Your comprehensive ‘weekend warriors’ guide to Defqon.1!

The sacred moment that thousands of devoted warriors have been forestalling is nearly upon us. The most colossal, most exclusive Hard Dance festival in the world will fling open its gates in less than three weeks. I’m indeed talking about the pivoting point of harder styles events – Defqon.1 Boasting twelve diverse areas and over 200 artists serving you the best beats that range across the entire harder styles spectrum, Defqon.1 will once again be an unforgettable 3-day marathon for over 60,000 devotees.

Alongside this year’s theme ‘Dragonblood,’ Q-Dance will yet again pull out every trick in the box to blow visitors minds. Every year they manage to execute a multi-climactic production with beautiful stages that explode with lasers, pyrotechnics and more – making this event a spectacle for all eyes.  And guess what? There’s no doubt that this year will be any exception.

Seeing as Defqon.1 is right around the corner, to enrich your festival experience we’re going to provide you with a comprehensive Defqon 1 preparation guide that includes a handy list of what to bring, useful party-tops and acts you won’t want to miss!

Defqon 1 Checklist

Stumped on what to bring? Don’t know where to start with packing? Have no fear, we’ve comprised a list of must-brings!

A tent: Unless you’re amongst the lucky folk who have booked a hotel or organised a bungalow you’ll need to provide your own shelter.

A sleeping bag, blanket and pillow: Despite it being summer, it still gets a little cold throughout the night, so don’t forget some warm clothes too!

A mattress or airbed: Sleeping on the ground may sound like a perfect plan when drunk, however an out-of-line spine will fill you with regrets the following days.

Camping chairs: Because who wants to sit on the wet ground and pre-drink?

Sunglasses: They come in handy when the sun is out (which in The Netherlands is never) or if you look like sh*t and want to hide it.

Sunscreen: For those who get burnt easily, sunscreen is a MUST.

Towel and toiletries: Don’t forget a towel! Seriously… Otherwise you’ll be drying yourself with god knows what.

Raincoat: Despite free poncho’s being at your disposal, for those who remember Decibel 2015, you’d know that at your disposal is code for ‘hey, sorry, poncho’s have run out.’

Rave clothes and shoes: You want to dress to impress!

Earplugs: Protect those babies, you’ve only got one pair.

Bottle opener: you never know when that’ll come in handy.

Phone and portable charger: Pretty useful when you’ve lost your friends… For the 37^th time…

Merchandise: show your favourite artist your dedication with pride!

Weekend Warriors ‘Tried & Tested’

Excited yet? Or are you nervous. If so, read some of our tips and see how you can become the ultimate weekend warrior.

– Think in advance: It’s a long road from the car-park to the camping grounds and to top it off, it’s separated by a giant bridge. Try to pack your belongings as compact as possible, because the last thing you want is to carry a shitload of stuff back over that bridge with a massive hangover on Monday morning.

– Mark your territory: To claim a good spot on the camping grounds, it’s recommended to arrive in the early afternoon. The first-in-first-served principle applies, so the earlier you arrive, the better spot you’ll score. Another tip is to try suss out ‘Ground 1;’ it’s furthest from the car park, however closest to the festival grounds entrance.

– Leave your expensive stuff at home: It’s a tent you live in, not a vault and someone with bad intentions can take it amongst themselves to wander into your tent and grab whatever they please. A small padlock could come in handy and lockers are available at the campsite (charges apply).

– Mind your smuggling: There are regulations about the amounts of alcohol and soft drinks you can bring onto the campsite. From personal experience, the luggage check isn’t very thorough, however if they find that you’re trying to sneak in a distillery, security will be obligated to throw it away, or worse, cut your wristband. Check https://www.defqon1.nl/faq/ for all regulations.

– Stay hydrated! Tap water will be available throughout the festival grounds for an infinite amount of refills, for free! Q-dance wants to encourage everyone to stay hydrated and healthy, so don’t be a camel, drink water!

– Camping store & supermarket: If you notice that you’ve forgotten something at home, don’t fret! There’s a small camping store that can provide you with basic goods. Also, there’s a small supermarket on the camping grounds; this way you can start the day with freshly baked bread and bacon!

– Download the Defqon.1 app: Not only does it provide you with the full timetable, camping and festival map, but you can also share your location with your friends when you’re lost, or put together your own timetable! The app will also notify you when your favourite artist is on stage!

When entering the holy grounds, you’ll see workers handing out small booklets with set-times and maps. This will be your bible for the weekend! Take the time to read it as there’s information about special activities happening across the festival. Does anyone remember last year’s musical chairs? Or the terror sit-down on Sunday?

It’s all about the live-acts!

Apart from the enormous, spectacular shows Q-dance pulls off each year such as Power Hour, The Endshow and the Closing Ceremony, you’ll see there are some rather exclusive acts on this year’s line-up. These acts mostly consist of two or more artists thrown together experimentally, and when they join forces, things are set to heat up even more!

• Allstvrs (The Gathering – Blue)

This is the first of many mystery acts on the line-up. There already has been an announcement stating that this group of artists consists of two different acts, who already worked together several times. They will bring the finest uplifting euphoric beats to put you in the perfect mood for the rest of the weekend.

• Team Westside (The Gathering – Black)

This legendary hardcore quartet consisting of The Darkraver, The Viper, Luna and Nosferatu, will bring you a combination of Freestyle, millennium Hardcore and Hardcore classics. These guys will bring you some real hardcore madness!

• Traxtorm Gangstaz Allied (The Gathering – Black)

Another special hardcore formation at The Gathering is the Italian masters from Traxtorm Records. This label is one of the biggest in the industry and they will send out their A-team to turn the Black upside down!

• Noisekick and friends (Saturday – Yellow)

Are you ready to get terrorized at 200BPM and above? Noisekick and his buddies Hellseeker and Doctor Terror will tear the place apart with the heaviest, most intense terror beats.

• The After Mother Fuckerz (Night Party – Blue)

As their identity is still unknown, but we can only guess who this mysterious act really is. There is something pretty familiar about the name though… Do you recognise the lyrics from Psyko Punkz track?

• Triple T from Italy (Night Party – Blue)

It’s not the first time this trio appears on stage. Together Technoboy, Tuneboy and Tatanka will serve you what the Italians are best at: reverse bass!

• Blademasterz aka Brennan Heart (Sunday – UV)

This guy needs no introduction. Being no stranger to mainstages, Brennan Heart is one of the scene’s biggest legends, however, when his alias Blademasterz pops up again, this adds a whole new dimension. After creating “Still Here” which dropped during last years’ Endshow, the alias was suddenly resurrected. This year, it’s his time to shine again and bring back the early Hardstyle vibes to the UV stage. Prepare for a trip down memory lane…

• 1 Legends (The Closing Ceremony – Red)

After the line-up was released, immediate speculations spread about who will take the stage during the Defqon.1 Legends slot. Some fans were sorely disappointed after previous editions didn’t resurrect the likes of Headhunterz or Showtek, however the duo recently created a new track alongside TNT, so who knows? Maybe they’ll return after all…

If it wasn’t clear yet, it’s going to be another crazy edition of Defqon.1 Festival this year! Hashtags #Defqon1 and #DQ1 can be used to share your stories online or explore the weekend’s shenanigans. For those who unfortunately can’t be present, follow social media to stay in touch. And finally, for those who can, enjoy it to the max! Several crew members of Alive At Night will attend as well, so don’t be shy to say hi!