offer!

Wednesday 18^th

How about we start the week by making money instead of spending it? ADE means that lots of tourist and music professional are visiting Amsterdam and many of them are in need of space to store their suitcases, backpacks or gear while hitting up one of the numerous events going on this week. Do you have an empty storage room, basement or broom closet? Start your week by registering and listing it on Djeepo!  

We continue on Wednesday evening with an undeniable heavy weight: Richie Hawtin! An absolute star these days, Hawtin has been impressing the music scene for decades with his dark and minimal techno. A music pioneer in every sense of the word, he shocked us at ADE last year and revealed his own Model 1 DJ mixer. This year, Richie has set out to do the same and announced, in collaboration with Loveland festival, a free show at Nieuwmarkt square. This pop-up concert will take place from 6 until 8pm and guarantees you to kick off ADE 2017 in style!

Loveland presents Richie Hawtin from 6pm – 8pm

Thursday 19^th

For Thursday, we decided to follow up on one of last year’s best-kept secret, the ADE UrbanEars Hideout. Located at the top of the Rokin View, the Scandinavian speaker and headphone brand turn this startup hub into a “creative and relaxing sanctuary”. Ideal when you’re energy is dipping, UrbanEars provides a place to sit down and relax while enjoying culinary treats, excellent music and a breath-taking view. As if this wasn’t enough already, they invited Clone Records from Rotterdam who will bring some of their excellent records and open a temporary pop-up record shop. And to top all of this off, over the course the Hideout will also host two talk shows (around 1.30pm on Friday and Saturday ) with international DJ’s and local favorites such as Serge, Tom Trago and David Vunk. One way or another, UrbanEars Hideout is again shaping up to be one of ADE’s hidden gems!

UrbanEars Hideout: Thursday until Saturday from 1.30pm – 4pm

Now, where do we go from here? Easy, we make way to the next record shop! If one thing is apparent, it’s that record shop constitute an absolute place to be during ADE: A popular meet-up spot for music enthusiasts during regular times, Amsterdam’s finest vinyl dealers tend to step up their game quite a bit during the world’s biggest music festival. In the spotlight on Thursday, we have Zwarte Goud. Located just a couple of minutes from Nieuwmarkt, this little basement-style record store has earned a strong reputation for this unique selection and parties with UK label Lobster Theremin. This time around they invited none other than Ellen Alien who will visit Zwarte Goud along with big-hitters Modeselektor and other friends. This came together as part of Ellen’s Vinylism series, an event promoting vinyl culture and local record shops through vinyl-only sets with many of them hand-picked in the shop moments before the show. A master of her craft, Ellen and her guests’ set is going to be something quite quite special!

Zwarte Goud and Ellen Alien present Vinylism from 8.30pm - End

Friday 20^th

While already mentioned on another article, there was no way Red Light Radio was not going to be featured in this bargain list. The Amsterdam-based online radio who has gained an international reputation for its high-quality and yet evermore experimental programming and selection has also been making a name for itself through their incredibly fun in-store events. On Friday, they are partnering up with Ace & Tate to invite Max Abysmal, Auntie Flo and Carista for 3 hours of groovy and tribal fun. Here again, 100% free entrance with a more than welcome twist: Free beers! Yes, you read it right! No wonder, these Red Light Radio sessions have grown so popular, mix free beverages with a fun and friendly crowd, add a bucket of excellent music and you’ve got yourself the recipe for one of the most fun events around town!

Red Light Radio x Ace & Tate Sounds: From 5pm – 8pm

By now, you've probably already received a number of booking request for your listing on Djeepo. Use the chat function to discuss pick-up time with your peer and accept the booking request. Congratulations, you've completed your first transaction on Djeepo! Your money is on its way and the party bank is full again.

Now it’s time to reveal the bargain hunter’s ultimate tool when it comes to find cheap party alternatives. Of course, we’re talking about I’M IN. This genius app for Android and iOS allows you to browse events around you and gives you the opportunity to spin a wheel and try to win tickets for a given event. Although I’M IN offerings aren’t always the best, you can find outstanding parties and often manage to attend them for free. Isn’t that quite the sweet deal?

For this Friday, we scouted what I’M IN has to offer and we returned with some gold! As it turns out, you have a chance of winning tickets for Verknipt’s second ADE night and what a banger this is turning out to be: Spread across three stages, Verknipt will welcome 20 hard-hitting acts with big names Noir, Marcel Fengler, Renier Zonnenveld and Monoloc all featuring. Techno extravaganza all night long guaranteed at the Amsterdam Studios!!

Verknipt: ADE Special Day 2 from 11pm – 8am  

Saturday 21^st

There’s no such thing as too much of a good thing, right? With this in mind, we reload those internal batteries and hit the dancefloor anew. To kick this off, we set the course for the Rolling Rock Kitchen where Nous’klaer Audio and Dogma will host their own daytime event. For this occasion, the Rotterdam label is rolling out a number artist from their roster featuring favourites Upsammy and Mattheis and the label boss Obermann amongst many more. This one is an absolute must-go! The Nous’klaer crew’s legendary nights has been a treat for those who experienced and this event is shaping up to be very special again. And for all you crate diggers out there here’s the cherry on the icing: Rumour has it that they might host a vinyl fair, potentially giving you the opportunity to get your hands on their sought-after Paerels compilation. Big tip!!

Nous’Klaer x Dogma: From 2pm – 1am

Closing off Saturday is another event featured on our favourite app I’M IN. This time, we’re being taken all the way across Het IJ to Amsterdam Noord for the 2^nd day of the Wonderland festival. One stage, packed to the brim with the brightest and boldest techno artists around these days doesn’t sound too bad does it? Bringing upcoming stars such as Stranger and Rebekah together with veteran heroes like Slam and ROD while still keeping space and time for an exciting new collaboration under the name of Headstrong. By all accounts, Wonderland festival is packing quite a punch and should set at ease all rave-warriors that are still looking for a challenge!

Wonderland Festival Day 2 from 10pm - 8am

This concludes our little selection of free events during ADE. Of course, there are many more events to explore that won’t set you back a dime. Keep checking your I’M IN app as well as the ADE and Resident Advisor pages to find more of these hidden gems!