diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 8af85beb5159909f7df13705826e8c937f2b050b..45d114a2138ffe715b33d32f0154797e6a2e06ea 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.5.3
+1.6.0-alpha1