Into the Madness: Our Wild Ride at Ameland Festival
By Wavers SC Ambassador Jan
The Madness Festival in Ameland offers the perfect blend of music, outdoor adventures, camping, and positive energy. In 2024, I attended for the first time with my friend and co-founder of Wavers, Federico. We spent four unforgettable days filled with kite surfing, partying, camping, braving a massive storm, and making countless memories along the way. Here’s our story:
Preparation & Arrival
First things first: we needed a trolley to cart all our gear — kite equipment, tents, cooking stuff, wind gear, and basically everything you need for a festival that doubles as a mini-expedition.
Federico went to pick up the trolley in Amsterdam Noord, and let’s just say, he met the salesman of the century. This guy, originally from India, invited Federico to ride in the trolley around the shop to "test the quality." And guess what? The trolley passed with flying colors. It carried our gear like a champ.
Living in Amsterdam, we decided to drive to Leeuwarden on Thursday morning. This way, we could do a remote working session before catching the ferry to Ameland. Pro tip: We worked from Blokhuispoort. This is an old prison that was turned into a library, but without losing the prison charm.
After finishing up work, we hopped on the ferry from Holwerd (Click here for the Ferry Schedule) and parked our car at the Holwerd Ameland car park for around €10/day.
Everything was super organised, and as soon as we stepped off the ferry, the festival vibes hit us. A funky disco bus transported us straight to the campground — the perfect introduction to the festival energy.
The Campsite
Let’s talk about the campsite — it was pretty sweet. There were bicycles available for rent, so we could cruise around the island, which was awesome. The facilities were top-notch with clean showers and toilets (thank you, festival gods).
Festival Activities
What I absolutely loved about this festival is that it’s so much more than just a stage and a DJ. It felt like an adventure park that happened to have music.
We dove straight into activities like archery tag — it’s like paintball, but with arrows. And of course, I nailed Federico with an incredible headshot from a distance. (I swear, I didn’t plan it. It was just my aim that day. 😉) Wing-foiling on the beach yoga and surfskating - we had always something to do.
This year I see even some wild stuff like a ski piste and bouldering on the planning. You can check out the full list of this year's activities here. It really has something for everyone.
The Party
And let’s not forget the party stages. Now, I have to be honest: for my first surf & skate festival, I was blown away by the crowd’s energy. It wasn’t just a bunch of people standing around, pretending to be too cool for school. No, it was pure community vibes. Everyone was jumping, shouting, and dancing like they hadn’t a care in the world.
I wasn’t drinking at the time, but the energy of the crowd gave me all the buzz I needed. The music? A delightful mix of everything, and let me tell you: I think I saw my first rock band live. I don’t know what happened, but next thing I knew, I was that we were in a mosh pit, screaming, and jumping around. Total blast.
In the middle of a rain shower we went to have a nice pizza. I had to wait a bit longer than usual but we made a great connection getting to know two nice girls of which @jennifer Duursma even joined.
The Storm & The Epic End
The wind was absolutely pumping each day, which had us kitesurfers on the edge of our seats. Ameland offers two main kitesurf spots (north and south of the island), depending on wind direction.
If you want to dive deep into the spots and conditions, check out this awesome article that explains the kitespots in Ameland and where they are located.
Then came Saturday, and boom — a massive storm hit. We’re talking wind speeds over 40 knots. It was absolutely perfect for the seasoned kitesurfers to show off their skills.
But, let’s be real: the storm didn’t just challenge the kitesurfers. The tents weren’t safe either. I’d estimate that 50% of tents didn’t make it through the storm, including my poor tent, which became a casualty of the elements. I didn’t toss it into the dumpster with the others. No, I took it home, patched it up, and maybe, just maybe, it’ll make it through this year’s festival too. Fingers crossed!
The Final Vibes
By the time the festival wrapped up, we were exhausted, exhilarated, and absolutely stoked by the whole experience. We left with a ton of great memories and a newfound love for the festival's energy. This year, we’ll be back with a crew from Wavers. If you’re coming, hit us up! We’ll be sure to have an even better time than last year (if that’s even possible).
Can’t wait to see everyone again in 2025 — let the adventures continue!