The sold-out ten year anniversary of Don’t Let Daddy Know (DLDK) took place on Saturday March 2nd at the Ziggodome in Amsterdam.
For those who don’t know, DLDK is one of the world’s largest electronic music festivals with editions in more than 18 countries around the world. Known for its out of this world production, state of the art visuals, and top-tier talent, DLDK continues to push the boundaries of electronic music events, and the tenth anniversary edition was no exception.
Getting There
As a veteran raver and frequent visitor of the Ziggodome, getting there from my house in Leidschendam was a no brainer between the tram and the train. First my usual quick stop at a nearby Chinese restaurant for some food and pre-game drinks with friends then we were off! We arrived at the venue around 22:00 and there was already a massive crowd waiting to get in General Admission.
After about an hour wait, we entered the venue and upon entry were given stickers with the DLDK logo on them and a recycle coin to encourage partygoers to turn in empty cups rather than dispose of them on the ground. The Ziggodome offers lockers for two euro, however once you close the locker you have to pay to re-open it, but thankfully as this was not my first rodeo this was not a problem!
Venue
Having lived in the Netherlands for almost eight years and having been raving for more than 16 years, I can confidently say that the Ziggodome is one of my favorite venues in Europe. The Ziggodome is a moderately sized indoor arena (17,000-person capacity) with a large mainstage, tiered stadium seating, and food and drink vendors located around the outside ring.
What sets the Ziggodome apart from other locations is its accessibility. Not only is it easy to get to by public transport but navigating inside and finding your friends is not an issue. One of my favorite parts about the Ziggodome is being able to climb to the top tier and watch the show from above. Viewing the show from top-level seats is an incredible experience between the lasers, pyrotechnics, fog, and of course, people watching!
Food & Drinks
The Ziggodome offers your standard food and drinks options ranging from hotdogs, burgers, fries, and various snacks. The prices did slightly increase from when I was last there in December with a large beer increasing in price from 7.25 euro to 7.45, wine going from 5.25 to 5.50, cheeseburgers from 9.50 to 10.25 etc. However, with the prices increasing across the board at every festival this was no surprise.
My usual issue with the Ziggodome remains unchanged as they do not sell bottles of water but rather charge for cups of water which is not very practical for dancing! Aside from my strong feelings of the water situation and the increasing prices of food and drinks, the Ziggodome remains to be one of my favorite venues in the Netherlands, and I continue to go there multiple times a year.
Music
Lucas & Steve
We kicked off the evening with Lucas & Steve who from start to finish captivated the audience with familiar bangers such as ‘Animals’, ‘Where Have You Gone’, ‘Sexy Bitch’, and ‘Sick’. Lucas & Steve consistently know how to blend together Pop, House, and Future House to create a euphoric environment that you can’t help but jump, sing, and scream along to!
Nicky Romero
Up next Nicky Romero, one of my classic go-to favorites from the 00’s (the good ole days) delivered an incredible set infused with his signature hits like ‘For the People’, ‘Only for You’, and ‘Tomorrow Comes’ with classic fan favorites such as ‘Better off Alone’, ‘Freed from Desire’, and ‘Miracle’. This set had good vibes all around and left my heart feeling full when he dropped all my time favorite, ‘I Could Be the One’ (RIP Avicii)!
Hardwell
The recent return of Hardwell to the electronic music scene and greater community has been nothing short of legendary in the last few years. Time and time again Hardwell demonstrates why he’s one of the greatest DJs of all time and his set at DLDK was no exception. Hardwell delivered the quintessential hour and a half set for a ten-year anniversary event mixing his classic hits we know and love him for (‘Oldskool Sound’ and ‘Apollo’) with some of his newer darker Techno (‘Shotgun’ and ‘Acid’).
Blasterjaxx
Blasterjaxx kicked off their set with a bang with their explosive track ‘Party with the Cops’. From the moment Blasterjaxx took the stage their high-octane performance had the crowd going insane. The set even included a surprise performance from Dutch rapper Jebroer, with his famous track ‘Kind van de Duivel’ (Child of the Devil). If that wasn’t enough, the set also included a special birthday tribute to member of Blasterjaxx, Thom Jongkind! Cue 50 Cent’s ‘In Da Club’ coupled with a photo collage of photos of Thom. Can’t think of a better birthday celebration!
Stage & Visuals
The Don’t Let Daddy Know brand is synonymous for out of this world production and the tenth anniversary held nothing back with its theme red galaxy. At the forefront of the stage was a large X that projected various visuals to accompany the music. At one point when the song, ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ came on, the meme of goat singing (from the viral Taylor Swift meme ten years ago) was projected across X (which was SO funny). At another point in the night it was Spongebob visuals (so much nostalgia), everything was perfectly in sync creating an immersive experience.
All of this on top lasers, pyrotechnics, beach balls, balloons, and fog made it truly a night to remember.
General Impressions
As this was my second time attending Don’t Let Daddy Know (I also attended the 2023 edition in Amsterdam), my expectations were set very high. The only aspect of the party I really missed from the previous year was the LED wristbands that were given upon entry to light up in sync with the music. That was something really special that I missed this year and that really added to the visual aesthetic of the event.
Don’t Let Daddy Know is one of those events that if you’re a true lover of EDM you can’t miss it. The production and visuals are top-notch. I also personally as a Hard Dance lover loved the incorporation of more harder styles this year from Hardwell closing the last five minutes out with Hardstyle to Sound Rush and Radical Redemption closing.
This might have been my second Don’t Let Daddy Know but certainly not my last!
