Amsterdam DGTL Festival will be 100% sustainable for 2020 edition

DGTL is taking a crucial next step during its upcoming eighth edition creating a circular blueprint that can be applied to both a festival and a city.

DGTL Festival Amsterdam
DGTL Festival Amsterdam photo ©Jordy Brada

Amsterdam’s DGTL Festival has just announced that the 2020 edition will be focused on sustainability creating a blueprint that any festival anywhere in the world can use to become more sustainable too.

Pioneering in the field of sustainability and innovation, DGTL is taking a crucial next step during its upcoming eighth edition creating a circular blueprint that can be applied to both a festival and a city. DGTL Amsterdam, which will run on April 11th and 12th at the NDSM Docklands, is, therefore, the world’s first electronic music festival that pursues full circularity.

Since 2013 DGTL has run its sustainability program and it has been aimed at the outset to close cycles in the areas of energy, water & sanitation, food, commodities (waste) and mobility. As the
aim this year is to close the entire DGTL circle, organizers have deemed the term ‘CYCLE’ their overarching theme for the 2020 edition. DGTL will close the cycles for a number of on-site systems, including energy, resources, water, and sanitation.

Of course, DGTL remains first and foremost a music festival; for years have been working with a sustainable way of programming, combining international headliners with local talent. With over 65 artists spread out over seven stages, DGTL focuses on deepening and broadening the music line-up. For the broader audience, the Modular and AMP stages create a real festival vibe. Connoisseurs and purists can find their way to the techno stage Generator or the more underground-focused Filter. An increasingly prominent part of the program is set up for live performances on the large LIVE stage

On the lineup, you can find names such as Âme, Adriatique, Colyn, KAS:ST, Patrice Bäumel, Mind Against, and Recondite, just to name a few. The full lineup is available on DGTL official website.

Tickets for the festival are available here.

DGTL Amsterdam 2020: Full line-up

COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY OF AMSTERDAM

A festival can be easily summarized as a temporary miniature version of a community. People work and consume, move, eat and sleep. Much like in a community there are all kinds of different flows such as money, energy, food, exchange of knowledge, water and creativity. For this reason, DGTL sees its festival terrain as a living lab for circular innovation in neighborhoods and cities. By entering into partnerships with, among others, the City of Amsterdam and the Central Government, the festival takes on urban challenges on themes such as the energy transition and a new more sustainable form of sanitation.

ENERGY NEUTRAL

With regard to energy, the objective this year is simple: during show days, energy consumption must come entirely from renewable sources. This means from sun, wind or other inexhaustible sources. The City of Amsterdam has invested in the event facilities at the NDSM Docklands; for example, the construction of additional power boxes has increased access to the main power grid. This means that all energy-demanding parts of the festival – such as bars, lighting and the food court – can simply use the sockets on the NDSM Docklands for their power supply. DGTL’s energy system will be completely energy-neutral and emission-free during show days and the festival is parting ways with traditional diesel generators.

FROM URINE TO WATER, FROM POO TO COMPOST

DGTL has also started a pilot together with the City of Amsterdam, researchers, toilet suppliers, and processors to realize a circular sanitary system at the event. Urine is converted into (gray) water and feces are processed into compost. DGTL hopes that this pilot offers a blueprint which neighborhoods, cities and the music and events industry can learn from

PLANT-BASED MENU

After the introduction of a meat-free food court in 2016, in recent years DGTL has moved towards a menu consisting of rescued food and imperfect products. This year DGTL is taking a step further by offering a fully plant-based (vegan) menu put together by a select group of chefs.

MOBILITY

Another important spearhead is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as a result of mobility movements. By far the largest part of DGTL’s greenhouse gas emissions is caused by the travels of visitors. Artists’ flights, transport of suppliers and the use of machines during the festival build and dismantling process also produce emissions through burning fossil fuels. DGTL is closely looking at ways to make mobility (visitors, suppliers, artists) as efficient and sustainable as possible. Regarding the fuel used for the machinery used during the set-up and breakdown of the event, DGTL will switch completely from diesel to biodiesel this year. With this, the festival reduces the CO2 emissions in that area by 89 percent. This year, DGTL also focuses on making traveling by train attractive for both national and international visitors. The festival offers special ticket deals, promoting national and international train transport when purchasing a ticket for DGTL Amsterdam. DGTL aims to direct as many visitors as possible towards travel by train instead of flight travel.

DGTL Amsterdam 2019 - Recap Saturday