Richie Hawtin closes a free ADE stage on Leidseplein today, with Ogazón, Luigi Madonna and Kristin Velvet
Richie Hawtin plays a free open air set on Amsterdam's Leidseplein today, Thursday 22 October 2026, as the closer of the Leidse Stage during ADE. The pop up runs from 15:00 to 20:00 with Shown, Kristin Velvet, Luigi Madonna and Ogazón before Hawtin takes the final hour. No ticket is needed.
One of the most talked about sets of ADE 2026's opening days costs nothing to attend. Richie Hawtin closes the Leidse Stage, a free pop up on Amsterdam's Leidseplein, this afternoon, putting one of techno's most recognisable names on a square usually known for theatres, trams and tourists.
The stage runs from 15:00 to 20:00 today, Thursday 22 October. According to the City of Amsterdam's programme, Shown opens at 15:00, followed by Kristin Velvet at 16:00, Luigi Madonna at 17:00 and Mexican techno DJ Ogazón at 18:00, before Hawtin plays the final hour from 19:00. Entry is free and open to everyone, with no tickets required.
The Leidse Stage is an initiative of the Leidsebuurt business improvement district, working with the City of Amsterdam and Amsterdam Dance Event. It sits inside ADE's 30th edition, which runs from 21 to 25 October and spreads more than 3,600 artists across the city's clubs, venues and public spaces.
Free outdoor programming has become one of the ways ADE reaches people who will never buy a club ticket during the week. For the neighbourhood, it is a way to bring dance music into the theatre district during the busiest week of the Amsterdam nightlife calendar. For the artists on the bill, it means playing to a crowd that mixes dedicated fans with people who just happened to walk past.
That is the useful angle for managers and bookers. A daytime public stage is not a club set, and it should not be programmed like one. Sound limits, an early finish and an audience that did not choose to come all change what works. The order today, from Shown's opening hour through Luigi Madonna and Ogazón to Hawtin, is a good example of building energy across an afternoon, rather than starting at peak time. Ask early about the booth setup, the sound system and who runs the stage on the day, because public stages are often produced by different teams from the clubs your artist usually plays. If your artist is offered a free public slot during a conference week, treat it as brand building and content, plan for daylight filming, and check how it sits next to any paid club shows they have in the same city that week.