Lentekabinet sneaks up on Amsterdam every year with near supernatural precision. One moment, the entire city is still emotionally recovering from winter and pretending 14 degrees counts as summer, the next, everyone you know is suddenly in Het Twiske eating surprisingly delicious festival food, lying in the grass, and spiritually recommitting themselves to outdoor music forever. Live laugh Lentekabinet.
And somehow, against all odds, the weather is currently shaping up to be glorious. We do not know what spell was cast over Twiske this year, but those who nearly drowned on their bike ride home last edition, ourselves included, could not be more thrilled by this development.
Now entering its 13th edition, a famously lucky number depending on who you ask and apparently the number of transformation, intuition, and spiritual growth according to the internet, Dekmantel’s annual spring gathering returns to Het Twiske on May 23rd and 24th. And honestly, nothing screams rebirth quite like having a dance at The Lotus surrounded by trees.
The international lineup speaks for itself: Chris Stussy b2b Shanti Celeste, CCL, DJ Swisha, Goldie, SHERELLE, Surusinghe, Gabrielle Kwarteng, and enough other names to make any music fan temporarily forget their responsibilities.
But what we really want to talk about is the local talent. Because Lentekabinet has always understood something many festivals forget: scenes do not survive on headliners alone. For years now it has functioned as a gateway into the wider ecosystem of Amsterdam music culture, where emerging artists, niche communities, and local collectives exist alongside global names without feeling secondary to them. The result is that very specific festival magic where you accidentally stumble into the best set of your weekend at 16:40 while trying to buy water.
This year that spirit feels especially present with the Aster stage, dedicated entirely to live performances and local scenes, curated together with Kazerne Reigersbos on Saturday and PIP Radio on Sunday. It feels less like a programme and more like a love letter to the city itself.
And yes, you can absolutely spend the weekend speed walking between acts with a meticulously colour coded schedule and seventeen tabs open. But Lentekabinet is equally about letting the day derail you a little. Ride the ferris wheel once, twice, or even three times. Eat something delicious and flavourful at Tabaria Café. Sit down somewhere you did not plan to. Follow the sound of something unfamiliar. Some of the best moments at Lentekabinet tend to happen off route. Scroll until the very end for our full bucketlist of side quests.
If you need a starting point though, here is who we’ll be seeing.
Ineffekt
Saturday May 23rd, 13:00 to 15:00, The Swamp
Making his Dekmantel debut last year and gracing the stage at Lentekabinet for the first time this year, Ineffekt is one of the most exciting names right now. His sound moves through breakbeat and alt-pop into house, built around glistening vocal pieces, dreamy strings, and rhythms that feel both familiar and slightly out of reach. His remix of Avalon Emerson’s Karaoke Song and his collaboration with Tsepo, Something Bubbly / There You Go, are already Aa-list favourites. Catch him early and remember the name (we told you so).
EYCEE and SAIDAH
Saturday May 23rd, 15:00 to 17:00, The Swamp
Two Amsterdam artists whose selections are rooted in UK garage, house, and funky bass. EYCEE runs the club night and label PARDON, makes dancefloor-ready music in the studio, and brings all of that energy into his sets (you can frequently spot his parties in our weekly PSA). London-born SAIDAH is a Radio Radio resident, hosts the FM show Sweet Like Chocolate, and has been releasing club tracks that have been doing exactly what they are supposed to do. Together, they make complete sense, and we expect you to be stomping in the Swamp.
Suze Ijó and Stella Zekri
Saturday May 23rd, 15:30 to 17:30, Poppy
Two artists who both lead with emotion and both have the selections to back it up. Rotterdam-born Suze Ijó pays tribute to the early days of house music by bringing back and amplifying its soulful essence, with touches of jazz-infused melodies and upbeat Caribbean rhythms that understand what club music is actually for. Her b2b partner Stella Zekri, who some of you may recognise as the lead singer of Stella and the Longos from last year’s edition, plays Zouk, disco, italo, and boogie into house with a warmth that is genuinely difficult to replicate.
Maatje Paatje
Saturday May 23rd, 21:00 to 22:00, Aster
You may know him as one of the three musketeers behind The New Originals, or as the founder of Kazerne Reigersbos, the creative community hub in Amsterdam South-East that is one of the most important cultural spaces in the city. As a selector, Maru is one of the finest Amsterdam has to offer. His nights at murmur will always leave you feeling warm, inspired, nostalgic, and with a couple of new tracks shazamed on your phone. Disco, roots, jazz, afro, and everything good in between. The Aster stage on Saturday is curated in collaboration with Kazerne Reigersbos, which means this set carries extra meaning.
