Dekmantel Festival

Dekmantel Festival is one of the most respected names in electronic music, a curator's festival held each summer in the Amsterdamse Bos, the wooded park on the edge of Amstelveen just south of Amsterdam. Where many dance festivals chase spectacle, Dekmantel built its reputation on taste — a carefully assembled bill of house, techno, and leftfield electronic music spread across open-air and woodland stages, drawing a knowledgeable international crowd that treats the line-up like a running conversation about where the music is heading.

What to expect

The main festival runs Friday to Sunday in the Amsterdamse Bos over the weekend ending on the first Sunday of August, after opening events at city venues earlier in the week, with multiple stages set among the trees and lakes and programming that ranges from daytime deep cuts to peak-time headliners across the weekend. The setting — leafy, low-key and a world away from a city-centre club — is a large part of the appeal, and the atmosphere leans discerning rather than rowdy. A separate Dekmantel Selectors event takes place later in the summer and should not be confused with the main festival dates.

Dekmantel is known for selling out quickly, so pre-register and buy early; the Amsterdamse Bos is reached by bus or bike from central Amsterdam, and comfortable footwear for grass and woodland paths is wise.

Dekmantel is held in the leafy Amsterdamse Bos, a large park on the southern edge of Amsterdam near Amstelveen. Fly into Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), which is actually the closest airport to the site, only a short distance southwest. From Schiphol or the city centre, buses run toward Amstelveen and the Bos, and the festival lays on dedicated shuttle services from central meeting points on event days. There's no metro directly to the woods, so most people combine train or metro to Amstelveen with a bus or shuttle, or cycle in like the locals. Check the official travel page each year for the recommended shuttle stops and last services home.

• Before you go, read the UK government's FCDO travel advice for the Netherlands (entry requirements, safety and local laws).
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