What do motor crossing and live music have in common? They’re both headliners at Zwarte Cross, one of this week’s recommendations you don’t want to miss. We also highlight a few underground events if you’re into intimate raves, so keep reading to find out where your new favorite DJs play this week.
TicketSwap’s weekly event highlights series THE AGENDA has you covered on the spiciest events across Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Groningen, Eindhoven, and beyond.
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Zwarte Cross 2023
The largest motor cross in the world has slowly become The Netherland’s largest music festival too, and if you’ve been there before, you know how unique their vibe is. Zwarte Cross combines motor crossing with live music, theater, live university classes, and dance parties with popular techno acts like Gladde Paling b2b Vieze Asbak and acid queen Miss Djax spread out over three days with a camping site that never sleeps. This year marks the twenty-fifth edition, and tickets sold out within just two hours, so make sure to set ticket alerts.
Liquicity Festival
Three days of liquid drum and bass in an open field curated carefully by Liquicity’s label heads: sounds like a dream to us. Pendulum headlines the festival, next to many other class acts like scene leaders Delta Heavy, drum and bass godfather Fabio, cinematic bass duo Koven, and vocalist and DJ A Little Sound. The camping adds that extra feeling of freedom to the already free-spirited festival.
Verknipt Indoor
Verknipt is taking its formula for success to a giant indoor venue: AFAS Live in Amsterdam. The team must’ve had a meeting where the theme was ‘bigger’ and ‘better’, because the laser show, visuals, and production are all ‘filthier’ than ever, according to them. A special back-to-back-to-back between Aphøtic, NΥCΘ, and XRTN is on the menu, alongside tasty sets by Fatima Hajji, La Penderie Noire, and Sara Landry.
Festival Macumba
Festival Macumba brings a little piece of South-America to the Amsterdam region this Saturday, where they invite DJs, international live acts, and street food vendors to their outdoor paradise. You can even dip into the lake if the festival gets too hot! Chances are you might be experiencing some heat because the Brazilian Parade returns to Festival Macumba, next to acts like Rockefellababe, Soulfania, and WaxFiend.
Saturday Afternoon Collective Festival
Now this is a line-up for the night owls who love underground sounds: co-founder of the Planet Sundae label Alex Kassian, Panorama Bar resident Roi Perez, and 303 icon TITIA all play Saturday Afternoon Collective Festival this weekend, next to many others. The night owls will have to transform into butterflies during this outdoor rave, but if you want to take this party into the night - join the official afterparty at underground club OOST in Groningen.
Festimi - In Light & Night
It’s time for the sequel! Festimi returns with another edition of In Light & Night at Lofi, where two rooms with palm trees, plants, and plenty of lights raise the spirits next to the fire line-up. Tsepo plays back-to-back with Vuur alongside all-round DJ superstar Bambounou, all-round feel-good cutie Fafi Abdel Nour, and one of the spiciest names in the game: Angel D’Lite.
Expedition Festival 2023
Bambounou only needs a few hours of rest between performances because before his set at Festimi, the DJ joins the stellar line-up of Expedition Festival. If we have to choose, go see Nelly, Mad Miran, and Mall Grab, but there’s not a name on there that doesn’t slap. The curation is a collaboration with club venue PIP in The Hague that takes its familiar underground feel to the outdoors in Rotterdam this Saturday.
Hardclassics Festival 2023
Hardclassics Festivals has covered all hard subgenres at their festival, and it shows: their four stages are the temporary home of hard classics from the 90s to the early 00s, nostalgic tunes and jump, raw classics, and the ‘reminders’ that bring you back to the first decade of this century. Acts like Adaro, Genius, Super Marco May, and DJ Thera are ready to pump up the BPMs so that you can pump your fists.
