Defqon.1 has grown from a one-day festival on a beach into one of the biggest hardstyle festivals in the world, with four days and camping. Here is the history of the festival in brief, with information from Q-dance and news media.
The start in Almere in 2003
The first Defqon.1 was held on Saturday 14 June 2003 on a beach in Almere, with several tents and an outdoor stage. It was a one-day festival, and in 2010 it was still held at Almere Strand.
The move to Biddinghuizen in 2011
In 2011 Defqon.1 moved to Biddinghuizen, and for the first time visitors could camp. The festival itself was still one day, Saturday 25 June. Then it grew: in 2013 the weekend started with The Gathering on Friday, in 2014 it was renamed Defqon.1 Weekend Festival, and in 2015 more than 250 artists played over three days.
Corona, and four days since 2022
In 2020 the festival was cancelled because of the coronavirus, and in both 2020 and 2021 Defqon.1 at Home was streamed online instead. In 2022 Defqon.1 lasted four days for the first time, on 23-26 June.
Australia and Chile
Defqon.1 has also been held outside the Netherlands. In Australia the festival was held every year from 2009 to 2018 at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith, outside Sydney. After two visitors died in 2018, the venue withdrew its support, and in May 2019 Q-dance announced that the festival would not return to Australia that year. In Chile, Defqon.1 was held twice, in December 2015 and December 2016, near Santiago.
Visitors
In 2015 and 2016 Q-dance wrote about 60,000 visitors, and in 2018 about more than 85,000 unique visitors. In 2023, more than 250,000 visitors from 110 countries were reported over the festival's four days. According to the Dutch broadcaster NOS, Defqon.1 today usually has just over 72,000 visitors per day.
The organiser
Defqon.1 is organised by Q-dance, which is part of ID&T. Since 2021, ID&T has been owned by Superstruct Entertainment.
2026 and beyond
In 2026 Defqon.1 was cancelled after the Thursday opening, The Gathering, when KNMI issued a code red heat warning. Read more on the Defqon.1 2026 page. The next edition is Defqon.1 2027 on 24-27 June 2027, and Rebelion is making the anthem.
Also read Defqon.1 anthems through the years and about previous editions.
