Your first harder styles festival: Which one suits you best?
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Your first Harder Styles festival
There are so many Harder Styles events in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium that it's impossible to go to them all. That’s why, especially for your first festival, the most important question isn't "Which event is the best?" but rather "Which event is right for me?"
With four decisions, you can quickly figure out what type of event is best suited for your entry into the scene.
Indoor or outdoor?
Indoor and outdoor events differ primarily in their vibe – not necessarily in their duration. Both varieties exist as single-day or multi-day events.
Clubs, halls, light shows
Indoor events take place in clubs, halls, or large event venues – sometimes with one stage, sometimes with multiple areas and different genres. Indoor doesn't automatically mean "one night": there are also large indoor events that last a full day or multiple days.
- Weather is irrelevant
- Dark halls, lasers, and an especially intense sound
- Smaller events: short distances, easy organization
Grounds, mainstages, sunsets
Large festival grounds, multiple stages, daylight, food areas, and massive mainstages. However, outdoor doesn't automatically mean camping: there are just as many one-day festivals where you arrive in the morning and head home or back to your hotel at night.
- Seeing your favorite artist on the mainstage at sunset
- Camping is usually only for multi-day festivals
- Weather, longer distances, and more planning
One day or multiple?
The next question isn't where the event takes place, but how long you want to be there.
The easiest start
You catch a few hours or a full festival day, see different artists, and get a feel for the atmosphere. Afterward, you go home or to your hotel.
- No camping equipment, no need for three outfits
- No need for three days of energy
- An easy way to find out if it's your thing
Full immersion
More artists, more time, and significantly more stages and genres – for outdoor festivals just as much as for multi-day indoor events. If camping is involved, it’s almost an event in itself: campground parties, meeting new people, and waking up to Hardstyle from the neighboring tent.
- The full festival experience
- Little sleep and shower queues
- Changing weather, multiple days of physical strain
5,000 or 60,000 people?
The size of an event often changes the experience just as much as the genre does.
Smaller events
Shorter distances, fewer queues, and a more personal feeling. You’re closer to the DJ and keep running into the same people all day. Musically, smaller events are often more specialized – instead of five genres at once, perhaps an entire evening of just Rawstyle, Early Hardcore, or Uptempo.
- Ideal if the music is more important to you than the show
- Quickly getting from stage to stage
Large festivals
These are all about the spectacle: giant stages, fire, lasers, pyro, opening shows, and sometimes ten or more areas. In exchange, you get the entire spectrum of Harder Styles in one place.
- Shows that go far beyond individual DJ sets
- Longer distances and larger crowds
- Switching stages can quickly take 15–20 minutes – you won't be able to see everything
Which genre?
This point is often underestimated for the first event. Just because it says "Hardstyle Festival" somewhere doesn't mean classic Hardstyle is playing on every stage.
At a large event, Euphoric Hardstyle, Rawstyle, Hardcore, Frenchcore, and Uptempo might be playing at the same time – and those styles can be worlds apart. Therefore: Check the line-up before buying your ticket.
Line-up check in three steps- Choose the stage where you would likely spend the most time.
- Pick out three or four artists there.
- Listen to a few recent tracks or sets by them. Do you like the sound? Then you're likely in the right place.
Which event type suits you?
If you're still unsure, use these four types as a rough guide:
Getting a taste
A one-day indoor event or a smaller rave. Little planning, short distances, and yet the full Harder Styles experience.
Examples in GermanySyndicate (Dortmund) · Toxicator (Mannheim) · Hardshift (Munich) · Club night at Bootshaus Cologne
Festival feeling for one day
Mainstage, pyro, multiple genres, and the entire festival grounds – but you still sleep in a hotel or at home afterward.
ExamplesHARDFEST (Enschede) · 7th Sunday (Erp) · Shutdown Festival (Austria)
Full immersion without a tent
A multi-day indoor event or a festival with a hotel: several days of music and partying – without tents, rain, or a campground.
ExamplesReverze · Thunderdome – both in Antwerp, both over two days
The full experience
Several days, several stages, a campground, and as little sleep as possible. This is the ultimate festival experience.
My recommendations – all personally visitedDefqon.1 · Decibel Outdoor · Intents Festival
Three things almost everyone underestimates
The journey
Many of the biggest events take place in the Netherlands or Belgium. Don't just look at the ticket price: fuel, parking tickets, shuttles, hotel, and possibly tolls significantly change the real cost – and a lot of time passes between the parking lot and the entrance.
The duration
Ten or twelve hours don't feel long beforehand – but they do after hours of standing, walking, jumping, and dancing. Eat well beforehand, drink plenty of water, and take breaks. You don't have to see every set from start to finish.
Your hearing
For me, good filter earplugs are a must for every Harder Styles event. They lower the volume without making the music sound muffled – and your ears won't be ringing for two days after the festival.
And once the event is set?
Then the only thing missing is the right outfit: oversized shirts, hoodies, and accessories for all Harder Styles.
