surprise me + art & exhibitions + listening sessions + live music
ADE picks
Listening Session & Bites with Disco Arabesquo
Wed 21 · 18:30 · Van Eesteren Museum · Amsterdam
What does a film sound like if you take away the visuals? During this special ADE listening session, DJ Disco Arabesquo dives into his collection of vinyl and cassettes, taking you into the world of Egyptian film music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Expect unique soundtracks, hidden gems, and music you might recognize without knowing where you’ve heard it before. With this listening session, Disco Arabesquo shares his love for the music, the films, and the culture in which these sounds continue to live on outside the cinema. In addition, Qibli Bahri will provide delicious Egyptian snacks , so you can dive into ADE with a well-filled stomach. You can also explore the exhibition Dreams of Films - Films of Dreams . Please note: we are keeping this event small and intimate, so don't wait too long to buy your tickets. The exhibition Dreams of Films - Films of Dreams is part of ADE Arts & Culture. Discover more about it at this link .
EINDER by Boris Acket
Thu 22 · 10:00 · Centrale Markthal · Amsterdam
Between 22-25 October, you can walk beneath the art installation EINDER by Boris Acket and experience it up close as it continuously transforms, flowing to the rhythm of day and night. Ready to step into the art and leave time behind? During the EINDER exhibition, you decide how your experience unfolds and how long it lasts. Walk, sit, stand still, and watch EINDER continuously transform to the rhythm of day and night. Always moving. Never the same twice. All we need to know is when you’ll arrive. From that moment on, the space is yours. Special time-slots with performances of Kianí del Valle On Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October at 9PM, Kianí del Valle takes over with a unique performance, reshaping the installation’s movements through her dynamic choreography. Every moment of the day has its own unique effect on EINDER. It’s up to you to choose your favourite time slot(s) As the sun rises and sets, shining its light through the sky panels onto the installation. Enjoy the soft morning light, the brightness of day, the shifting colours of sunset, or the dark skies at night. You decide how you experience EINDER. Explore more ADE Arts & Culture events at Centrale Markthal here .
Premiere: Two Seas and Vinorun
Thu 22 · 17:00 · Nxt Museum · Amsterdam
EarthSonic, ADE and the NXT Museum present: Premiere: Two Seas and Vinorun Paul Hartnoll (Orbital) with Natural Symphony (installation and panel) Paranoid London (live) , Finnish, Uzbekistani and Bobolian artists (installation and live AV set) Natural Symphony (live performance) In-Depth Discussion: Matt Black (Coldcut), Joey Dean (Natural Symphony), Paul Hartnoll (Orbital), Quinn Whalley (Paranoid London), Ben Sheppee (Observatory), Juliana Aping and Razif Ajip (Bobolian community). EarthSonic is a global project by In Place of War telling the story of climate change through music, working with indigenous communities, musicians, scientists and climate activists worldwide. At NXT Museum, as part of ADE Arts & Culture 2026, EarthSonic presents two new premieres of new music, immersive installations, and a live AV set by Paranoid London, along with an exclusive in-depth discussion. The night starts with Roland's Electronic Petting Zoo, an interactive station built from EarthSonic's field recordings. Vinorun is an immersive installation exploring the traditional ecological knowledge of Sabah's Momogun communities through the rinait chants of the Bobolian community. It is a project by the Malaysian NGO Pertubuhan Kolektif Seni Budaya Sabah in partnership with EarthSonic, The University of Manchester and the British Council. Natural Symphony travelled to Sabah's rainforest to capture plant and star data on the ground, which was combined with the field recordings and footage captured by the rest of the team to provide the source material for new music by Paul Hartnoll (Orbital) , with the finished installation created by visual artist Ben Sheppee (Observatory) and Alastair Lomas. Two Seas tells the story of two bodies of water at opposite ends of the climate crisis: the melting Bothnian Bay in Oulu, Finland, and the vanished Aral Sea in Muynak, Uzbekistan. Music created by Paranoid London with Finnish and Uzbekistani artists, and immersive installations created by Ben Sheppee (Observatory) and Matt Black (Coldcut) . The project turns recordings from both seas into a live audio-visual performance and installation, using techno to tell one of today's most urgent climate stories. Two premieres of installations, an indepth discussion around making music with nature, the planet and indigenous communities, one live AV show by Paranoid London, one live performance by Natural Symphony, one petting zoo.
Dome Concerts presents: CATCHING FLIES - visuals Julius Horsthuis
Thu 22 · 19:00 · ARTIS Planetarium · Amsterdam
A soulful fusion of electronic music and immersive visual art Following a completely sold-out programme during ADE 2025, this year Dome Concerts proudly returns to the iconic ARTIS Planetarium . On ADE Thursday, multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ CATCHING FLIES (George King) has established himself as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary electronic music. Blending soulful melodies, deep basslines and intricate rhythms, his music effortlessly draws inspiration from hip-hop, house, jazz and ambient influences. With releases on Ninja Tune, Anjunadeep, Cercle and his own label Indigo Soul, Catching Flies has built an international reputation for emotionally rich productions that balance technical precision with warmth and intimacy. His work has earned support from artists including Bonobo, Diplo, Keinemusik, Jungle, Nils Frahm and Loyle Carner, while collaborations with Sofia Kourtesis, Actress and Hot Chip further underline his versatility as a producer. For this special performance beneath the dome of the ARTIS Planetarium, Catching Flies is joined by the visuals internationally acclaimed fractal artist J ULIUS HORSTHUIS . Together they create an immersive audiovisual experience where soulful electronic music and breathtaking visual worlds merge beneath the stars. Dome Concerts is an immersive 360° live audiovisual series taking place throughout ADE at ARTIS Planetarium and Fabrique des Lumières .
