Have you ever been oonce ooncing-away at a sick DJ set and thought ‘this is cracking, but it would be better if I was on a train right now?’ Same. For lucky Amsterdammers, that dream became a reality thanks to the launch of ‘raves on rails’ over the weekend.
The Amsterdam Dance Event, an annual festival of (you guessed it) dance and the arts, took place from October 16 to 20 this year. It featured a programme of around 1,000 events, from industry meet-ups to discussion panels on topics like whether clubbing can continue in war zones.
The ‘raves on rails’ consisted of eight trains-turned-nightclubs, which departed from Amsterdam Centraal for four-hour long services with DJs and artists on board. The services were organised by 50:HERTZ, a house and techno café on Rembrandt Square.
Kicking off with a 12.30pm departure on Friday, each one took passengers on a different route around the Netherlands, with a programme of DJs scheduled for the whole journey. The trains all had a capacity of 300 people and featured two ‘club’ wagons and two ‘chill out’ wagons with signs above the bars which read: ‘Enjoy your trip, live the journey!’ Good vibes, right?
‘It’s fab!’ said Rens van Nellesstijn, owner of 50:HERTZ, according to Dutch News, ‘This hasn’t happened in Holland and not in ADE, so why not? I think some people will want to be on here for the whole 48 hours!’
Partiers paid €50 for the four-hour ticket – that’s a little more spenny than your standard cover charge, but it is a pretty unique experience.
While the services are now all over, keep an eye on this page for updates if they go ahead again next year. In the meantime, here’s a roundup of all the best cities in the world for nightlife (including the best in Europe) and our guide to the best bars in Amsterdam.
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