In this article you can discover all the most important outdoor hardstyle festivals around the world. We have counted as outdoor festivals those that have at least one outdoor stage. In this classification we will cover festivals that dedicate almost all of their performances to the harder styles.
IMPORTANT. We have also made a guide about the most important indoor hardstyle festivals in the world. You can check it out at the link below.
The ultimate indoor hardstyle festivals guide
The most important outdoor hardstyle festivals in the world
Defqon.1
Location: Biddinghuizen, The Netherlands
Date: 27th to 30th of June of 2024
Probably the most important hardstyle festival. Since 2022, Defqon.1 consists of 4 days of absolute madness from The Gathering on Thursday to The Closing Ritual on Sunday. If there’s one thing that stands out at this festival, it’s the Endshows, full of premieres and music specially made for this purpose, and the POWER HOUR, one of the main highlights on Saturday afternoon. In any case, whatever genre you like, you will always find great quantity and quality at the holy grounds. You can check out the full line-up in the link below.
Defqon.1 2024: news, line-up and tickets
2023 report: Defqon.1 Weekend Festival 2023, an edition to remember
Intents Festival
Location: Oisterwijk, The Netherlands
Date: 31st of May to 2nd of June of 2024
The fantasy world of Intents Festival is another key festival on the hard scene. This year’s theme, ‘Into The Wild’, will immerse us in Aurorae, a region full of jungles, savannahs, jungles, seas and arctic zones. One of the strenghts of the event is the stunning stages, which is very much in line with the theme of the festival as a whole. In addition, this year there will be several hostings by artists such as Aversion and Mutilator, Barber, Partyraiser and Spitnoise or Outsiders, who will take over several of the most important stages to give the audience a unique experience. You can check the full line-up here.
Intents Festival 2024: news, line-up and tickets
REBiRTH Festival
Location: Haaren, The Netherlands
Date: 11th to 13th of April of 2025
The festival responsible for kicking off the festival season is none other than REBiRTH Festival, held in mid-April. Wololo Sound has just witnessed its latest edition, featuring 3 days of pure harder styles under the sun. You can check out our report just below to get a taste of the experience. The first tickets for REBiRTH Festival 2025 are on sale now – don’t miss out!
REBiRTH Festival 2024: news, line-up and tickets
2024 Report: REBiRTH Festival, the perfect kick-off of the festival season
Decibel Outdoor
Location: Beekse Bergen, Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands
Date: 16th to 18th of August of 2024
Decibel Outdoor is one of the most loved and appreciated festivals by the hardstyle fanbase. Up to 15 stages turn the south of The Netherlands into a paradise for hardstyle lovers during the third weekend in August. A great variety within the hardstyle spectrum, a perfect location (near a lake, which makes it even more special) and an exceptional stage design and sound quality make this festival a must-attend for all hardstyle fans. The full line-up has already been revealed and you can check it out in the link below.
Decibel Outdoor 2024: news, line-up and tickets
Nexus Festival
Location: FABRIK, Madrid, Spain
Date: 14th and 15th of June of 2024
The most important Spanish hard dance festival faces its third and largest edition with all the necessary elements to be one of the best hardstyle events in Europe: the hybrid between club and festival thanks to the 7 areas of FABRIK, a line-up that is expected to be crazy, dates in which the weather in Madrid is perfect for the celebration of an event like this and a perfect location, barely half an hour by public transport from the ceity centre. The full line-up has already been revealed (including several exclusive B2Bs and liveacts) and can be checked out in the link below.
Nexus Festival 2024: news, line-up and tickets
Knockout Outdoor
Location: Sydney Olympic Stadium, Australia
Date: TBA
Ticket sales not available yet
We go from Europe to the antipodes to talk about the largest hardstyle festival in Australia. Knockout Outdoor fills to overflowing every year the Olympic Stadium in Sydney, counting in addition to another indoor stage in what seems to us one of the festivals that we are the most hyped to go, both by line-up, as by location and by the atmosphere, because the Australian public is always one of the most dedicated in the world. The best names of the scene passed through the booth at last year’s edition and, although neither the line-up nor the date of the 2024 edition is yet known, we are sure that it will more than live up to expectations.
Harmony of Hardcore
Location: Festivalterrein De Roost, Erp/Veghel, The Netherlands
Date: 18th of May of 2024
If you’re into hardcore beats, Harmony of Hardcore will be your perfect choice. This festival has become a place of peregrination for thousands of ravers; a destination, a symbol. And no wonder. This year, the mantra is: ‘The Guardians of the Ultimate Hardcore Feeling’ and this is what this festival is all about: protecting a legacy where the misnamed “noise” is our music, where the atmosphere will be unbeatable and where respect, passion and excitement for hardcore will be evident from the very first moment. Artists like Broken Minds, Angerfist, Miss K8, Bulletproof, Partyraiser and many more will be there to make us party and dance.
