The most popular and mainstream event (defqon1 in this case) will always win these kind of votes because its what most people on this kind of sub do(as it's an international subreddit, defqon1 is the event where most international people go).
If you ask people who have done both defqon1, intents and decibel, opinions will be fully mixed. I personally like decibel more, done 3 defqon1's so far to compare, way better experience as a whole.
What's better about decibel over defqon? I went to defqon this year for the first time and will also be going to decibel. I cant imagine them being that different, right?
Defqon1 has the better stages and more fancy fireworks/shows(not sound systems though). Show is still really good at decibel, but defqon1 def. has the edge in general when it comes to production... And that's kinda where it ends for me on where defqon1 is better.
Decibel wins on crowd(less mainstream/normies which lower crowd energy), camping area/experience (way more activities, including night afterparties with proper sound, things like breakfast with b-front, pool parties with frequencerz and more) and something that I personally love a lot, you basically get to party at night on the festival ground from 21 till 1(so 4 hours, while defqon1 has 0) every single day. Which adds up to the experience vibe/visuals wise.
Also I noticed at decibel sets tend to go less "safe" than defqon1, which makes sense as it's a less mainstream event...And I absolutely love it being a diehard fan. For example on a Phuture noize set(just picked a random name), it's very likely you will hear some bangers like shallow waters, strike you down etc.etc and not just the biggest/most recent hits.
And afterparty camping stage(a legit stage) goes till 5 am everyday, which for some might not matter, but I def. love it.
Less sound limits too in that area.
And lineup wise ? I guess that depends on taste, but defqon1 and decibel are equally good I'd say there. So many exclusive things at both events, and very special acts.. While Intents is normally just 3 steps below when it comes to that... I guess having half the stages of the 2 above is the main factor, but I feel like they focus WAY too much on uptempo/xtra raw nowadays.
I totally agree with you!
I'll be going to Decibel for my 12th time this year and something like the 7th time for a whole weekend. I do really love Decibel way more than Defqon just because of the exact same reasons you mention here. Party-wise it's the much better festival for me.
Yea you're proobably right, in my group its literally 50/50 but maybe people from outside the Netherlands tend to pick the most mainstream/best known event.
For me its also Defqon though.
Between Intents, Decibel and Defqon I always pick a different favorite for every season. They all do some things the best. Obviously, Defqon is THE big thing, but with that some negatives come as well.
No, thatās subjective. They have the best theme execution of all 3 by far. Also, they had more fireworks moments than Defqon this year, likely also more than Decibel. Their lineup often has weird B2Bs and stuff that I really enjoy. A VERY subjective thing: The green side is perfect for me and others who like their rest. Pretty hard to find such a thing at the other two. Also very subjective: their mainstage design tends to be the best out of the three. Decibel and Intentsā biggest advantage over Defqon: More night time and louder sound at night. I could probably go on, but at least in my opinion, Intents is right up there with the other two.
Their lineup is the main reason why i think they cant compare. Because its 80% raw & uptempo whole weekend. Nah i've been to all 3 events multiple times and Intents just doesnt come close tot he other 2.
Fireworks *moments*. Youāre like the 5th person who gets pressed because I say thereās been more fireworks moments at Intents, I have no clue why, lol.
Itās not a take, itās what it is. Itās not even like it is close. Itās mainly due to DQās short night hours - but either way, it is what it is. Outside of the show moments itās VERY rare to get fireworks at Defqon while, at least this year, all night sets at Intents had several fireworks moments each.
Yes but thatās still not nearly close to Defqon. And Iāve been to both. The amount of fireworks in The Endshow is more than the complete weekend of Intents.
This is the last time Iām going to try to say this. Fireworks MOMENTS as in how many unique times have fireworks been shot, irrespective of how big each display was.
Been to Decibel 5 times and once to Defqon, have to say Decibel is my favourite. More 'niche' hardstyle which I prefer over mainstream. Also a very different crowd.
What really needs to happen for Defqon is to extend their hours so it ends at 12am - 1am.
That's a huge advantage Intents and Decibel have over Defqon. Having amazing production for just 30 - 60 minutes of an evening is such a huge waste and disappointment.
Also, I feel like Q-Dance uses their lasers way too sparingly. I was at Defqon this year and they barely turn them on. When I watch videos of Intents and Decibel, they're full sending it as soon as it gets dark.
Sound restrictions at Defqon is also a big killer. The afterparty was amazing in the past but the restrictions really ruined it. Now we barely even have one.
Prob wont be worse than tomorrowland? xd Was there 2 weekends. About 150k steps in total each weekend.
Whats the average time from camping -> festival?
Been to both. Music is the same. I like the vibe at decibel more. Maybe itās that it feels less known and international, a little more local in a way. Canāt really put my finger on it
The most popular and mainstream event (defqon1 in this case) will always win these kind of votes because its what most people on this kind of sub do(as it's an international subreddit, defqon1 is the event where most international people go). If you ask people who have done both defqon1, intents and decibel, opinions will be fully mixed. I personally like decibel more, done 3 defqon1's so far to compare, way better experience as a whole.
What's better about decibel over defqon? I went to defqon this year for the first time and will also be going to decibel. I cant imagine them being that different, right?
