Dutch DJs This Week: ADE 2026, DJ Mag Top 100 & Garrix

By Sidra Salman · October 22, 2026

If you care about Dutch DJs, there is no better week to be paying attention. Amsterdam Dance Event kicked off its 30th anniversary edition on Wednesday, and the Dutch names on the lineup read like the sport's hall of fame: Martin Garrix, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Afrojack, Oliver Heldens. Here's every big Dutch DJ story this week — a broken record at the DJ Mag Top 100, a secret rave at an international airport, a brand-new Garrix album announcement, and a stadium show looming on Saturday — with the context that explains why each one actually matters.

The Week at a Glance

Story	What happened	Why it matters
ADE 2026 opens (Oct 21)	The 30th anniversary edition begins: 3,600+ artists, 1,300+ events, 300+ venues	The biggest ADE ever — the industry benchmark
DJ Mag Top 100 (Oct 6)	David Guetta takes No. 1 for a record sixth time, passing Martin Garrix and Armin van Buuren (five wins each)	Ends the Dutch hold on the record books
Garrix announces MARTY (Oct 21)	Third studio album confirmed, with Madonna, Ed Sheeran, U2 and Aitana attached	That guest list is not a DJ move — it's a mainstream crossover play
STMPD RCRDS 10 years (Oct 22)	Anniversary showcase at AFAS Live tonight, plus a secret Schiphol airport rave reported for opening night	The label's 10th anniversary, celebrated at its home base
AMF 2026 (Oct 24)	Guetta's Monolith headlines the ArenA; Afrojack returns after six years; Armin broadcasts his radio show live	The stadium-scale anchor of ADE weekend, 40,000 capacity
Tiësto's autumn	Closed Tomorrowland Shanghai (Oct 17–18); headlining sold-out SCREAM Edmonton (Oct 30–31)	The veteran still headlining two continents in one month

ADE Turns 30: The Biggest Edition Yet

The numbers stopped being abstract a while ago. ADE 2026 runs October 21–25, and the final program lists more than 3,600 artists, 1,300+ events, and 300+ venues across Amsterdam. Compare that to where it started in 1996: around 300 professional delegates and three venues.

The marquee booking is a lovely piece of symmetry: Jean-Michel Jarre is this year's special guest of honour. He opened the festival with a concert on October 21 at AFAS Live and sits for a keynote interview at ADE Pro — fitting, because his 1976 album Oxygène turns 50 in the same year ADE turns 30.

Dutch DJs are all over the milestone programming. Armin van Buuren opened the Gashouder's nine-show ADE run on Wednesday night, with Eric Prydz headlining a dedicated showcase later in the week. Martin Garrix, Mau P, and Ferry Corsten joined the final lineup release, alongside international names like Armand Van Helden, Jamie Jones, and Pete Tong.

If you want the longer lead-up to this week, here's our earlier ADE 2026 lineup preview with how the dates and venues were shaping up.

David Guetta Takes DJ Mag No. 1 — and the Dutch Record

The DJ Mag Top 100 DJs 2026 results were announced Tuesday, October 6, at the DJ Mag LIVE event at [UNVRS] in Ibiza — and the headline is that David Guetta is the World's No. 1 DJ for a record sixth time. It is his first win fifteen years after his first in 2011, and it moves him ahead of Martin Garrix and Armin van Buuren, who have each topped the poll five times.

For years, the record conversation was a Dutch argument — Garrix or Armin? Now a Frenchman holds it outright. Still, Guetta earned it: another five billion streams this year, the first artist ever to score 22 No. 1s on the US Dance Airplay chart, and three sold-out Stade de France shows drawing more than 240,000 tickets combined.

The Dutch presence in the poll is still strong, just redistributed:

• Martin Garrix finished as the runner-up at No. 2.
• Armin van Buuren placed No. 7 overall — down from No. 5 last year — but DJ Mag officially crowned him the World's No. 1 Trance DJ once again. He has been the highest-ranked trance artist in the poll every single year for a decade.
• Mau P shared the Highest Climber prize, moving up 22 places alongside John Summit and CHRIS STASSY.

The poll drew a record number of verified votes from 234 territories. A popularity contest, yes — but one that keeps getting bigger, and this year its center of gravity sits with a Frenchman in a poll the Dutch used to own.

Martin Garrix's Week: Album, Airport Rave, and Tonight's Big Show

No Dutch DJ has had a louder week than Martin Garrix. Three stories, all moving at once.

1. A new album: MARTY

On October 21, Garrix announced his third studio album, MARTY, and the guest list is genuinely surprising: Madonna, Ed Sheeran, U2, and Aitana are attached. This is a crossover roster, not a DJ album roster. Garrix reunited with U2 earlier in the summer on "Fireflies," but a full album with Madonna- and Ed Sheeran-scale collaborators signals ambitions far beyond festival sets.

2. A secret rave at Schiphol Airport

EDMTunes reported on a secret airport rave staged by STMPD RCRDS inside Schiphol as an ADE opening-night stunt, with the lineup featuring STMPD regulars Julian Jordan and Brooks, French duo Citadelle, and rising star Nova Blue. Invitations went out exclusively through STMPD RCRDS and Schiphol's social channels — capacity is strictly limited, because it is an active international airport.

