Every year techno minded Holland is getting ready for the awakeningsfestival. The festival takes place just outside Amsterdam in a recreation area. It takes you about 45 min by public transport from the centre of Amsterdam. This festival always takes place the last weekend of June. It starts around noon and ends around 23.00. If you appreciate real techno music you should definitely head down here. The top crop of technoland gets a place behind the decks for an hour or two. To give you an impression here’s the line-up of the 2011 edition:

 

Area V (open air stage) Area W (open air stage) Area X
– Ben Sims
– Dave Clarke
– Derrick May & Kevin Saunderson
– Joseph Capriati
– Len Faki
– Tom Ruijg
– Vitalic LIVE 		– Adam Beyer
– Luciano
– Marco Carola
– Ricardo Villalobos
– Rik Woldring & Malbetrieb
– Seth Troxler 		– Ben Klock & Marcel Dettmann
– Gary Beck
– Laurent Garnier presents – L.B.S
– Luke Slater
– Sandwell District (Regis & Function)
Area Y Area Z Area A
– Chris Liebing
– Dekmantel Soundsystem
– Jeff Mills
– Joris Voorn
– Kyle Hall
– Speedy J 		– Counterpart LIVE
– DJ Rush
– Fatima Hajji
– Gayle San & Sven Wittekind
– Gods Army (Boris S & – Frank Kvitta) LIVE
– Miss Djax & Pet Duo LIVE/DJ
– Oscar Mulero & Reeko
– Surgeles
– Tim Wolff LIVE 		– Ame LIVE & DJ
– Dixon
– Henrik Schwartz LIVE
– Makam LIVE
– Mathias Kaden
– Melon
– Pantha du Prince LIVE
– Riso
Area B (semi open air stage) Area C (Island)
– 2000andOne
– Boris Werner
– Frank Haag
– James Holden
– Karotte
– Luke Abbott LIVE
– Margot LIVE
– Paul Ritch LIVE
– Reboot LIVE		 – De Man Zonder Schaduw
– Dekmantel Soundsystem
– Egbert LIVE
– Gabriel Chamorro
– Ida Engberg
– Kid Culture LIVE
– Robert Dietz

The 2011 edition was a rainy one. A couple of stages were open air but most areas were covered. The position of every area and bars are always very accessible at this festival. You don’t have to walk half a marathon to get from one stage to another. You have to pay with awakeningscoins which you can get at different location at the festival. Even though it was rainy all day the atmosphere was really relaxed and good. Most people took advantage of the rain and showed off their most fashionable rain boots. When you look at the line-up you don’t have to think about the quality of the techno music and there is something for everybody; if you want the industrial berghain/ostgut ton sound area X is your area, if you like the deep techhouse of the innervisions crew area A is your area and if you want speed techno area Z is your area.

If you like a good party and you can appreciate good techni music this is a must do when you’re in town around the end of June. Make sure that you buy your tickets on-line because this festival sells out pretty fast. Keep your eye on trueamsterdam.com because you can get them right here!

 

For more information check awakenings

And when you’re not done partying afterwards you can always visit a afterparty. Check the review here of one of the afterparties of the 2011 edition.