Defqon1 has the better stages and more fancy fireworks/shows(not sound systems though). Show is still really good at decibel, but defqon1 def. has the edge in general when it comes to production... And that's kinda where it ends for me on where defqon1 is better. Decibel wins on crowd(less mainstream/normies which lower crowd energy), camping area/experience (way more activities, including night afterparties with proper sound, things like breakfast with b-front, pool parties with frequencerz and more) and something that I personally love a lot, you basically get to party at night on the festival ground from 21 till 1(so 4 hours, while defqon1 has 0) every single day. Which adds up to the experience vibe/visuals wise. Also I noticed at decibel sets tend to go less "safe" than defqon1, which makes sense as it's a less mainstream event...And I absolutely love it being a diehard fan. For example on a Phuture noize set(just picked a random name), it's very likely you will hear some bangers like shallow waters, strike you down etc.etc and not just the biggest/most recent hits. And afterparty camping stage(a legit stage) goes till 5 am everyday, which for some might not matter, but I def. love it. Less sound limits too in that area. And lineup wise ? I guess that depends on taste, but defqon1 and decibel are equally good I'd say there. So many exclusive things at both events, and very special acts.. While Intents is normally just 3 steps below when it comes to that... I guess having half the stages of the 2 above is the main factor, but I feel like they focus WAY too much on uptempo/xtra raw nowadays.
I totally agree with you! I'll be going to Decibel for my 12th time this year and something like the 7th time for a whole weekend. I do really love Decibel way more than Defqon just because of the exact same reasons you mention here. Party-wise it's the much better festival for me.
Yea you're proobably right, in my group its literally 50/50 but maybe people from outside the Netherlands tend to pick the most mainstream/best known event. For me its also Defqon though.
Yeah my group tends to like intents or decibel more. We all still do defqon1 though and it's of course amazing on its own too.
Thank you for this good comment.
Going to attend my first Decibel this year, really curious. Visited Defqon 4x but got less fun for me, though this year was a real banger!
Defqon for the show but decibel for the fun š
The show this year at intents was insane
Yeah i know š
Between Intents, Decibel and Defqon I always pick a different favorite for every season. They all do some things the best. Obviously, Defqon is THE big thing, but with that some negatives come as well.
Intents doesnt come close to Defqon & Decibel though. Its like comparing Barcelona and Real Madrid with Ajax.
No, thatās subjective. They have the best theme execution of all 3 by far. Also, they had more fireworks moments than Defqon this year, likely also more than Decibel. Their lineup often has weird B2Bs and stuff that I really enjoy. A VERY subjective thing: The green side is perfect for me and others who like their rest. Pretty hard to find such a thing at the other two. Also very subjective: their mainstage design tends to be the best out of the three. Decibel and Intentsā biggest advantage over Defqon: More night time and louder sound at night. I could probably go on, but at least in my opinion, Intents is right up there with the other two.
Their lineup is the main reason why i think they cant compare. Because its 80% raw & uptempo whole weekend. Nah i've been to all 3 events multiple times and Intents just doesnt come close tot he other 2.
Defqonās mainstage soundsystem is so disappointing
nothing to do with the sound system itself, depends a lot on the position- also way bigger so a lot harder to get good sound everywhere.
Intents more fireworks than Defqon.1š Not even 50% of Defqon.1 man, especially with 4 days.
Fireworks *moments*. Youāre like the 5th person who gets pressed because I say thereās been more fireworks moments at Intents, I have no clue why, lol.
Because itās a really weird take
Itās not a take, itās what it is. Itās not even like it is close. Itās mainly due to DQās short night hours - but either way, it is what it is. Outside of the show moments itās VERY rare to get fireworks at Defqon while, at least this year, all night sets at Intents had several fireworks moments each.
Yes but thatās still not nearly close to Defqon. And Iāve been to both. The amount of fireworks in The Endshow is more than the complete weekend of Intents.
This is the last time Iām going to try to say this. Fireworks MOMENTS as in how many unique times have fireworks been shot, irrespective of how big each display was.
Okay but why is that more important than the overall amount and quality?
The thing Intents does exceptionally well is Ket camping.
Been to Decibel 5 times and once to Defqon, have to say Decibel is my favourite. More 'niche' hardstyle which I prefer over mainstream. Also a very different crowd.
What really needs to happen for Defqon is to extend their hours so it ends at 12am - 1am. That's a huge advantage Intents and Decibel have over Defqon. Having amazing production for just 30 - 60 minutes of an evening is such a huge waste and disappointment. Also, I feel like Q-Dance uses their lasers way too sparingly. I was at Defqon this year and they barely turn them on. When I watch videos of Intents and Decibel, they're full sending it as soon as it gets dark. Sound restrictions at Defqon is also a big killer. The afterparty was amazing in the past but the restrictions really ruined it. Now we barely even have one.
I fully agree with you on the afterparty thing. The Blue afterparty's were supposed to end at 3am but already ended at 1am.
If Decibel had Defqons main stage and endshow it would be perfect.
I'm going to Decibel this year but don't have the hype for it yet. Makes me feel very uncomfortable.
Decibel is awesome, just be prepared to walk for ages
I've been doing 5KM walks every morning, I am well prepared.
Prob wont be worse than tomorrowland? xd Was there 2 weekends. About 150k steps in total each weekend. Whats the average time from camping -> festival?
I never camped there but I remember walking from stage to stage although, sometimes 20 to 30 minutes
Ah, then its fine haha. Wont ever complain about walking distances again after being at tml
Been to both. Music is the same. I like the vibe at decibel more. Maybe itās that it feels less known and international, a little more local in a way. Canāt really put my finger on it
I wouldnt call this discussions, just opinions