12 festivals all techno fans should attend in 2023

From parties by the beach and under motorways to industrial raves inside former power plants and salt mines, fans of all shades of techno music are in for a treat this summer as many of the biggest DJs in the scene head to festivals all across the UK and Europe. And you’re in luck – many of them still have tickets available to buy via TicketSwap. Be quick, though, because some of these bucket-list-worthy events are coming up very soon. 

 Noisily Festival 

6 - 9 July, Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, Lutterworth, United Kingdom Rooted in underground electronic music, woodland festival Noisily is, organisers promise, “a proper f*cking party”. With an ethos of ‘Dance. Create. Learn. Connect.’, there’ll certainly be no trouble doing the first thanks to the stellar line-up of DJ talent booked across the weekend, which features Joris Voorn, Oliver Koletzki and Petar Dundov. 

AWAKENINGS | SUMMER FESTIVAL 2023

7 - 9 July, Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands As the largest techno festival in the Netherlands, this three-day marathon in the woods is suitably stacked with sceneleaders. Returning to Hilvarenbeek for the second year in its new home, there will be nine stages and, for those whose mantra is ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’, the chance to keep going at the festival’s night village. The entire programme is top-tier, but highlights - if we had to pick them - include Alan Fitzpatrick, Amelie Lens, Ben Klock, Dax J, DVS1, Ellen Allien and Nina Kraviz. 

Stone Techno Festival

 8 - 9 July, Zeche Zollverein, Essen, German As far as raving locations go, Europe’s biggest coal mine complex is up there with the coolest and most unique. Taking place at UNESCO World Heritage site Zollverein in Essen, dance music fans from all over the world will fill the intimate floors during a weekend of heavy-hitting techno delivered by underground heroes D.Dan, IMOGEN, SPFDJ, Marcel Dettmann and Anastasia Kristensen. 

Junction 2

21 - 22 July, Boston Manor Park, London Returning to its original, inimitable home and with three new stages for 2023, this year’s edition is set to be the boldest Junction 2 yet. Boasting a wealth of unmissable back-to-back sets – including Ben UFO B2B Helena Hauff and Skin On Skin B2B Mall Grab - that reputation is only going to grow. There’s also Drumcode label boss Adam Beyer, German duo FJAAK, and melodic masters Mathame who bring their earth-shattering AV show with them. 

Dekmantel Festival

2 - 6 August, Amsterdamse Bos & Aan Het IJ, Amsterdam, Netherlands With Dekmantel being one of the most respected festivals in Europe, chances are that your favourite DJ’s favourite DJ will be heading to Amsterdam to play there come August. Taking place in Amsterdamse Bos - a huge outdoor park three times the size of Central Park in New York - the festival action is spread across six stages. Avalon Emerson, Blawan, Buttechno and Jeff Mills are just four must-sees from the 2023 programme.

Loveland 

 12 - 13 August, Sloterpark, Amsterdam, Netherlands Stunning lakeside views and banging techno – what more could you want? To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Loveland festival’s return to Amsterdam’s Sloterpark will host interactive entertainment and welcome more than 70 of the best underground DJs, including Chris Liebing, Joyhauser, Len Faki, Maceo Plex and Tale Of Us. 

XRDS Festival

19 - 20 August, Parc Des Étangs / Vijverpark, Brussels, Belgium Held in the outskirts of Brussels beneath the notorious bridges and motorways of Anderlecht, XRDS’ two-day programme features both young talents and established artists, local and international DJs – Bjarki, RØDHÅD, Gigi FM, Floorplan and Objekt are our top picks from the impressive line-up. 

Nibirii Festival

24 - 27 August, Dürener Badesee, Düren, Germany For the first time, German festival Nibirii - which is spread across four forest and lakeside stages - will host its huge techno line-up under one roof. With the Sunday dedicated entirely to the genre, there’ll be DJ sets from Kuko, KlangKuenstler, Moonclipse and Lawyn. Don’t miss Reinier Zonneveld’s live show earlier in the weekend either.  

Dekmantel Selectors

24 - 28 August, Tisno Garden, Tisno, Croatia Returning to Tisno in Croatia for Dekmantel Selectors’ seventh edition at The Garden Resort, seasoned and upcoming DJs - including Antal, Bored Lored,  Call Super & Shanti Celeste, Mama Snake & Spekki Webu, and Or:la - will deliver the cutting-edge soundtrack to five days of partying on the Adriatic Coast.

Inota Festival

31 Aug - 3 September, Inotai Hőerőmű, Várpalota, Hungary A four-day industrial rave in a now-defunct Soviet-era thermal power plant, Hungary's new audiovisual festival offers forward-thinking music acts and impressive light installations. With three iconic cooling towers visible from afar, these vast industrial spaces will be filled with ravers watching sets from Daniel Avery, Gábor Lázár, Konstantin Sibold, Maruwa and rRoxymore. 

Rotterdam Rave Festival 

2 September, Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands Having relocated to the biggest event space in Rotterdam, techno favourites 999999999, Cera Khin, Cynthia Spiering, Daria Kolosova, Grace Dahl and I Hate Models are sure to test the speakers of multiple indoor areas and large outdoor spaces during this heavy all-dayer.  

Voodoo Village

9 - 10 September, Kasteel Van Humbeek, Grimbergen, Belgium Set in the woods of an ancient castle, organisers of this spooky weekender - whose strapline is ‘uniting souls’ - promise that “unforgettable experiences await all who enter”. And with Adriatique, DJ Tennis, Indira Paganotto and Paula Temple on the line-up, Voodoo Village is sure to live up to that hype.

2024 festival dates

Balaton Sound 

2024 dates TBA, Zamárdi, Hungary

‘Beach. Sun. Sets’ – that’s the triple-threat appeal of Balaton Sound, Europe’s largest and most-colourful open-air electronic beach festival. Located near the popular holiday destination Siófok and set on the blissful sunny shore of Lake Balaton in Hungary. The 2023 edition featured the legendary Carl Cox, Brazilian powerhouse ANNA, Kyiv DJ duo Artbat, Agents Of Time, Anfisa Letyago, Charlotte de Witte, Dubfire, Joseph Capriati and Pan-Pot, stepping up to the decks across four days and nights, along with a live show fro Gioli & Assia.

WiSH Outdoor 2024

5-7 July, 2024, Festivalterrein De AA, Beek En Donk, Netherlands

A three-day outdoor electronic festival with “outstanding production values”, plenty of options for camping and partying all night, step into the world of WiSH Outdoor. The 2023 festival boasted more than 200 performers and 10 stages including one dedicated to techno, hosting sets from DIØN, Ketting and more.