LENTEKABINET 2026 BROUGHT THE HEAT TO AMSTERDAM

words by FRANCESCO PIZZUTI

Something was definitely in the air at Lentekabinet this year. Maybe it was the almost suspiciously perfect weather and the 30-degree heat that went to our heads, or maybe the stars simply aligned and decided that Amsterdam deserved one extremely good weekend. Whatever it was, Lentekabinet 2026 arrived like a collective summer hallucination, a very sweaty, fun, bass-heavy one.

image courtesy of LENTEKABINET and STEFVAN OOSTERHOUT

The day started, as all good Amsterdam adventures should, with a long bike ride through the nature imbued outskirts of the city. There is something about arriving at a festival already slightly sun-drunk — and just plain drunk — passing through green stretches and open roads, that sets the tone before the music even begins. By the time we arrived, the city felt like a distant memory, now replaced by something freer.

image courtesy of LENTEKABINET and STEFVAN OOSTERHOUT

Part of what made the weekend so strong was how each stage carried its own personality. The Swamp felt enclosed and clubby, a chaotic pocket of heat, bass, and fun. The Lotus, the festival’s largest stage, felt massive, and, especially at night, with its open-air, multi-level structure and gorgeous light design, everything rendered almost cinematic. The Aster stage was smaller, more intimate, tucked into a valley-like area surrounded by food spots and a tiny Ferris wheel-bar situation; the whole area had a unique, charming feel of its own. Then there was Poppy, open-air and almost circus-like in its intricate tent architecture, and with its own fully committed crowd.

As the perfect pitstop between the four main stages, there was also Striptopia, an inclusive strip club with pole-dancing performances: fun, playful, sexy, unserious and very much a part of the landscape.

image courtesy of LENTEKABINET and ANGELINA NIKOLAYEVA

And then there was the sound. Truly, the sound system was doing what it needed to do. On Saturday, Gabrielle Kwarteng lit up Poppy with an eclectic, soulful mix of house, disco, and funk that felt full-bodied and generous. DJ Swisha brought pure sweat-soaked fun to The Swamp, moving through pop-techno remixes that had the crowd hooked. By the evening, the Lotus stage was packed, the crowd felt very present, and for a while, everything seemed perfectly suspended as Chris Stussy and Shanti Celeste’s B2B pushed the day into something close to spiritual.

Sunday kept the momentum going. The long-awaited Honey Dijon set was, unsurprisingly, iconic; very house-driven, and completely commanding. Seeing a DJ of her stature felt important, but still intimate enough to feel connected to the crowd. Young Marco followed with the closing set, bringing the weekend to a high with his euphoric electronic sounds.

image courtesy of LENTEKABINET and STEFVAN OOSTERHOUT

The programming moved easily between DJ sets and live performance. At Aster, Naga Kirana brought a concert-like warmth on Saturday, while Sophie Straat’s subversive punk energy on Sunday added a sharper political element to the weekend’s flow.

And this was only a slice of what Lentekabinet had in store. Across the weekend, the lineup kept unfolding with memorable sets from names like BASHKKA, PARAMIDA & tINI, Call Super, CCL & Verraco, Chaos In The CBD, DJ EZ, Goldie, HUNEE, Job Jobse, Lil’ Louis, Peach & Prosumer, Saoirse, Sedef Adasï, Seth Troxler, SHERELLE, Surusinghe, and so many more.

What made Lentekabinet especially memorable was the lush environment around it. There were chairs for sunbathing, food everywhere, pockets of shade, little paths to wander through, and by night, the entire natural reserve transformed. Red lights illuminated the trees, creating glowing routes, with shadows, warmth, and flickers of movement appearing between the branches.

image courtesy of LENTEKABINET and ANGELINA NIKOLAYEVA

All in all, Lentekabinet definitely came through. With a perfectly curated conjunction of local and international music, art, and performances, this 13th edition left us feeling inspired, moved, happy and alive.