Collage of two portraits. On the left: a woman with brown har and bright green eyes wearing a brown hat, a neon green and a leopard print tops. On the right: a bearded man with face piercings, brown hair and eyes wearing a cameo t-shirt and a
Left: Maretza Kuijper, 42, from Cadier en Keer, the Netherlands. Right: Patrick Kok, 36, from Purmerend, the Netherlands. Photos: Chris and Marjan
Life

Photos Celebrating 30 Years of Gabber's Greatest Festival

The iconic Dutch hardcore event, Thunderdome, celebrated this milestone with pounding techno and gabber music.
Tim Fraanje
Amsterdam, NL

This piece originally appeared on VICE Netherlands.

"Hardcore never dies," they say in the gabber scene. That seems to hold true for Thunderdome, the iconic hardcore party born in the Netherlands in 1992 and discontinued in 2012. Since that last event, Thunderdome has made three comebacks: in 2017 for its 25th anniversary, in 2019 and in 2022 on the 10th of December (aka last month). This latest edition - which took place in Utrecht, Netherlands - was unlike any other as it celebrated Thunderdome turning 30. 

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While most 30-somethings resolve to celebrate their birthday with a chilled dinner, Thunderdome went all out. The pounding beats of legendary DJs such as Angerfist and Akira attracted fans of all ages and from around the world - many of them wearing the Thunderdome’s wizard logo in, uh, creative ways.

Visitors could also cut their hair at a gabber barber and get tattoos, including one of the Thunderdome wizard himself. There were cheeky decorations in the form of huge bleeding ears and even a fairground attraction - in case you got bored, naturally.

Photographer duo Chris and Marjan captured the faces of hardcore fans at the party. Here are some of their best shots:

Portrait of a blonde woman, her hair is shaved on the sides, she's wearing orange make-up and a lot of golden jewelery

Angelika German, 26, from Düsseldorf, Germany. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Photo of a bold man on a wheelchair wearing a black and white outfit. Both the clothes and the wheelchair have the Thunderdome logo

Martijn Koevermans, 43, from Zevenbergen, the Netherlands. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a young man with brown curly hair and brown eyes. He has earrings and tattoos and his nick and wears a black t-shirt with blue and white patterns

Eymerick Peterlin, 22, from Strasbourg, France. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Photo of a topless man with shaved hair and a ginger beard. He's wearing two silver necklaces

Jérôme Smesman, 25, from Démuin, France. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a woman with red braids and locks. She's wearing neon green net sleeves, and a black and green party outfit with the Thunderdome logo

Steph Howitt, 33, from Manchester, UK. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Photo of a blond man wearing black and yellow joggers and a black Fila fanny bag. He has red spots on his skin.

Mike Breuker, 20, from Holten, the Netherlands. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a man and a woman, the man had dark hair and is wearing a black top; the woman has blond hair and is wearing a green top and a pink bag

Ricardo Scholten, 20, and Ella van der Zee, 19, from Almere, the Netherlands. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a woman with pulled back brown hair, wearing a red top

Latischa Klei, 21, from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Photo of a topless man wearing red and black joggers and a black necklace at a party

Dennis van Dijk, 25, from Utrecht, the Netherlands. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a bald man with blue eyes wearing a colourful jacked with a wizard on it

Christophe Battaglia, 35, from Voujeaucourt, France. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a man with black deadlocks and a beard, wearing a cameo jacket, on a black t-shirt with blue and yellow hieroglyphs and a cap

Rico Glorieux, 26, from Bruges, Belgium. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a topless man with dark hair and a nose piercing, he's wearing an open red and yellow jacket, his hair is wet and he's closing his eyes

Enzo Camus, 22, from Lyon, France. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Photo of a woman wearing a red and black jogging suit and a black fan with the Thunderdome logo on it. In the background are red party lights

Miranda Moerland, 26, from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a woman with black straight hair wearing a black tshirt and red earrings. She has a tattoo on her right arm

Su van Kampen, 31, from Utrecht, the Netherlands. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a man with red hair and a a beard, he's wearing a cap and a black t-shirt with a red, blue and white logo on it. He's showing a freshly-made tattoo on his right shoulder.

Stef de Maerschalck, 31, from Buggemhout, Belgium. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Photo of a young man wearing a black hoodie and hat, he has several tattoos and piercings on his face an silver necklaces

Remon Smit, 22, from Amersfoort, the Netherlands. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Portrait of a man with dark eyes and a dark beard, he's wearing a black t-shirt, a black beanie and a golden necklace

Dwayne Davis, 26, from Enschede, the Netherlands. Photo: Chris and Marjan

Photo of a man with dark hear in a high crest, he's wearing a black t-shirt with words in white on it: hardcore, techno

Baptiste Mercier, 30, from Marseille, France. Photo: Chris and Marjan

@timfraanje

Tagged:ThunderdomeHardcoreHakkengabbersgabberVICE NetherlandsVICE InternationaltechnoFestivalParty
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