Malice in Wonderland, Are We All Mad Here?

With so many high profile events each week taking place in the Netherlands, the Dutch must have a hard time choosing where to go. With loads of high profile events like Don’t Let Daddy Know, A State Of Trance, and many more taking place during the same weekend, the choice can be rough. With all of these choices we decided to visit one of the hardest parties going: Malice In Wonderland presented by Outlaw Events.

This haunting fairytale is taking place in the AFAS Live (Formerly Heineken Music Hall). The location is close to the Amsterdam Arena where one of the best known Dutch soccer teams has their residency (Ajax Amsterdam). To no surprise the parking situation was really clean. Loads of parking garages and the best thing is, that they have a special deal, if you visit any event in the area you pay a flat 16 euro (about 17 dollar) parking fee. Once we parked the car we made our way to the holy halls of musical goodness. Although the entrance took a bit longer than we anticipated, once inside everything was well organized, there where enough lockers, and the inside temperature was very nice. The layout of the AFAS Live is basically one big square room with VIP-balconies on the sides with amazing views of the stage.

Something we see more and more happening these last few years is that cash money is becoming obsolete. If you wanted to buy something at the event, the only option was cashless. A beer (0.3) being 5,25 euro and a big one (0.5) being 7,25 euro. Those that had paid for a VIP ticket paid 3,75 euro for a small beer. Sometimes it pays off to be a VIP.

Overall the event was a massive gathering of like minded party-goers. We estimate that about 8000 people attended “Malice In Wonderland” to watch some of their favorite artists play. With names like D-Sturb, Rooler, Sickmode, Riot Shift and naturally the main attraction Malice, attendees got spoiled with some sonic goodness. These events are not for the fainthearted, these are the harder styles and the crowd loves it. There wasn’t a DJ that couldn’t get the crowd going. Every track was eaten up but the eager party people, every drop, every vocal, every beat, the crowd was singing and dancing along. Big highlights for us to watch were a stellar Rooler Classic set and the insanely b2b Malice vs Riot Shift. From old school classics to new IDs, this is a night that will fondly be remembered by many people. That being said, we talked to many different people and not everyone was from the Netherlands. We met this German couple and asked them why they came all the way from Germany to this event.

“We have visited many events in Amsterdam before, as the dance capital of the Netherlands it is always nice to be here. Besides, the whole squad of Aggressive Records is here, there was no way we could not be here. This is a must for us, same as the Gang Party in Tilburg a couple of months ago, If there is good music we are willing to travel. And sometimes we are lucky to have artists travel close to us like Sickmode who we will see again in two weeks” – Sebastian and Sandra

“Malice In Wonderland” turned out to be an amazing evening, true to the slogan “we’re all mad here.” It gave a glimpse into the Dutch scene of the harder styles. The stage and sides were beautifully decorated and they hired amazing dancers to entertain the crowd. Three huge Screens behind the DJs gave us great visuals to look at during the evening. The atmosphere was very nice, and there were many friendly people that were just enjoying themselves and the music. So many people that kept dancing and singing nonstop, it was a joy to watch. We would definitely recommend to visit “Malice In Wonderland” if you are a fan of the harder styles. We are already looking forward to their next events.