AMP-sterdam Fiesta: EDM Stars Rock Out at Valhalla Festival

Just like many of us in the U.S., partygoers in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam were freezing their arses off raving during the holiday season. Despite the cold, they headed out in droves just a few days before Christmas for the launch of the Valhalla Festival. As anyone who checked out VIBE’s coverage of 2012’s amazing Amsterdam Dance Event will already know, the city boasts one of the world’s best party scenes, and we returned to bring you a special photo report from its most recent festival event.

Text by Angus Thomas Paterson

The first Valhalla Festival took place across the labyrinth halls of the Amsterdam RAI convention centre, extravagantly billed as the “Free State in which creativity and liberalism are fully expressed.” The result was a cooperative of different stages organised “by a hybrid of the established class and the new young creative organizations of Amsterdam”, with a number of Amsterdam’s hottest clubbing brands providing tunes across the various rooms.

Just as important though was the assortment of little details that helped create the party’s “funfair” vibe: dodgem cars, merry go-rounds, circus performers. Plonked between two of the bigger rooms was an ‘Apple Tree’ swing that had punters swinging in circles wildly. Belly dancers sashayed across the dancefloor, while carnival workers sold candy apples and other enticing delights.

The nine different rooms ensured dance fans of all persuasions had plenty to enjoy; lovers of the more fist-pumping side of EDM found themselves at the Apenkooi stage, with a wild and eclectic musical selection that had a lot in common with the madness of Chuckie’s famous ‘Dirty Dutch’ brand, while DJs like Kissy Sellout dropped the crowdpleasers at the GirlsLoveDJs stage. Sporting the motto of “hard pop with a nod to the girls”, there were Adele and Beyonce bootlegs aplenty, with the stage boasting some spectacular production: a Ferris Wheel with huge coloured balls hanging from the ceiling.

If underground house and techno was your thing though, the Format stage was the place to be. A monthly party curated by DJ Juan Sanchez at Amsterdam’s AIR club, on Saturday it commandeered one of the venue’s biggest rooms, with some suitably impressive production. Vanguards like Secret Cinema, Sandwell District, Ben Simms and Juan Sanchez himself pumped out the heavy techno tunes all night long to a ravenous crowd.