Africa Dance Week The Natural Next Chapter

Bringing the ADE experience
to South Africa.

A seven-day, two-city convergence of industry, festival, talent and culture. Modelled on Amsterdam Dance Event. Johannesburg and Cape Town — December 2026.

7 days
JHB + Cape Town
DECEMBER 2026
12+
Premium partner venues
ROCKETS · TRUTH · AND
600–800
Industry delegates
SA + INTERNATIONAL
45K+
Festival attendees
BOTH CITIES
The Strategic Window

One six-month arc.
Two continents.

October 2026 — ADE Amsterdam publicly names Sub-Saharan Africa as a key focus theme in its thirtieth edition, alongside Brazil and MENA.

December 2026 — Africa Dance Week turns that conversation into the ground-level event that makes the focus theme real. The natural downstream landing pad where Amsterdam's panels become Johannesburg's production.

For a partner already inside the ADE story, ADW is the other half of the same campaign. One coherent narrative. Six months end-to-end.

ADW 2026 · Timeline

"Think Miami Music Week, but with the unmatched energy of South Africa. Don't just watch the scene — define it."

JUN 26 — Public launch & Main Partner announced
OCT 26 — ADE Amsterdam · Sub-Saharan Africa focus
NOV 26 — Pre-event intensive · content bridge
DEC 26 — ADW week · 7 days · 2 cities

The Programme Architecture

Every ADE pillar. Mirrored.

ADW isn't a festival. It's five programmes stacked on top of each other — a full replication of the ADE architecture, scoped for a credible Year 1 pilot and a three-year path to parity.

PILLAR
ADE AMSTERDAM
ADW YEAR 1 · 2026
ADE Pro
11K+ delegates · 4-day conference at Felix Meritis
ADW Pro — 600–800 delegates · 3 days Johannesburg
ADE Lab
Creator village · demo drops · gear partners
ADW Lab — 4-venue cluster · Incepted bootcamp
ADE Festival
1,200+ events at 300+ venues · 5 nights
60–80 events · 12+ venues · 7 nights across 2 cities
Arts & Culture
Museum & gallery crossover programming
3–4 anchor activations · JAG · Zeitz MOCAA
ADE Friends
Free daytime programme · in-stores · vinyl sessions
ADW Open — 30+ free events · vinyl fair
Celebrate Safe
Harm reduction · Heineken-led · responsible drinking
ADW Safe — SANCA · MOSAIC · Main Partner-led
Matchmaking
Year-round ADE Pro database · 50K messages/year
ADW Connect — live June 2026 · Firebase-backed
Awards
— (ADE does not run industry awards)
ADW Awards — 17 categories · broadcast partner

ADW Year 1 replicates every ADE pillar at pilot scale. Year 3 target: parity across most pillars.

Partnership Positions

Three tiers.
Category-exclusive where it matters.

Every partnership slot is category-exclusive. Main Partner sits above every other position. Below that, tier-one partnerships anchor city tourism, telco, streaming and rights. Tier two covers premium lifestyle categories — fashion, automotive, tech, fintech.

Main Partner

Own the whole story.

R10m

One slot. Category-exclusive premium beer/cider. House of Heineken hero activation. Integrated content rights on the documentary and awards broadcast. Lead sponsorship of ADW Safe.

  • Main Partner title — exclusive
  • Category exclusivity · 7 days + 60 days post
  • House-of hero activation · both cities
  • Rising Stars programme localised
  • Content rights · 40+ assets library
  • Year 2 renewal ROFR at preferential rates
Tier 1 · Named Category

Anchor a pillar.

R3m – R5m

Category-exclusive partnerships for tourism (JHB / CT), telco, streaming and rights. Named sponsorship of a core programme pillar.

  • Category exclusivity within tier
  • Named sponsor of one programme pillar
  • Branded stage / activation zone
  • Delegate hospitality allocation
  • Content distribution rights (territory-locked)
  • Tier-1 positioning on all materials
Tier 2 · Brand

Be in the room.

R1m – R2m

Lifestyle brands entering the dance music conversation. Fashion, automotive, fintech, tech hardware. Category-locked, visibility-focused.

  • Category exclusivity within sub-category
  • Branded presence at partner venues
  • Delegate pass allocation
  • Co-branded content opportunities
  • Guest list access at key showcases
  • Preferential renewal terms
Partner Materials

Download the detail.

Working drafts — v1.0. Updated April 2026. For partner-team review and internal due diligence.

Register Interest

Let's start
the conversation.

Tell us who you are and what tier of partnership you're scoping. We'll be in touch within 48 hours with a tailored follow-up.

By submitting, you agree to be contacted by the ADW partnerships team. We don't share your details with anyone else. POPIA-compliant.

Received.

We'll be in touch within 48 hours. In the meantime, take a look at the partner materials above.