Amaze Amsterdam, ID&T’s latest immersice experience is an emotional rollercoaster that brings visitors face-to-face with a labyrinth of stages specifically created to push their limits. With 3,000 square metres of audiovisual technology set up over 7 stages, Amaze offers its ticket holders a ‘journey from head to heart’ over the course of an hour. It’s a must see in the west of the Dutch capital.
I’m in love with neon lights, and I can get down to a techno beat, which made Amaze a great rainy-day-trip in early autumn. Similar to NXT Museum in the way that it uses technology, light, and music to both discombobulate and soothe our busy minds, electronic music giants ID&T’s latest venture will, almost quite literally, send you into another dimension.
Arrival at Amaze Amsterdam
We were asked to show up at the venue 30 minutes before our time slot, which we assumed was a Covid measure. Wrong. It was a tactile way to usher us into the bar lounge and get us to buy alcohol. That’s fine, given how beautiful the bar area actually was 👉🏻.
No expense was spared putting this venue together. From the moment you walk through the front doors of this underground techno club location, after leaving your coats and bags in a locker just outside (it gets pretty hot inside, so leave everything), you’re transported into the Amaze world. That includes moody lighting, a coloured chip that signals your time to head into the labyrinth, and staff members dressed in tight pleather, playing their part as robotic, otherworldly creatures who’ll send you on your way.
Down the Rabbit Hole
When your coloured chip is called, it’s time to head down the rabbit hole. You’re given a rousing speech by the character at the entrance and taught about Amaze; who she is, the journey you’re about to embark on, and what to expect.
The rules are simple: follow Amaze’s voice, and the orange lights that will guide you through each stage. It’s quite unnerving. Here you are in an already alternate reality, with low lighting and loud ambient music, being told what to do when you walk through the black doors to your left. And believe me, it doesn’t get any less bizarre. In the best way.
What follows is an assault on the senses. It’s like being in space, and at a rave, and inside the deepest, darkest crevices of your own mind all at once.
You’re led deeper into Amaze with intense visuals and mind-bending audio. You’re inside the exhibition and you’re part of the exhihbition at the same time. You’re reconnecting with yourself.
I found the entire hour really emotional, and felt as though I was cycling through all the feels: complete calm, jagged euphoria, intense claustrophobia. We stared in awe at the mixture of light and smoke, we interacted with the exhibits, we danced in a pod that reminded me of the Crystal Maze final challenge. The entire experience was extraordinary, from start to finish.
Needless to say, the hour flew by. We were spat out of the darkness of the final exhibit back into the bar. Leaving the low lighting behind and re-entering Amsterdam felt surreal. It was finally time to start unpacking our journey through Amaze with one another, having been limited to shouting words of awe over the loud music and sound effects inside.
If you’ve been missing out on festivals, clubs, or raves, Amaze Amsterdam is a must-visit. If you’re looking to reconnect with yourself, and lose yourself in an audiovisual playground, this is the perfect way to spend an hour of your day. Don’t miss out: the only way out is in.
Find Amaze Amsterdam
📍 Elementenstraat 25
1014 AR Amsterdam
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