Music Hackspace ADE Lab Hackathon Amsterdam 2026

MusicHackspace.org has announced the official ADE Lab Hackathon 2026, taking place 21-23 October in Amsterdam as part of ADE Lab, the education and innovation programme at Amsterdam Dance Event. Registration is open now, with tickets priced at €50.

What is a Music Hackathon?
A hackathon is a time-limited event where participants form teams and build a project from scratch. At a Music Hackspace hackathon, entrants work alongside others in music technology and compete for sponsor prizes, which can include hardware, software licences, speaking opportunities, and business introductions. Sponsors provide access to their APIs, SDKs, and pre-release features through the challenge tracks, giving participants a chance to work with technology before it becomes publicly available. Teams typically form quickly among people who haven't met before, and participants often leave with new collaborators and industry contacts.

The hackathon itself runs over two days, 21 and 22 October, with teams presenting to a jury on the second day at around 16:00. The winning team is then invited to present at the ADE Lab showcase on Friday 23 October. The event is limited to 100 participants, working in teams of roughly three to six, and is open to anyone aged 18 or over.

You don't need to be a programmer to join - the organisers are actively looking for musicians, producers and artists to act as creative leads, shaping project ideas and guiding the product vision. Mentors from Music Hackspace and industry partners will be available through the event, and no prior hackathon experience is needed.

• Tickets: €50, fully refunded if cancelled at least seven days before the event
• Teams: typically three to six people, matched by skills across coding, music and design
• IP: teams keep 100% ownership of what they build
• Location: Amsterdam, venue and exact schedule to be announced

Project themes span electronic music and club culture, creative tools for musicians, new listening experiences, and accessibility and inclusion. Sponsor challenge tracks and further prizes are still to be announced.

The jury currently includes JB Thiebaut, CEO of Music Hackspace, and Jesper Skibsby, founder of radio airplay analytics platform WARM. More jurors are expected to be confirmed before the event.

More Info: https://musichackspace.org/events/hackathon-amsterdam-october-2026

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