This festival takes place during the winter holiday season. I had really high expectations as it…read morehas been quite popular for a few years. I was told that there is a free boat tour where people line up in cues to get a ride, you can walk it along the canal edge, or you can do what we did and purchase a ticket online from "Those Dam Boat Guys". Personally, the later is great and well worth it. Our boat was small and gave us an intimate experience because the boat captain told us a little about the artistic lights and were could ask questions or slow down to take pictures. The lights are illuminated after dark which during the winter is quite early in the evening. Some of the lights were small displays and some were pretty magnificent. The whole festival takes less that 2 hours to view and it really is something to see both as a tourist or a local resident. I do suggest that the best viewing is when it is not a rainy evening so that you don't have an obstructed view from the boat.

Float thru an Amsterdam canal at night, drinking a beer and looking at light art?…read more Duh. FIVE STARS!

Wat een teleurstelling dat Milkshake festival!!! Bijna 90 euro voor een kaart en wat krijg je?…read moreSuper slechte muziek een handje vol entertainers en weinig bezoekers. Oh ja en drank en eten zijn ook mega duur. Vroeger klaar te het festival uit elkaar van entertainment en energie. Er is echt hé-le-maal niets van over..

It was a huge disappointment. The vibe seems to be…read moredeclining every year, with this year hitting the bottom. The quality of the programming has never been high, but it just seems to be getting worse. I don't even want to mention the terrible f.. up with Banks Sorry, dear Milkshake, but you won't be seeing me again.

I honestly cannot NOT- recommend this festival enough! I travelled from Germany to Amsterdam for…read morethe festival. I arranged for a group of friends to go. I stayed in accommodation for the weekend. I paid for a ticket 3 months in advance. When I got to the door - I was rudely and aggressively told by the bouncer that I wasnt allowed in. Because he "Didn't have a ticket scanner" 20 emails later and 6 months later. Appelsap havent explained themselves, they still haven't apologised and they havent given me a refund for the ticket let alone compensation. Seriously, what a shambles. There are so many other great festivals forget these guys! Go to one of the others and have a nice time. And be allowed in.

Ahhhhhhhhh I'm so in love with this festival!!!!Everything was Amaaaaaaazzzzzzzzing! From the music…read moreto the ambiance. It was well organized and greatly executed. I love to go to festivals, and living in Amsterdam makes it easier for me to do so, since all the awesome ones always happen around it. It was my first time at Loveland and i must say it was love at first sight! An amazing festival if you are a lover of EDM and is always fun in big groups. Also it didn't hurt to hear Carl Cox play his most amazing set yet! It was definitely a Saturday well spent!

my first sail event and unfortunately wasn't able to make it there till the weekend, when it's…read morecrazy busy. If you don't like crowds i recommend exploring during the week. I've never seen the water so busy with boats and it was fun to be in the middle of all of it on a boat. I only wish I could have seen the fireworks but maybe in 5 years i'll be able to see it...hehe. (this event only happens every 5 years). I heard there are plenty of events happening throughout the area (live music etc) and lots of great food. I wasn't able to explore all that but i definitely enjoyed and preferred watching everything happen from the water. i'm not much for huge crowds. If you happen to be lucky enough to be in amsterdam when this event happens it's worth a gander!

Amsterdam has so many festivals all year, but especially in the summer. This festival is extra…read morespecial because it is once every FIVE years. Yes, five! So, if you are in the area, you have to do something with SAIL. I attended the Pop-Up restaurant (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pop-up-l-invit%C3%A9-le-restaurant-sail-2015-amsterdam) for the SAIL IN which was amazing, but really over the 5 days there are a bunch of things going on. Music and themed events on Java-Eiland, Noord, especially on the NDSM area and more. There is a website, and a schedule, so be sure to grab one if you see it! Oh, and fireworks! There are fireworks each night! There is so much more to this festival that I don't even know about because I was happy just to watch the ships come into the Amsterdam harbor, and to leave again. It's a free festival that you can spend with friends and spend no money, or you can attend special events and get a VIP treatment. The pop-up shops and restaurants are great to visit. And there are food and drink trucks around if you want to grab a bite to eat. I can't believe we have to wait another 5 years for this!!

Occasion: Second stop on an amazing night. First a quick look at Awakenings ....hold! Not my thing…read moreat all. A bit of a walk, but than i slid into this big ass space. Hit the wall of sound and thought back to being a kid at raves. That's it! One big massive rave, controlled. Very well controlled. I had the opportunity to see some backstage stuff, how-it-works. Than I let go and joined the mass, grinding their teeth. I didn't need anything, I was 16 again. BAMBAMBAM!! Never again, will I be dancing, very overdressed with my husband, in such a big festival...but when you like this music? Fak, their line-up is aaaaaalways good!! If you can get a chance? Great to get a backstage tour of cameras streaming the show!! For the people that love EDM? GO! Good luck getting tickets, be quick: always sold out. (Awakenings is at Easter, think of your Catholic school days and you'll know why it has that name) E*