But that’s not all. This year the official anthem will be made by Never Surrender and Alee and all fans will be able to participate in its production by choosing certain musical elements through the official Harmony of Hardcore WhatsApp channel. A truly original way to make us feel even more involved in this festival.
Dropzone
Location: Zrce Beach, Croatia
Date: 7th to 12th of July of 2024
One of the freshest proposals for a hardstyle festival every summer is Dropzone. The hard dance paradise, as the organisers (Musical Madness) call it, will be held on the Croatian coast for a whole week, in what will be 6 days full of the most varied events: boatparties, in parties in pools, on cruise ships… Absolute madness! The line-up includes takeovers by Savage Squad, Dirty Workz, events by Act of Rage, Dual Damage, Warface… and much more! The full line-up is available here.
The Qontinent
Location: Wachtebeke, Belgium
Date: 9th to 11th of August of 2024
Sadly, in a scene in which new events are constantly emerging, this 2024 it will be time to say goodbye to The Qontinent, one of the classics among the classics. The festival, organised by Bass Events and Q-dance, brings to an end a total of 15 editions with what we hope will be one to remember. The first wave of confirmations is already known and includes the likes of D-Block & S-te-Fan, Dr. Peacock, Hard Driver, Rebelion or Sub Zero Project, among others. You can check the line-up here.
REBELLiON Outdoor Festival
Location: Almeerder Strand, Almere, The Netherlands
Date: 3rd of August of 2024
REBELLiON, organised by the same promoters as REBiRTH, is an event that has been held indoors in recent years. In 2024 this will change, as it will take place for the first time both indoors (in November) and outdoors (in August) on the beaches of Almere, near Amsterdam. We are promised that it will be the biggest outdoor rawstyle festival, and the only one that will be 100% outdoors. The theme will be ‘Beyond The Horizon’ and the line-up features all the biggest names in the rawstyle scene, including special sets and B2B like Aversion and D-Sturb and Rebelion and Mutilator, among others. You can check out the full line-up here.
Elektrum Festival
Location: Velder Woods, Boxtel, The Netherlands
Date: 12th and 13th of October of 2024
Although it is true that this festival is predominantly indoor (including its main stage), Elektrum Festival is one of the later options in the calendar with which to enjoy the best hardstyle (and especially rawstyle) outdoors, as only one of its stages is open air. Located in the middle of the forest, this event offers numerous liveacts, B2Bs and other special shows with which conquer tens of thousands of visitors. This year’s line-up is not yet known, but looking at last year’s with Hard Driver vs Code Black, Warface vs Adjuzt or the lives of Warface, Aversion or Vertile, if you attend Elektrum it will certainly be a great choice on your side.
Dominator
Location: E3 Strand, The Netherlands
Date: 19th and 20th of July of 2024
Another of the festivals where hardcore is the main character is the well-known Dominator. An outdoor festival in which, undoubtedly, it’s worth living the experience with an unbeatable atmosphere. We can enjoy the most powerful kicks in Dutch territory, counting with the opening of most stages from the first day (at least 5 stages) in addition to an afterparty for 4 more hours, as if that wasn’t enough!
This time, Dominator 2024 ‘The Core Citadel’ promises a top-notch line-up, with names such as Act of Rage, Akira, Anderex, Angerfist, Broken Minds, D-Sturb, Dimitri K, MBK, Mish, Sefa, Mr. Ivex, Paul Elstak, Rebelion, and many more! You can check out the full line-up here.
Karnaval Festival
Location: Moergestel, The Netherlands
Date: Carnival weekend
Ticket sales not available yet
Organised by the Intents Festival team, Karnaval Festival is the best option for a 150+ BPM carnival experience in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the 2024 edition had to be cancelled at the last minute due to bad weather conditions, but if carnival is your thing and you want an unforgettable experience, make a note in your diary for next year’s edition.
Vroeger Was Alles Beter Festival
Location: Autotron, Rosmalen, The Netherlands
Date: 13th of July of 2024
Ticket sales not available yet
For the first time ever, one of the most important events for classic lovers takes the leap with a new outdoor event with what the organisers promise will be “the biggest event in the history of hardstyle and raw classics”. We’re already familiar with the classic indoor format of the Vroeger Was Alles Beter events, so we can expect even more variety and fun at this new outdoor one. The line-up for this event is available here.
