“2001 – The ‘rain’ year when the buses did not turn up to get us home. Brilliant, sunny, hot day, people and music. As the main stage and festival closed the very heavy rain came and did not stop.
My wife and I got separated in the pouring rain walking towards Sloterdijk station. Amazingly, or was it fate, we crossed paths and met up 2 hours later in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, somewhere between the festival site and Sloterdijk. At some point, we were given silver wraps to keep warm from a random ambulance.
An hour or so later, we got onto a special bus that took us to a fire station, again in middle of nowhere. Our clothes/shoes were very, very wet so we were issued with red prison overalls to wear. We then found a small room in the fire station with a hot radiator and lay down, ‘spooned’ against the radiator and tried to sleep. Bliss.
At some point we were woken up by a doctor who checked us over then we went back to sleep.
The firemen were brilliant and looked after us very well. A hot cup of tea at about 7am. Another special bus back to Central Station, Amsterdam Sunday morning. Taxi to hotel and bed. Wow, what a 24 hours.
We met up with the other 8 of the group late Sunday afternoon in a bar. We all told our stories of how we got home. A big TV screen on the wall was showing the news – then Dance Valley ‘State of Emergency’ was being reported. And there we where – my wife and I asleep on the floor inside the fire station, being filmed for the news. A fireman pointing to us as ‘English’ and that we were safe. Famous!!!
It sounds like an awful experience but we had an amazing festival.
Yes, a challenging night to say the least but would not have changed a single detail of those 24 hours. A great memory and a story that we still tell to this day.

One of many great memories from every year from 1999 through to 2005 then a gap until 25th anniversary 2019. Thank you.”