3. STMPD RCRDS 10 Years at AFAS Live — tonight

The main event is tonight, Thursday October 22, when STMPD RCRDS celebrates its 10th anniversary with a massive label night at AFAS Live (17:00–00:00). Garrix headlines a bill of the label's closest collaborators: R3HAB, DubVision, Third Party, Matisse & Sadko, Julian Jordan, plus rising names like Curbi, Citadelle, and Nova Blue. It caps a 10th-anniversary world tour through sold-out rooms in the US, Canada, Japan, and Brazil — ten years after Garrix launched the imprint in 2016.

His tour calendar barely pauses after tonight: Las Vegas dates on Halloween weekend, then a Latin American run through Guatemala, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Peru into December, and Ultra Miami in March 2027.

Dutch music stars have had a busy month for new albums and tour announcements — Garrix is just the loudest of them right now.

AMF 2026: Guetta's Monolith, Afrojack's Return, Armin's Live Broadcast

Saturday, October 24, the Johan Cruijff ArenA hosts AMF, the stadium-scale anchor of ADE weekend — headlined by the fresh-minted World No. 1. David Guetta brings The Monolith show to the ArenA for his first AMF appearance in six years, marking ADE's 30th anniversary with a 40,000-capacity production.

The undercard is stacked with Dutch names. Armin van Buuren returns to AMF and will also host a live broadcast of his Dance Department radio show from the venue. Afrojack is back at AMF for the first time since 2019. ARTBAT, Amelie Lens, Korolova, Marlon Hoffstadt, and D-Block & S-te-Fan round out the bill. Doors open at 20:00; tickets started at €84 before fees.

Tiësto's Autumn: Shanghai, Then a Sold-Out Edmonton

While Amsterdam has the spotlight, Tiësto has been stacking continents. On October 17–18 he closed The Magic of Tomorrowland, the two-day sold-out spectacle in Shanghai, sharing the bill with ARTBAT and R3HAB. Next weekend, he headlines SCREAM Edmonton on October 30–31 — sold out at 30,000 tickets more than two weeks early, with Alesso, Chase & Status, Sara Landry and Gryffin on the lineup.

SCREAM's growth tells the story: 27 years ago it was one night at the Polish Hall with roughly 1,000 fans; this year it is two nights, four stages, and 228,000+ square feet — and it sold out in only its second year at the expanded two-night format. Twenty-plus years in, Tiësto's October looks less like a victory lap than business as usual.

Also on the Radar This Week

Oliver Heldens opened ADE at Melkweg. As tradition dictates, Heldens headlined the first night of ADE 2026 at Melkweg on Wednesday, curating his own night — a room where his future house sound and his harder-edged HI-LO techno alias both get to play.

Afrojack has new music out. "ADRENALINE," his collaboration with SOFI TUKKER and Arti Prjct, pairs SOFI TUKKER's vocals with a harder club edge. Beyond AMF, Afrojack is also sitting down for an ADE Pro conference session, "AFROJACK x MIND Us: Mental Growth Behind the Music," with JODANI and Lucas & Steve.

Hardwell's Ultra Europe set dropped. His full 90-minute mainstage set from Ultra Europe 2026 in Split (recorded July 11) was released this month. One caution for the week: a few viral "headlines" about Tiësto and Hardwell have been circulating — retirement claims and worse. They trace back to a rumor site that has since flagged them as false, and no legitimate outlet has reported them. Check the source before you share the screenshot.

What's On This Week: The Dutch DJ Diary

• Thu Oct 22: STMPD RCRDS 10 Years — AFAS Live, Amsterdam (Garrix, R3HAB, DubVision, Third Party, Matisse & Sadko + more), 17:00–00:00
• Sat Oct 24: AMF — Johan Cruijff ArenA (Guetta, Armin, Afrojack, Amelie Lens, ARTBAT + more), from 20:00
• Sun Oct 25: ADE closing day — final events across the city
• Fri Oct 30–Sat Oct 31: SCREAM Edmonton (sold out) — Tiësto headlining; Garrix plays Las Vegas on Halloween

If you're in Amsterdam this week, there's plenty beyond the dancefloors too — check out celebrity events happening in Amsterdam this month.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Amsterdam Dance Event 2026?

Wednesday, October 21 through Sunday, October 25, 2026. This is the 30th anniversary edition, with 3,600+ artists, over 1,300 events and 300+ venues across Amsterdam, running alongside the ADE Pro daytime conference.

Who won the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs 2026?

David Guetta — the World's No. 1 DJ for a record sixth time, announced October 6, 2026 at [UNVRS] in Ibiza. Martin Garrix finished runner-up at No. 2, and Armin van Buuren placed No. 7 overall while being named the World's No. 1 Trance DJ.

Is Martin Garrix releasing a new album?

Yes — Garrix announced his third studio album, MARTY, on October 21, 2026, with Madonna, Ed Sheeran, U2, and Aitana attached. No release date is confirmed yet, so follow his official channels.

Can I watch ADE 2026 sets if I'm not in Amsterdam?

Most ADE club events aren't officially livestreamed, but there are exceptions: Armin van Buuren is hosting a live broadcast of his Dance Department show from AMF on Saturday, and artists often upload sets to their own channels afterward. Stick to official channels rather than re-uploads.

About the Author

Sidra Salman is the founder of Dutch Stars Daily, where she writes practical, research-backed guides on Dutch entertainment news. Every guide is tested and written in plain English for a US audience.