Twelve years of house in Amsterdam, and JOY shows no trace of fatigue. MBG Productions NL's festival runs on a tight concept: house, tech house and minimal house, at venues set up for it. Homeport is home to the winter and fall editions, with heated and covered outdoor areas so the weather never matters. Summer is approached differently, which is exactly what makes JOY x FLOW Festival interesting.
The big name of this edition is Franky Rizardo, who closes with a three-hour set. That's a statement. Also on the program are Benny Rodrigues b2b Dennis Quin, a combination that already sounds good on paper. Prunk and Sidney Charles provide the international presence, and Luuk van Dijk does double duty: first as part of L.P. Rhythm b2b Luuk van Dijk, and also as a solo act. Ammé, Jay de Lys b2b Nacho Scoppa, Jesse Maas b2b Kepler, Joëlla Jackson b2b Rooléh and Julian Fijma b2b Robbie Doherty further complete the lineup. That's already more than ten acts, and we haven't even reached the third stage yet.
The Hembrug site in Zaandam, just across the border with North, along the North Sea Canal, is the location for the summer edition. Former military site, in use from 1895 to 2003, and only opened to the public in 2014. Room enough for three stages, including a revamped and expanded mainstage. This is the third time JOY has partnered with FLOW Festival here, and the scale is visibly growing with it.
Franky Rizardo closes that night with three hours of house, and then you really know enough.
One detail that stands out about JOY is the sealed ticket system: your ticket is not available for download until an hour before it starts. Sounds inconvenient, but it prevents fraud and resale. A maximum of four tickets per order, payment only by PIN, and drinks go through a recycle token system. These aren't big stories, but it does say something about how MBG Productions keeps things tightly organized. After 12 years, they know exactly how it works. Franky Rizardo closes that night with three hours of house, and then you really know enough.