Be transported to another world by WiSH Outdoor Festival. Not only will the world-class DJs elevate you to another plane, but the festival site is an astounding work of art that looks like someone has dropped an alien planet in the middle of North Brabant!
The theme for this year's festival is Adventure, and if any festival can provide that, it's WiSH Outdoor. Flying a little under the radar in terms of world-famous festivals, this is a not-to-be-missed experience for the EDM fans in the room.
There are four distinct areas, with 12 different stages, and over 200 acts playing. The centrepiece of the whole site, the Dedicated Mainstage, is newly designed and built every year and is a marvel of production. From a fairytale castle to a world-eating dragon to a gorilla careening out of the jungle at you, the designs are always ambitious, wild and a lot of fun.
Acts performing this year include Broederliefde, $hirak, 99prblmz, Aalst vs Revellers, Abaddon , Adjuzt vs, Deezl, Lil Kleine, Roxy Dekker , Bankzitters , Brennan Heart and many more.
Outside of the main stage, there are four zones that the festival is divided into, each created to sustain a different vibe:
This area is for intimate shows with big acts, and the music is at the more pop end of the spectrum. It's themed as a beautiful, botanical world, and includes a theatre area and a classic "Brabantse-style" pub.
Here the music goes hard. The theming is industrial, with lots of steel and smoke. The main stages in this area are The Machine, which places you inside a giant engine for back-to-back sets from the most hardcore of acts, and The Bunker, which showcases up-and-coming talents.
If all that industrial grime gets too much for you, head to La Favela, where tropical beats, bright colours and cocktail lounges rule. Here the music is more trance and guilty pleasures centred, and there's even a disco stage.
The final area is the creative heart of the festival, with hip-hop and urban music, as well as street art and dance competitions. The stage is called The Art Club, and it's all about showing off the craziest acts playing today.
While this is a multi-day festival, taking place on Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday, there is no on-site camping. Beek en Donk may sound like it's in the middle of nowhere, but there are regular shuttle buses running to the festival from Eindhoven and Helmond, so it's actually really easy to get to.
Eindhoven and Helmond are well connected to the rest of the Netherlands by public transport, and also have lots of accommodation options for those who want to hit every day of the festival.
WiSH Outdoor has also teamed up with a company offering direct bus transfers from all across the Netherlands, and if you get a group of seven or more of you together, you can request your own pick-up point. Of course, there is parking on-site for those who prefer to drive, but remember, you'll have to drive home again in the evening!
You can find out more about the shuttle and bus options on the WiSH Outdoor website, as well as being able to buy day or weekend tickets.