Thunderdome is a famous concept in hardcore / gabber music that was mainly used for a series of parties and CD-albums. The first official party (organized by the Dutch entertainment company ID&T) took place in 1992!

Before the Thunderdome concept was started ID&T organized a big rave called The Final Exam, that was held on 20 June 1992. This was the first attempt to bring hardcore / gabber to a wide audience and the first event organized by ID&T, who would later go on to organize other big dance music events such as Tomorrowland, Mystery Land and Sensation. Later in 1992 they organized the first Thunderdome party. In 1993, ID&T / Arcade Records also started a Thunderdome compilation CD-series with popular gabber music. ID&T also sold other kinds of merchandise such as t-shirts, bomber-jackets, caps and even an energy drink (Thundertaste). The Thunderdome concept was considered important to the popularization and spreading of gabber music during the 1990s.

Thunderdome returned in 2017 after five years of silence. Will Thunderdome manage to reinvent itself for a new generation of ravers? Go on a trip down memory lane and look forward to the future with the pioneers of the past and the new faces of today.