Amsterdam Dance Event

3 stars for the sheer scale of this event. It is massive — probably unprecedented. And hilarious. The whole city lights up for a week with dance music of every ear-​crushing variety, hosted in any venue that can put up speakers and free up a dance floor. Meanwhile, employers, policemen, and bouncers around the city turn a blind eye to the buffet of substances being carted around and consumed by the entire city.
It’s cool in concept — but huge minus points for the execution. For one thing it’s almost impossible to pick an event if you’re not familiar with the DJs, since you’re essentially simply given a gigantic list of names and venues and left to flail around on your own.
But my biggest problem with it is that (at least at the events I went to), they charged something like 2eur per glass of water!!! While also strictly policing bathrooms lest someone dare take a water-​holding container near the sink. This is not only a rip-​off, it’s downright dangerous and flagrantly stupid. For this reason I won’t be repeating the experience next year. If you’re looking for a good dancing time — go to Awakenings or wait until festival season kicks off in early spring.