Updated October 2026: Defqon.1 2027 takes place on 24-27 June in Biddinghuizen. Read about Defqon.1 2027, the tickets and how to get there.
Are you really into hardstyle and hardcore? Do you love meeting new people? Do you love hanging out with truly dedicated festivalgoers? Then Defqon.1 Weekend Festival is the place for you.
Defqon.1 was first held in 2003. More than 20 years have passed since then, and the festival has changed enormously. Until 2010, Defqon.1 was a one-day festival held on a beach in Almere. In 2011 Q-dance moved the festival to Biddinghuizen to make camping possible. The number of festival days later grew from 1 to 3, and today the festival lasts four days.
The festival sells out every year, so if you want to be sure of a ticket, >> pre-register << to get priority access to the ticket release.
1. Most of the harder music styles are represented
Many people go to Defqon.1 for the hardstyle. But with 14 stages in 2025, the choice is huge, and it is not only hardstyle. Here you can discover lots of other styles and hear them played on "real" speakers.
If you have heard of Frenchcore and SEFA, there is a stage dedicated entirely to that and Terrorcore. The stage to remember is YELLOW.
Want to hear what hardstyle used to sound like? Then visit the Early Hardstyle stage, travel back in time and listen to how it all started.
Want to hear harder hardstyle, or the genre that hardstyle grew out of? For rawstyle, visit BLUE or PURPLE. For hardcore, BLACK is the stage to visit. And if you want to hear how hardcore began, head to the GOLD stage.
2. The stage design
The main stage is always magically big and beautifully designed. But in fact, if you had not noticed, the festival focuses on "recycle". Many of the stage parts are built from scrap and things that have been thrown away, such as barrels. Q-dance still manages to give the whole festival a fantastic touch, even though there are festivals such as Tomorrowland and Intents Festival that stand out more for their stage design.
For many people, a rave should be a bit dirty and old to create an underground feeling.
3. The cosy campsite
Believe it or not, many festivalgoers spend most of their stay at the campsite. Why is that? Probably because of the fantastic atmosphere and the sense of community. At Coretours' camp, for example, there are speakers, picnic tables, party tents, electricity and activities such as the Swedish midsummer dance, which is why many people get stuck here and stay longer than planned. The pre-party can easily turn into the afterparty here.
4. The huge lineup
Defqon.1 has a huge lineup with more than 300 artists. That is a pretty crazy number. Sometimes you wish you could clone yourself, but at the time of writing that is not possible.
All the biggest artists in hardstyle and hardcore have played here. Headhunterz, Technoboy, Angerfist, Partyraiser, SEFA, The Prophet, Wildstylez, MYST, Brennan Heart, Frequencerz, Radical Redemption... We could go on forever. One thing you do not need to worry about is a bad lineup at this festival. There is guaranteed to be something for everyone, every festival hour.
5. The dedication of the crowd
As mentioned earlier, a hugely dedicated crowd visits the festival. Defqon.1 had more than 250,000 visitors from 110 countries in 2023, and it is the biggest HDM festival in the world. With a crowd that big, you can probably imagine the energy when everyone dances and sings along to the music. The visitors really go all in.
6. Make new friends
If you live in Sweden, the scene is relatively small and it can be hard to find like-minded people. In the Netherlands, though, there is no shortage of people with the same interest and dedication as you. More than 700 Swedes come here every year, so there is a good chance you will find a friend for life, one you can also hang out with back home in Sweden.
Some people even find love here. Coretours has had several travellers who met here, and some of them have since got engaged and had children. Maybe you will find your life partner here too?
7. Hear your favourite music on real speakers
Many people who diss hardstyle at home have never heard harder music on a real sound system. When the sound system is big, properly tuned and loud, even they start to understand the charm of hardstyle and other harder music styles. You simply cannot sit still! You get so carried away by the heavy bass and the great melodies that it is almost impossible to sit down when you are on the festival grounds.
8. An amazing bus trip
If you travel with Coretours, you will see that the journey there is part of the whole experience too. On the bus you meet like-minded people from Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia. There is a pre-party, so you get to know each other. Of course there is time to sleep too. The bus also stops for border shopping in Germany, so you can stock up on alcohol before the festival. Coretours also lends out tents and has a reserved area at the campsite near the entrance. In that area there are party tents, picnic tables, electricity and lots of other activities that make your whole festival experience amazing.
Sometimes we even have DJ sets at the rest stops in Germany. In 2018, Degos & Re-Done played, whom you probably know if you love rawstyle.
