A STATE OF TRANCE MUSIC FESTIVAL REVIEW OF AHOY ROTTERDAM 2024

Summary

This Blog is about my experience attending A State of Trance Festival in Rotterdam, Holland on February 23 and 24, 2024 with hours from 9pm to 6am both days. I will share my first impressions on the new home of ASOT at Ahoy Rotterdam mega-complex and my recommendations. I have kept this as concise as possible.

Background on ASOT Festival

For over two decades, Utrecht was the home of ASOT Festival at Jaarbeurs but Armin announced in 2023 that Jaarbeurs was closing and being torn down. What came next was the announcement of ASOT new home in Ahoy Rotterdam for a new debut in February 2024. This facility could accommodate forty thousand fans across 5 stages (or Areas as they are called) and a massive concessions hall for food and beverage.

Why did I go?

If you have not read the dedication for our inhaler named 'Lavender Shivers', then I can share that this was named in honor of Armin Van Buuren's music and career. The track 'Shivers' being a track that changed Armin's career as he has said himself on ASOT Radio many times. Armin is in my Top 5 Favorite Producer DJ's and I was finally able to make the timing work for ASOT Rotterdam 2024 Festival.  

Where did I stay and cost?

I was lucky to book a room in the festival's themed Hotel: ASOT Hotel at the Room Mate Bruno Hotel. The Superior King ASOT Hotel room package came with 2 VIP 2-Day tickets and cost 1,038 euros. Sadly, I did not have a friend for the 2nd ticket and there was no way to sell the extra ticket on a resale website. You would have to get the wristband the morning of Day 1 and attempt to sell it online somehow. Nonetheless, the Hotel came with a ton of perks with both programming I share about below and earlier entry to the festival each day and an exclusive hour set just for Hotel guests with Ruben de Ronde at Ahoy.  

Short Summary on the themed A State of Trance Hotel

ASOT went all out for this first time themed hotel. The interior design was a total transformation but that was not the real story. There was a full day of programmed events (more on that). And a thoughtful set of themed gifts waiting for you in your room! Plus, a complimentary locker for both days of the festival at Ahoy Rotterdam. They really thought of everything.

Three weeks before the festival, ASOT revealed that the hotel would host a "A State of Trance by Day" which they called a community-based music industry event with a full 2 day schedule of workshops, keynotes, and panel sessions with Artists and the ASOT Team.

They described the Hotel Programming as:

"Imagine talking with Armin Van Buuren about mental health in an intimate setting, or a one-hour Q&A with the A State of Trance radio team asking everything you ever thought of. This and many more workshops and lectures by keynote speakers will be covered with topics such as music production, AI challenges & opportunities in the music industry, and everything about stage design."

As for the hotel itself, the Bruno Hotel did an entire transformation across so many details from the moment you were at the front doors. There was signage, decals, throw pillows, area rugs, themed drinks, and a dedicated large space for DJ's to be playing right off the lobby. I was super impressed and I can't imagine going to ASOT without staying here.

Last, two huge perks about the hotel! In the same building and just 50 feet from the Hotel Lobby is a massive food court called Foodhallen with over 13 stands in a beer hall atmosphere with a DJ. As a raver, you know very well we need our late night snacks and recovery drinks; right across the street is an incredibly stocked small grocery store with fresh fruit, coffee, smoothies, and lots of healthy grab and go meals for your hotel refrigerator.

However, the Hotel shuttle from the venue was the only thing that I had a bad experience with as it was poorly managed and myself and 2 other hotel guests were threatened by the bus driver after we told him he didn't stop at the ASOT Hotel and he refused to go back and drop us off.

Ahoy Rotterdam Venue and The Festival

Traffic Patterns and Getting Around

I was impressed at how easy it was to get around the venue. Of course, when entering or leaving Area 2, the arena space, it was a bit hectic but you quickly figured out the best place to enter and exit from. However, I will say that the seats inside the Arena should have been accessible for guests as this was the tightest out of the 5 stages or spaces. This is where Armin had his back-to-backs. I should note there were also amble lockers for rental.

The Production and Stages

I was very impressed with how the production carried the theme straight from the marketing and promotion materials for both the colors and how the line in the logo for the festival was weaved into the LED panel structures. The idea being that when you say: A State of ---- Trance that the line is a play on being in a trance.

The Main Stage or Area One was a long rectangular space with plenty of room depending on how close to the rail you wanted to get. What was very cool was a wrap-around balcony but much much wider that made an entire U around the stage which gave you all the breathing room you could want, concessions, and incredible videos. However, I only took advantage of this VIP Deck for a few videos for footage. I was at the very front and center for the Main Stage performances in GA.

Area Two was representing a bit of the Who’s Afraid Of 138 stage of previous years but lots of progressive trance as well. The stage was up fairly high with a massive LED beam that followed the theme of the festival as a long line running to the stage. I believe it was nearly 10 feet in height so it was no joke and ran the entire length of the huge space.

Area Three was the Arena space. The stage had a massive LED panel that was to scale of a large shipping container. The details of the container were incredible and it would spin on it's axis. Not only did it look real but the graphics and lighting for it and the stage in the arena must have taken 6 months to design and program. It was truly incredible.This is were Armin did his back-to-backs with Oliver Heldens' HI-LO alias and one with Joris Voorn.

The smaller stages, called Area Four and Area Five, had a more minimal design with with a scaffolding structure cube that allowed guests to walk up to the 2nd story and traverse around the entire 360 degrees. The 5th stage was very small and for winners of the DJ Producing contest.  

Festival Grade and Thoughts

Grade: A-

Coming from the U.S., I did not have any idea what to expect but it was cool because neither did anyone else since it was the first time in this new city and venue.  I was very happy with the lineup and, due to the distance, I traveled I could not be happier to see no less than 4 performances by Armin Van Buuren. The fact that the festival goes all night is truly special. This was one of the draws for me.

I should note that I arrived on Thursday afternoon and stayed at Inntel Hotels Rotterdam Centre. I did not want Friday to be a rush so I arrived a day early and worked at cafes. I would stay at this hotel again. I highly recommend the sushi restaurant just a 2 minute walk along the river called Kyatcha Rotterdam at Leuvehaven 70. I got the sashimi dish and it was fantastic as was my dessert and the service. It was also busy with nice atmosphere and very friendly hostess. This was the chill afternoon and night before the festival that I wanted; along with a good nights rest.

As I described above, I was so happy with the execution of the ASOT Hotel. The bad experience with the shuttle was a learning experience and although I took an Uber to the festival both nights - I recommend taking them back at end of the night instead of the shuttle.

For those traveling on a flight 10 hours or more, the ASOT Festival definitely falls into a bucket list festival. It was for me and a long time coming.What I didn't expect was that it feels like an annual pilgrimage now that I will have to make for at least another 2 years. It also goes without saying that you are in Europe so you can see other cities on a short flight or train ride. I love Amsterdam and so I got a day in the city before leaving forRotterdam and then 3 days in Amsterdam on my way back before leaving for home. I would also recommend stopping by the Museum of House Music in Amsterdam. It was closed for updates when I stopped by but it looked very cool inside.

Favorite Sets Day 1: Avira, Morten, Ben Gold, Armin Van Buuren Destination Set, Armin Van Buuren b2b Joris Voorn

Favorite Sets Day 2: Ruben de Ronde, Cosmic Gate, Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Nifra, Armin Van Buuren b2b HI-LO (Oliver Heldens), AVAO, Allen Watts, Maarten de Jong, Farius, Ahmed Helmy

Thanks for reading. I hope it was helpful.

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