With 50+ clubs and venues programming events it is quite possible to enjoy the full five days of ADE and never leave the canal area and its adjacent quarters.
With ADE's conference taking shape and ADE's festival program nearing completion it might be a good time to sort out travel. In case you’re still in doubt, we’ve put together four reasons to choose Amsterdam's Central District for your visit to Amsterdam:
Central Hub
Amsterdam’s Central District, the canal area and its adjacent quarters, is the obvious backdrop of ADE, featuring over 50 clubs, venues, galleries and stores programming ADE Festival & Playground events. A staggering array of artists and styles are on display, all within walking distance. Offering so much variety in such close quarters, it is nearly impossible not to find a bill of your liking. Moreover, it offers an extensive day-time program. De Brakke Grond will be the dedicated area for music lovers, tech freaks and DJs/producers, as it acts as the heart for Playground, and most of the Conference venues are located in the canal area.
Festival Program
All this wealth breaks down into several subsets. The Leidseplein neighbourhood is littered with intimate clubs and venues. Paradiso and Melkweg are internationally renowned. Sugar Factory, Nova, Jimmy Woo, Suzy Wong, Chicago Social Club, Luminaa and Stanislavski are all within just a 60 second walk from Melkweg. From Paradiso, one minute by foot brings you to Club Blinq, Van Dyck Bar, No. 129 and De Balie.
Club Church (Kerkstraat) links the Leidseplein area to Amsterdam’s traditional night-on-the town area, Rembrandtplein, home to Studio 80, Escape Studio, Van Rhijn, John Doe, AIR, Club Abe, Cinema Café and Cue Bar. Reguliersdwarsstraat, just a stone-throw away, is reputed as Amsterdam’s ‘gay street’. Some of its many clubs, bars and restaurants program ADE-events: Rosa’s Cantina, Ludwig, Club NYX, La Cage and Feijoa. So do near-by Odeon and Disco Dolly.
The inner city area, including the Red Light district, is peppered with locally reputed venues, clubs and bars. The Warehouse and Winston Kingdom in Warmoesstraat, BarNL, Café Schuim, Vrankrijk, Amsterdam Museum, Café de Paris, Art Deli, Supperclub Cruise and Compagnietheater all offer ADE Festival or ADE Playground related specials.
On the west side of Amsterdam’s canal area, on Rozengracht, you’ll find Closure (sporting a top notch ADE bill, which includes Seth Troxler, Magda and Mathew Jonson), Boom Chicago and DJ pub, Café Struik and InDeep'nDance. Waterkant, among others, hosts the 6 year anniversary of 22tracks and stages a disco night in collaboration with Silhouette Music. Bitterzoet is the hang-out of many local producers.
ADE Playground & Culture
Culture and ADE Playground are very much intertwined. Photography museum FOAM hosts loads of different exhibitions ranging from Momo Okabe to the celebrated Magnum collective’s contact sheets. Graffiti: New York meets the Dam will be featured in Amsterdam Museum, films will be broadcasted at both Melkweg Cinema and De Balie, and while Mary Go Wild presents some ADE Basement Raves you can also enjoy the silence and go for yoga and meditation at MMouse.
Food Hotspots
The inner city also features some of the finest restaurants in town. Yokiyo, situated in the Red Light District, sports the best Korean BBQ in the canals. Talking of meat, Cannibale Royale (Handboogstraat) is your prime (rib) location and New King (Zeedijk) serves some great mandarin cuisine while conference hub The Dylan even has its own Michelin-starred restaurant (Vinkeles). Other great spots are Kaagman & Kortekaas (French cuisine, Sint Nicolaasstraat), burger bar Burgerlijk (Runstraat, the 9 Streets) and Toscanini (Lindengracht, the Jordaan).
With so many venues for ADE Festival & Playground and Conference assembled at a square mile of city space, and a multitude of opportunities for meals – from take-away services to star-quality restaurants – it is quite possible to enjoy the full five days of ADE and never leave Amsterdam’s Central District.
Additional info: