Apex

During a conversation with friends, I heard about Apex. Not knowing anything about it, but being quickly intrigued by the line-up, I didn't hesitate very long before booking my ticket. In order to enjoy the festival in the best possible conditions, I once again chose to go by bus.

To sum up, Apex is clearly a growing indoor hardstyle festival in Germany. In 2024 it was the second edition of this festival, which took place inside the Mainmarkt Halle, in Mannheim, Germany. Here's a little feedback.

The queue

In 2024, I think we were generally too polite (or not polite enough, depending on how you look at it). The entrance to the Mainmarkt Halle is on the side of the road. This meant that queues quickly formed on the sidewalks on either side of the entrance along the road.

I don't know whether this was due to an organizational problem, or whether we really came too late, or whether the body search was taking too long, but we had to wait almost 1 hour on the pavement before it was our turn to set foot on the festival grounds. I must admit that impatience quickly gave way to frustration as we watched the clock tick away, and missed out on the first set of the evening.

In 2025 it was much smoother. We got home very quickly, so there was nothing to say this time.

The lockers

Tip: reserve your locker online. You'll receive your allocated numbers and secret codes that very morning.

We've done it, and I can confirm that it's a real time-saver on site to come in, be able to drop off your stuff, and immediately go party. Lockers and catering are grouped together in one hall. It's a really practical set-up, as it means you can go back and forth to nibble or access the locker throughout the event, without any fuss.

By way of comparison, on the Qlimax side, the lockers were outside the stadium, and were no longer accessible until all festival-goers had entered the enclosure. This meant that if you were planning to pick up merchandise, you had to wait before dropping it off. Fortunately, on this point, Apex has managed very well and it's much simpler.

Tokens

Festival often rhymes with tokens. In 2024 and 2025, tokens cost €4.5. And as usual, tokens are sold in packs of 5.

In my opinion, don't get greedy by taking too many tokens at once. We came across a few desperate people who were trying to resell, not without difficulty, the tokens they had taken in excess during the evening.

Eco-tokens

In 2024, you received an eco-token on entering the festival. In 2025... nothing. The system was totally different. With eco-tokens, the servers were already making mistakes... now it was even worse. Let me explain the principle.

When you go to the bar for the first time, you have to pay the posted price of the drink (let's say 1 token), and you have to add 0.5 token to this price to get an exchange card. Considering that in 2024, eco-token was offered, paying 0.5 token... that's a bit steep. But let's face it.

The following times, you have to give back your container AND show this exchange card (or else pay another one), to receive a new consumption. Absolute nonsense, as the basic principle of eco-token is either to have one with you... or to have a drink with you.

In short, this new system clearly lacks a running-in period, and it's not pleasant to leave 0.5 tokens, just like that.

Catering

The choices were relatively limited and not necessarily qualitative for my taste.

We had to choose between a portion of fries for 1.5 tokens (6.75€), half a reheated frozen pizza or a modest-sized burger for 2 tokens (9€). For drinks, we had a choice between water, the flagship sodas, 3 types of beer and some spirits. It cost 1 token (4.5€) for 30cl. It calms down quickly.

On a positive note, there were plenty of bars, and service was very fast! I didn't have to wait once to be served, and that's really nice!

The volume

I had to mention it. But what a joy to have worn festival plugs. It really was!

I can't stress this enough to the people I'm lucky enough to accompany to festivals, but we only have two ears for life (surprise!). And let's just say that in Germany... their volume management is... let's just say... different from other countries.

During the evening, I had the misfortune of wanting to test the ambient volume by removing one of my earplugs, and believe me, I was quick to put it back in. My heart goes out to the people I met who weren't wearing them.

Overall

Well, I've come away conquered!

Leaving aside the logistical aspect, which is a little less remarkable than during a 4-day festival such as Defqon.1, it's all there. The line-up had a lot to do with it, of course, but I have to concede that for a festival of this size (which feels like a baby to me), there were all the ingredients for the mayonnaise to take hold.

Lights, sound, atmosphere, crazy DJs, lasers, pyrotechnics, smoke, lots of screens, the show was there, and I clearly enjoyed myself! The big plus for this kind of party is its size. The capacity is relatively limited. Which means that even if you stay at the back of the room, it's easy to spot the DJs. **The intimacy is undeniable!

Will I go back to Apex? Yes, but not for the food.