Dekmantel Festival unveils 160+ acts for expanded 2026 edition
The 12th edition introduces ‘At Dawn’ and ‘Into the City’, expanding the five-day festival to 36 hours in the forest (12 hours per day) and more than 160 electronic acts, including DARKSIDE, Helena Hauff, Ricardo Villalobos, DJ Sprinkles, SASS, Skrillex, Underground Resistance and more.
Amsterdam, 21 January 2026
Dekmantel has revealed the full programme for its 2026 edition, taking place from 29 July to 2 August. While continuing to traverse the full spectrum of electronic music, this year’s festival places renewed emphasis on rethinking the format itself, extending both its temporal and spatial scope.
At the Amsterdamse Bos, home to the core weekend programme, the festival begins earlier than ever before. A new concept titled Dekmantel at Dawn expands the forest programme into three consecutive 12-hour days, amounting to 36 hours of music beneath the trees. Dekmantel is also moving Into the City, adding Paradiso and Melkweg as official festival venues. As always, close collaboration between foundational figures and future-facing artists remains central to the curatorial vision.
Into the City
The 12th edition opens on 29 July with the annual opening concert at Oude Kerk, this year led by UK ambient duo Space Afrika. From there, the festival shifts deeper into the city, refreshing its Thursday live programme across Paradiso and Melkweg.
On 30 July, Paradiso’s main room will be taken over by Speedy J’s electronic improvisation project STOOR “LIVE”, featuring contributions from Aurora Halal, Barker, Clark and SnPLO. At Melkweg, the programme includes DARKSIDE, Headache, NEW YORK, and Juan Atkins presenting INFINITI.
At Dawn
Reflection and experimentation have long defined Dekmantel’s identity. In 2026, that ethos materialises in At Dawn, a new morning programme at Amsterdamse Bos presented in collaboration with Resident Advisor and accessible exclusively to weekend ticket holders.
Taking place at the RADAR terrain, the series presents world-class artists in a radically different context. Jeff Mills debuts STARGATE, Sampha delivers a rare DJ set, DJ Sprinkles presents Deeperama, and Eris Drew explores Mystery of the Motherbeat. For the first time, the festival weekend opens with a live improvised opening ceremony by James Holden & Surgeon.
Forest highlights
Returning to the forest after extended absences are Detroit collective Underground Resistance with vocalist and poet Saul Williams, minimal pioneer Ricardo Villalobos, and techno trio LSD Live featuring Luke Slater, Steve Bicknell and Function. Familiar figures also reappear, including Helena Hauff with L.F.T., Jane Fitz, and Job Jobse alongside Palms Trax.
The 2026 edition marks festival debuts from Skin On Skin and Skrillex, who performs with rising artist RHR. Notable collaborations include Actress & Carl Craig, while B4B configurations bring together Shanti Celeste, Peach, Saoirse and Moxie as SASS, alongside Ben UFO, Pariah, Objekt and Call Super.
Electronic music pioneers feature prominently, with a particular focus on dub- and bass-rooted sounds. Highlights include Channel One, The Bug & Warrior Queen, Tikiman & Scion, and Shy FX & Tasha. Live performances in the forest come from The Black Dog and Ron Trent, who presents the world premiere of his LA MARR live show.
Prime-time slots are also reserved for Dutch artists shaping the global perception of the local scene, including Benny Rodrigues, Jyoty and Konduku. Dekmantel Records is represented by a series of debut projects from its roster, with Makam presenting The Archive, Shed unveiling Rave Echoes, Piezo & upsammy introducing Eerie Enterprise, and CCL premiering Invisible Cities.
Continuing its exploration of high-fidelity sound in a festival context, Dekmantel introduces a new custom system in the renewed Greenhouse area. Making its festival debut, the ON2 soundsystem by NNNN and OJAS, co-created by Devon Turnbull, follows last year’s collaboration with Sunflower Sound System.
More than 160 acts are now confirmed. Lineups for Dekmantel at Night, RADAR and the Dekmantel Festival Conference will be announced closer to the event.
Ticket information
Final-release weekend tickets, including access to At Dawn, are available now. General ticket sales, subject to availability, begin 23 January at 12:00 CET.