Supersized Kingsday
Location: Aquabest, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Date: 27th of April of 2024
27th of April is a national holiday in the Netherlands in celebration of King Willem-Alexander’s birthday. It has become a tradition for ravers to party at various electronic music festivals dressed in orange, the colour of the country. Supersized Kingsday is the most important hardstyle day event of the day, with up to 7 areas covering the full spectrum of hardstyle, hardcore, uptempo, rawstyle, classics (both hardstyle and hardcore) and of course a special stage dedicated to Dutch tracks in celebration of the day. You can check out the full line-up here.
Shutdown Festival
Location: Nuclear Power Plant Zwentendorf, Austria
Date: 3rd of August of 2024
Austria’s biggest hardstyle festival takes place in the surroundings of a former nuclear power plant. On the first weekend in August, a range of styles and artists who dominate the hard dance music scene will be on show. The full line-up of the event has been announced, which adds up to 60 names such as Vertile, Dimitri K, Rebelion or Sub Zero Project, among others.
Into The Madness
Location: Seepark Zülpich, Germany
Date: 30th and 31st of August of 2024
Into The Madness, Germany’s largest outdoor 100% hardstyle event takes place at Lake Zülpich in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. This festival, organised by Musical Madness, will celebrate its third edition which for the first time will take place over two days. The line-up includes names such as D-Block & S-te-Fan, Rebelion or Rooler, apart from liveacts of D-Sturb, Devin Wild or Kruelty. You can check the full line-up out here.
Hardstyle DNA Outdoor Festival
Location: Kadettangen, Sandvika, Norway
Date: 3rd and 4th of May of 2024
We continue this review with the outdoor event from the Norwegian event promoter Hardstyle DNA, which repeats the formula already successfully tested last year, bringing us a new two-day festival just 20 kilometres from the centre of Oslo. Coone, Da Tweekaz, Rebelion, Adjuzt, Anderex, Adrenalize or Warface will be on the line-up. Undoubtedly, a highly recommended festival to combine with a holiday in the Nordic countries.
Electrisize
Location: Haus Hohenbusch, Erkelenz, Germany
Date: 9th to 11th of August of 2024
Another of the major outdoor hardstyle events in Germany is Electrisize. Held just a few kilometres from the border with the Netherlands and very close to major cities such as Düsseldorf and Cologne, this festival is one of the most important in August. Names such as Sickmode, GPF, Aversion, Dimitri K, Sound Rush, Sefa or Vertile have already been confirmed for what will be the 15th edition of Electrisize. And watch out, because there are still many names to be revealed.
Supercharged Festival
Location: Hembrugterrein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Date: 26th and 27th of July of 2024
After the undeniable success of their indoor events (such as Pole Position, its last macro-party last December), the trendy rawstyle label takes the leap to the next level. Gearbox Digital launches the first edition of its new festival where we will find all the label’s DJs (many of them in live format) and a selection of the best raw and xtra-raw producers on the planet on two days: a pre-party on Friday with names such as Anderex, The Straikerz, DEEZL or Exproz and the bigger part of the festival on Saturday. You can see the line-up just below.
Trinity Outdoor
Location: Autotron den Bosch, Rosmalen, The Netherlands
Date: 11th of May of 2024
Trinity Festival is the first 100% outdoor rawstyle festival of the season. Located between trees, by the beach and just a few metres from Eindhoven Airport, this is a new event to watch out for in 2024. Trinity Outdoor has 3 stages and the line-up leaves no doubt: it will be a festival on a par with the best! Aversion, Adjuzt, Mutilator or Scarra will perform on the mainstage, while Cybergore (showcasing their new album), Riot Shift, Thyron or Vexxed will perform on the other two. You can see the full line-up here.
Ground Zero Festival
Location: Bussloo, The Netherlands
Date: 31st of August of 2024
There are many reasons to consider Ground Zero Festival as one of the most interesting hard dance festivals in Europe. First of all, it’s important to know that this won’t be your place if you’re not into hardcore, uptempo or terror, as these are the predominant styles at which, according to the organisers, is “the hardest night festival in Europe”. Because yes, it is the only festival in the Netherlands that takes place purely at night. Its theme for 2024 is ‘DECODED’ and only a few names of the line-up have already been revealed.
Relevatez Festival
Location: Ohmstal, Luzern, Switzerland
Date: 1st to 3rd of August of 2024
Located in the heart of Switzerland, 40 kilometres from Lucerne (but also close to other major cities such as Zurich, Bern and Basel), Relevatez Festival is the most important outdoor hard dance event in the Alpine country. After the success of its two previous editions, the Swiss festival returns with a third one of which the full line-up is not yet known, but some names that indicate that we can expect great things: D-Block & S-te-Fan, Dual Damage, Rooler or Coone are just some of the first guests, but there is still much more to be unveiled. Check out the line-up so far here.
