Fifteen people went to first aid and none needed hospital treatment, Dutch media report. Police made no arrests.
Someone sprayed tear gas at the Gashouder in Amsterdam on Saturday evening, Oct 24, during an Amsterdam Dance Event party. Dutch broadcaster AT5 reports that it happened at DJ Franky Rizardo’s party at the Westergas venue. A police spokesperson confirmed the incident to AT5. NL Times puts the time at about 7:45 p.m. and names the event as Franky Rizardo’s FLOW.
Tear gas at the Gashouder: what the reports say
According to AT5, the trigger appears to have been an attempt to steal a visitor’s necklace. A scuffle followed between the necklace’s owner and the person who tried to take it. Then someone sprayed the gas. NL Times adds that the scuffle broke out about 10 meters from the stage. The suspect got away, the outlet says.
Videos on social media show large numbers of people leaving the hall to escape the gas, AT5 says. Fifteen people went to the first-aid post, and none of them needed to go to hospital. NL Times reports that three of them needed a medical check. Police made no arrests. As far as anyone knows, nobody’s belongings went missing, according to AT5.
How the venue responded
A Gashouder spokesperson told AT5 that the organisation could react quickly. She pointed to the venue’s ventilation system, which she said leaves the air in the hall completely clean within about 15 minutes. Staff also turned the music down for about five minutes, AT5 reports. They then searched all visitors on the way out, to try to find the person responsible.
NL Times, citing a spokesperson’s comments to Het Parool, adds that organisers opened the venue’s large wooden doors.
Not the first spray incident this ADE
AT5 notes that this is not the first time someone has sprayed pepper spray into a full room during ADE. According to the broadcaster, it is a popular trick among thieves. People who come into contact with the spray are less likely to notice a theft.
NL Times counts the tear gas at the Gashouder as the fourth incident at this year’s ADE involving pepper spray or tear gas. On Friday night, the outlet reports, someone used spray at Audio Obscura in the G-Star RAW Factory and at Erlow in the Kromhouthal. NL Times describes those as attempts to cause disturbances and rob people by diverting attention.
Neither AT5 nor NL Times names the person who sprayed the gas. We will update this story if police share more details about the tear gas at the Gashouder.
Sources: AT5, “Traangas gespoten bij ADE-feest in Gashouder”, Oct 25, 2026; NL Times, Oct 25, 2026
Inside the Gashouder at Westergas, Amsterdam (2011; not from the event). Image: Arch / Wikimedia Commons, public domain
