Awakenings is known for its large-scale festivals and parties with impressive light shows, bizarre good sound, and huge stages that outdo themselves at every edition. All of this has been the case for 25 years. What once began during 1997 Easter in the Gashouder in Amsterdam has grown into a phenomenon with a reputation that reaches far beyond the country’s borders for both visitors and artists. In 2022, we celebrate Awakenings’ 25th anniversary. 

For this year’s celebration, Awakenings goes all out by hosting 2 major festivals. The first celebration was during Easter from 14 to 17 April, with 4 nights at the Gashouder and 2 days of Awakenings Easter Festival at their well-known festival grounds in Spaarnwoude. Last weekend marked their second celebration: Awakenings Summer Festival. From the 29th until the 31st of July, the festival took place in Hilvarenbeek. 

Amelie Lens
MARRØN
Enrico Sangiulliano
Amelie Lens, MARRØN, Enrico Sangiuliano

With this brand-new location, a third day added to the program, and a revamp of the entire festival set up including some intimate stages next to the big iconic stages Awakenings is known for — and with a campsite for the first time ever — visitors were treated to something unlike they’ve ever seen before from Awakenings. The new expansion makes Awakenings the first multi-day techno festival in the Netherlands to host a campsite, filling a gap that has existed in many techno enthusiasts’ summers for a long time. In fact, more than 100.000 day-visitors over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and 14.000 weekend visitors who stayed on the campsite attended this year’s edition. This audience was truly diverse, coming from more than 75 nationalities, dancing and celebrating at the wide variety of areas and stages to the over 130 exceptional artists who performed.

Numéro Netherlands – Our personal highlights

Awakenings as always exceeded my expectations. New picturesque location, 25th anniversary, beyond amazing line-up including some of my personal favorite artists such as Nina Kraviz, Tale of Us, Amelie Lens and Adam Beyer to name a few & an amazing group of friends, that makes an unforgettable weekend for sure. Excited for Awakenings ADE in October. – Timotej

Awakenings was truly the best festival experience I’ve had! It was the sickest techno line-up, the fireworks and light show in each area were epic, the location was a vibe and the energy was just unbelievable! 
Plus we’ve had the comfort of our glamping which made everything perfect! 
It was an unforgettable weekend, can’t wait for next year! – Mariana

Awakenings does not only live up to all the expectations but surpasses them. This event is like a whole experience  with fantastic music in a stunning place. Combine this with amazing friends and you will have the ingredients for an unforgettable weekend!! – Ramon

As a lover of rolling, groovy and up-tempo techno I especially enjoyed the sets of René Wise and MARRØN. I was totally in my zone dancing to their grooves and I’m thrilled that Awakenings has space for these very talented underground artists! – Thore

With nine areas, both outdoor stages as well as tents all in Awakenings style with top-quality stage design, great light shows, biggest programming and incredible line-up, Awakenings Summer Festival 2022 in Hilvarenbeek was to me the best and biggest techno festival so far.
The added campsite with good pre-built tents, luxury bungalows and nice catering completed this best festival experience to one never to forget. – Bart

What to do & see besides techno’s finest artists

Besides techno’s finest artists, Awakenings Summer Festival offered so much more. The festival had a full sports program hosted by OneFit, including Techno yoga, a pillow fight & the sanctum signature sequence. In the wellness area, you were able to relax in one of the cool tubs or enjoy a well-deserved massage. The cinema offered classic movies like trainspotting, a documentary of Laurent Garnier and many more. New this year were the several art installations that could be found hidden in the woods and throughout the festival grounds.

Fountain Projections by Beeldjutters
Beeldjutters are masters of visual poetry. Look for their fountain with projections custom-made for you, the Awakenings audience. Beeldjutters created experiences set at the intersection of light-art and location-theatre. They took you from reality and immersed you in dreamworlds that are unbound to rules of norm.

CAPELLA by Studio Den Haan
CAPELLA (a colourful celestial object) by Studio den Haan emulated the refraction of a natural phenomenon, and the resulting interplay of colour and light. The installation invited the viewer to experience, up close, the behavior of light in concert with other materials and substances, including optics.

OUROBOROS | The Sibilant Light of Attention by Jeroen Alexander Meijer
A present dystopia showed us a world of disembodied humans continuously distracted by their digital devices. Within this immersive multi-sensory sound & light installation you found a dreamlike realm, an interactive experience and a modern temple that helps you become aware of the mystery and movement of your attention. This project is powered by David Schoch, Maarten Keus and PIP Den Haag.

Participatory live-art
As Awakenings came alive over the weekend, so did the live-art of the Drawakenings Collective. Visual artists Sibumski, Damian Soest, Jane Bergkotte, Zena-Rae, Saskia Haex, Lot van Teylingen and Jasmijn De Lange joined forces with your creative mind to create the first art piece made by the Awakenings audience.