Motie - Thursday (Opening Night)
Thu 22 · 19:00 · STOPERA · Amstel 1 · Amsterdam
For three days, Amsterdam City Hall becomes a home for the people, sounds and ideas that shape Amsterdam after dark. Music, light, food and art come together in a setting that belongs to the city as much as it belongs to the people who inhabit it. A temporary and custom-built world where familiar faces meet new perspectives and where Amsterdam's creative night culture is celebrated without translation. Rooted in Amsterdam yet open to the world, Motie celebrates the city's creative spirit during its most international week. Curious by nature, uncompromising in taste, and welcoming to everyone willing to discover something new. Initial program release: Helios by Heleen Blanken (AV Installation) Young Marco (live) ft. Jonny Nash Oceanic (live) Gizem Öz (live) Presented by Nxt Museum Sophia Bulgakova (installation) Arno Schuitemaker (choreo) L'atelier du Champagne (wine) Living Room Session w/ Shaquille Joy, Tamara Shogaolu (Nationale Opera & Ballet) PEEL (music) Pintai (music) Sprezzatura (Wine) File #002 and program per day coming soon. About Motie ADE: The former municipal service desks of Amsterdam City Hall becomes a meeting place for Amsterdam’s creative ecosystem. Music, food and art come together in a custom-built world. From Amsterdam, for Amsterdam. At the centre of the stage sits Helios, a kinetic audiovisual installation by Heleen Blanken. Each evening, Helios takes on a different musical interpretation. Young Marco ft. Jonny Nash, Oceanic and Gizem - artists known for moving dance floors - step into slower, more atmospheric territory for a series of one-off performances. As an official part of ADE Arts & Culture, the program extends beyond music, featuring newly commissioned and previous work by interdisciplinary Ukrainian artist Sophia Bulgakova , curated by Nxt Museum. Bulgakova’s practice connects personal experience with wider political realities, exploring how art and activism can exist side by side. Her works Spomyny (2024) and Sensitive Guidelines (2026) will pull the audience into the passage. As the hours pass, the former bureaucratic hallway starts to shift. What was once a place for forms and numbers becomes a place to wander into and experience the full width of Amsterdam night culture.
THE FUTURE IS SOUND at ADE
Thu 22 · 19:00 · The Stargate · Amsterdam
THE FUTURE IS SOUND, London's leading future-facing music and cultural event series, comes to Amsterdam for a special one-night experience as part of ADE 2026. Bringing together a carefully curated line-up of forward-thinking artists, the night moves through live electronic music, immersive sound and audiovisual performance - creating a journey through new forms of listening, performance and shared experience. The line-up features Ruthlss , a London-based artist, composer and producer blending electronic, classical and cinematic sound with club culture and emotive storytelling, alongside Portrait XO , an award-winning trans-disciplinary artist and musician exploring the boundaries of AI, sound and human creativity. Blurring the boundaries between concert, installation and immersive experience, THE FUTURE IS SOUND AT ADE explores how artists are reshaping the way electronic music is created, performed and experienced — and what the future of live music might feel like. Explore more ADE Arts & Culture events at The Stargate here .
Dome Concerts presents: GIDGE - visuals by Julius Horshuis
Thu 22 · 19:30 · Fabrique des Lumières · Amsterdam
Where nature becomes sound, and sound becomes space. This ADE, Dome Concerts opens a new chapter at FABRIQUE DES LUMIERES — one of Amsterdam's most extraordinary cultural venues. Across four days, internationally acclaimed artists transform this monumental space through sound, light and architecture. Swedish duo GIDGE have established a unique voice in contemporary electronic music, blending organic electronics, field recordings and cinematic ambience into deeply atmospheric compositions. Inspired by the forests of northern Sweden, their music captures the quiet beauty of nature through warm synthesisers, delicate melodies and subtle rhythms. Presented inside Fabrique des Lumières , their immersive sound is accompanied by the extraordinary fractal visual worlds of JULIUS HORSTHUIS . Inspired by the hidden geometry of nature, his visuals transform the monumental architecture into an ever-evolving landscape of light, pattern and atmosphere. Together they create an immersive experience where forests become constellations, mathematics feels organic, and silence remains part of the composition. Dome Concerts is an immersive 360° live audiovisual series taking place throughout ADE at ARTIS Planetarium and Fabrique des Lumières .
Dome Concerts presents: ANDERT TYSMA featuring Maarten Hogenhuis - visuals Julius Horsthuis
Thu 22 · 21:30 · ARTIS Planetarium · Amsterdam