What Is It Like to See a Concert at AFAS Live?

It depends on your height and what you're there for. The floor is flat with no rake, so if you're tall or you commit to the front rail early, it's the place to be in the crowd's energy. If you're not tall, the standing crowd will block the stage once the room fills, and you'll have a much better night in the raised grandstand or on the second-floor balcony, both of which look down over the floor. The balcony also has its own bar and toilets, so it's the comfort pick. Remember that on a general-access ticket none of it is reserved, so arrive around doors to get the spot you want.

It means general access: you choose whether to stand or sit, and where, on the night. There's a standing floor, a grandstand with 700-plus seats, and a balcony with around 650 seats, and none of it can be reserved in advance. If you want to sit or you want the balcony, get there when doors open, usually 18:30. Some tours instead sell seated with priced tiers, in which case a seat map applies and the ticket seller publishes it.

Only handbags up to A4 size and about 10 cm thick are allowed inside. Backpacks and weekend bags are refused at the door, and bags get searched. The lockers inside sit after the security check and only fit an A4 bag plus a jacket, so anything bigger can't be stored inside. For larger bags you use Lockerpoint at ArenAPoort P5 outside the venue, which stays open until an hour after the event. The prohibited list also covers hard bottles, glass, cans, professional or detachable-lens cameras, GoPros, selfie sticks, laptops and tablets, and non-foldable umbrellas.

Yes, at every bar and food stand. You pay by card only (Maestro, Visa, Mastercard). If you've only got cash, load it onto an AFAS Live Paypass card at the entrance cash desks. The one exception is the merch stand, which still takes cash directly. Bring a working card rather than relying on phone-only payment, since data can get patchy when the room's full.

Take the metro. M50 and M54 both stop at Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA, and the entrance is a three-minute walk across the ArenA Boulevard. NS trains use the same station, with Schiphol about 15 to 20 minutes away. Leaving is the hard part: the station packs to walking pace for twenty to forty minutes when the precinct empties, worst when the stadium or the dome let out at the same time. The local trick is to walk to Strandvliet station just south of the complex, which is on the M50 and far quieter.

For most shows, no. The venue runs paid lockers instead, opened and closed through the night with your phone, in two sizes (roughly two jackets, or three to four). A coat check only appears for certain events, and it'll say so on the event page. If you're sitting on the balcony you can usually just keep your coat with you at your seat.

It's the venue's cup-recycling system. You get a small wooden token when you enter, trade it for your first drink cup, and then hand back each empty cup at the bar to get the next one. Keep the token and your cup and it's painless. It has nothing to do with the old plastic payment tokens, which the venue has retired and will refund at the cash desks if you still have any.

Yes. After nearly every concert, the first-floor Beatbox Talent Stage hosts a free set from Dutch acts playing the same genre as the headliner. Anyone's welcome and it costs nothing, so it's a good reason to not immediately join the metro crush. It also doubles as a small-events room the rest of the time.

Yes. You have to be able to show a valid photo ID (passport, national ID card, or driving licence) on request at the entrance. You'll also need it to buy alcohol if staff think you might be under 18. Bring it even if you look well over the line.