Higherlife Collective and Kingdom Sound
Saturday May 23rd, 22:00 to 23:00, Aster
A live show where DJing and live instrumentation merge into one fluid performance, rooted in Ghanaian highlife and enriched with Afrobeats, house, and jazz. Each performance unfolds differently, shaped by improvisation and the crowd. You need to witness the magic of Junior behind the drums together with the wildly talented group of people he tends to bring together.
Samuel Deep
Sunday May 24th, 13:00 to 15:00, Poppy
Samuel Deep and his brother started Slapfunk in Utrecht because they loved a specific sound they could not find anywhere else, which is the best possible reason to start anything. That DIY spirit is still very much audible in his sets, funky cuts with drum-driven grooves moving through minimal, bass, house, garage, and light-footed techno. He has since played Panorama Bar and Fabric alongside Ryan Elliot, DVS1, and Margaret Dygas. Slapfunk turns 15 this year, so have a celebratory dance with us at the Poppy stage on Sunday.
Identified Patient
Sunday May 24th, 19:00 to 20:30, The Swamp
A Lentekabinet and Dekmantel regular who genuinely needs no introduction, but here we are. Job Veerman is one of the most revered underground DJs in the Netherlands, a storyteller whose mixes take no genre, tempo, or mood off-limits. He returns this year on his own, after teaming up with Miami bass hero Danny Daze last year, and has been exploring the depths of low-end, wub-driven techno and jungle while building momentum with his new label Nerve Collect. Your favourite DJ’s favourite DJ.
Abiba Sokoto
Sunday May 24th, 20:30 to 21:30, Aster
Abiba Sokoto’s selections are an ode to the Black music continuum, spanning house, electro, soul, and jazz. She has a residency at Operator Radio, runs ALLBLUE, and has appeared on RRFM and Future Intel. One to keep firmly on your radar, and one to be in front of at Lentekabinet.
Sophie Straat
Sunday May 24th, 21:30 to 22:30, Aster
Central figure of Amsterdam’s current punk scene and someone who consistently makes you feel like something important is happening. Her latest record Wie de fak is Sophie Straat blends punk, breakbeat, and hints of bossa nova into something raw and honest. She is also behind Protestfest at Paradiso, a one-day festival of music, talks, and art focused on social impact. A live show from Sophie Straat at an outdoor festival stage as the sun goes down on Sunday is the thing you will be showing your children one day to prove that you were cool.
Sandor Dayala and Willem Feltzer
Sunday May 24th, 22:30 to 00:00, Aster
The Hague’s Sandor Dayala came to DJing through hip-hop and has spent the last few years building a sound that moves through ambient, bass, garage, and afrobeat into something that is genuinely his own. He launched his own party series LOVE earlier this year, focused on emotive sounds. PLAZA collective co-founder Willem Feltzer brings ethereal ambient, hyperpop, and club music together in productions that push crowds somewhere new. As a closing slot on the Aster stage on Sunday night, this one will have you leaving with one laughing and one crying eye.
The Aa Lentekabinet bucket list
Before we send you off into what will very likely be the funnest weekend of the month, let us give you a little homework. Consider this our official dare to have the best time possible. And if you need a quick refresher on festival etiquette, survival tactics, and how not to become a menace to yourself or others somewhere between The Nest and the Ferris wheel, revisit last year’s How To Lentekabinet guide.
- Kiss someone at the Swamp stage. Find the Fiona to your Shrek.
- Have a bite at Tabaria Café.
- Play rock, paper, scissors on the Ferris wheel with consequences that feel unnecessarily high stakes.
- Get inspired by the Rietveld outdoor exhibition.
- Do a cartwheel (or gymnastic trick of choice) in front of the Lotus stage, even if you have not successfully done one since primary school.
- Get someone to sponsor a bottle of orange wine at the Europizza bar. Manifest abundance.
- Lose all your friends and accidentally have the best solo adventure of your weekend.
- Wink and wave at someone you find cute instead of just telling your friends about them afterwards.
- Discover your new favourite live performer at the Aster stage and become unbearably annoying about them for the next six months (be a grassroots fan).
- Initiate a massive group hug at the Poppy stage.
- Take your shirt off at Striptopia. Spiritually, if not literally.
Lentekabinet takes place on May 23rd and 24th at Het Twiske. Only Sunday tickets remain via lentekabinet.com
