The techno scene in Amsterdam: history & tips

Amsterdam is one of the busiest clubbing cities in the world – and for more than 50 years its clubs have been in unusual places: a squatted church, an old dairy, a cinema, a newspaper printing press and a dental school. In the late 80s house music arrived, then techno, and today some clubs are allowed to stay open around the clock. This is the story of Amsterdam's techno and house scene.

1968: a church and a dairy

In October 1967, hippie music fans squatted an old church building near Leidseplein. After attempts by the police to end it, the city allowed them to turn it into a club. On 30 March 1968 it opened as "Cosmisch Ontspanningscentrum Paradiso" – the Cosmic Relaxation Centre Paradiso. About 1,300 people came to the first night.

Nearby, on Lijnbaansgracht, a milk factory closed in 1969. A year later, on 17 July 1970, it reopened as a cultural centre: the Melkweg, Dutch for "Milky Way". Both venues are still open today – and in 1996 they hosted the first nights of the Amsterdam Dance Event.

RoXY: where house music arrived

In 1987 the RoXY opened in a converted cinema. It was founded by the artist Peter Giele, DJ Eddy de Clercq and publisher Arjen Schrama, and it is seen as the birthplace of house music in the Netherlands. Clubgoers loved to dress up, transform their look and play with gender – art and performances were a big part of the club.

On 28 September 1990, Detroit techno pioneer Derrick May played his first gig in the Netherlands at the RoXY. Eddy de Clercq remembers it as the first sold-out night after the hard early years.

On 21 June 1999, Peter Giele was taken by boat along the Amstel to his grave, in a colourful floating parade. Later that day, indoor fireworks at his wake set the RoXY on fire. The club burned down and was never rebuilt.

1996 and 1997: ADE and Awakenings

The Amsterdam Dance Event started in 1996 as a three-day conference with 300 visitors from the industry and thirty DJs. At night there were shows in three venues: Paradiso, Melkweg and Club Escape. Today ADE takes over the city for five days every October, with more than 1,000 events and 2,500 artists in around 200 clubs and venues.

In 1997, the first Awakenings techno night took place in the Gashouder, a round former gas holder with a wrought iron roof and no pillars inside. Awakenings still calls it its home – the "Temple of Techno".

The night mayor and 24-hour clubs

Since 2003, Amsterdam has had a night mayor (nachtburgemeester), at first in a small, voluntary way. Mirik Milan took over in 2012 and turned it into a foundation that connects clubs, residents and the city. According to Milan, the most important result was the 24-hour licence: clubs outside the city centre can stay open around the clock, so guests leave whenever they want instead of all ending up on the street at the same moment.

Two clubs became famous in this time. Trouw (2009–2015) was in the former printing press of the newspaper of the same name. The same team then opened De School in 2016, in a former technical school. Its club was in the old bicycle basement, had space for 700 people and a 24-hour licence. De School closed in January 2024 because its permits ran out – with a last party called "Het Einde" (The End), from 12 to 15 January.

The scene today

Amsterdam's nightlife still happens in unusual places: the techno club RADION is in a former dental school, Lofi in an old bus garage, and the entrance to Shelter is a hatch in a square in Amsterdam Noord. Many of the big techno and house nights and raves happen outside the city centre, some of them with a 24-hour licence. And every Tuesday there is free techno at Melkweg. You can find all upcoming techno parties in Amsterdam on the start page.