Arts & Entertainment in Netherlands
Amsterdam

Festivals and Events

• Elfstedentocht

  If it has been cold enough for long enough, this gruelling skating marathon through the countryside of Friesland attracts thousands of participants.

    January http://www.elfstedentocht.nl

• Carnival

  Processions and street parties.

    February

• Stille Omgang

  There’s a silent procession through the city to celebrate the “Amsterdam Miracle”, a 14th-century communion wafer, which was supposedly impossible to destroy in fire.

    On the Sunday closest to March 15
• Koninginnedag – Queens Day

  Queen’s Day

  Street markets, parties, fireworks and festivities throughout the entire city until the early evening.

    April 30

   

• KunstRAI International Art Fair

  Art, sculpture and glassware from about 100 galleries.

    May

• Holland Festival

  Amsterdam stages the country’s biggest music, drama and dance extravaganza.

    For the whole of June http://www.hollandfestival.com.au

• Julidans

  Amsterdam's annual summer dance festival, allowing visitors to dip into two weeks of top performances from international artists on a number of stages at the Leidseplein and other venues around town.

    July http://www.julidans.com
• Amsterdam Pride

  Amsterdam Pride

  One of the biggest gay and lesbian festivals in Europe.

    Around August 4-6 http://www.amsterdamgaypride.nl
   

• Bloemencorso

  A spectacular procession of flower-bedecked floats wends its way from Aalsmeer to Dam Square.

    On the first Saturday in September
• The canal race

  Grachtenrace

  A gruelling 25km canal rowing race.

   

    2nd Saturday in October
   

• Amsterdam Marathon

  Starting and finishing in the Olympic Stadium.

    Around October 15

• Jazz and Blues Festival

  Amsterdam’s biggest jazz festival on the street and in pubs along Zeedijk.

    last weekend of November

• Sinterklaas

  , the Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas in honour of St Nicholas. Gifts are exchanged.

    Every year on December 6

Theatre, Cinema and Opera

There are about 50 theatres in Amsterdam.  Performances are mostly in Dutch, but sometimes in English (especially in summer).  Boom Chicago, set up by three Americans in the early 1990s, is an Amsterdam comedy institution known for its live shows and video productions.  The English-language shows are super-fast, musical, political, very funny and, against all the odds, really popular with locals as well as visitors.  www.boomchicago.nl. Most of the major theatres are centred on the Leidseplein, within an easy stroll of each other. The easiest way is to drop by the theatre’s box office, where you can browse programmes, ticket prices and availability. For all theatrical performance details, check out the Uitkrant, the Saturday magazine in the Parool newspaper.

There’s always a good choice of films showing in Amsterdam, including plenty of ‘art’ movies for discriminating cinephiles.  The ‘film ladder’ – the listing of what’s on – is pinned up at cinemas and in many pubs or you can check it in Thursday’s paper when weekly programmes change.  Films are almost always screened in their original language with Dutch subtitles.  The exceptions are children’s matinees where the latest Disney creation may come with Dutch voices. 

A pleasant fixture on the Amsterdam music scene is the free lunchtime concerts throughout the city.  These are usually chamber music and run from 12.30pm to 1.30pm, but concerts are suspended in June, July or August for holidays.  The traditional venues are the Concertgebouw, the Muziektheater and Stadsschouwburg.

The Uitburo (tourist office) at Leidseplein 26 will have details of these concerts

Museums and Galleries

The Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh and Anne Frank House are the must-see destinations for the visitor, but there are many others to enjoy. The Rembrandt House is located in the heart of old Amsterdam. An unassuming building with an oak door and red shutters, it’s where Rembrandt lived and worked for nearly twenty years during the 17th century. The house has been a museum for over ninety years and today is home to almost all Rembrandt’s etchings. www.rembrandthuis.nl. The Houseboat Museum is located at the Hendrika Marina; it’s a barge that’s typical of the industrial river barges rebuilt as dwellings and furnished as homes. Visit the deckhouse where the skipper and his family once lived. All aspects of houseboats are covered at the museum and there is also a slide show and great models of other boats. www.houseboatmuseum.com. Set in a magnificent building, the Amsterdam Historical M

useum traces the history of the city. The collection comprises paintings, prints and archeological finds. www.ahm.nl.

The Netherlands Maritime Museum houses one of the world's most important maritime collections with a vast display covering four centuries of Dutch naval history. www.scheepvaartmuseum.  Finally, for something a little bit off-the-wall, try the Hash Museum, which explores every aspect of the drug www.hashmuseum.com.

Travel Tip # 2  The Iamsterdam card is a 24- 48- or 72-hour discount card which offers free admission to some of the best museums in the city, a public transport ticket, a free canal boat tour and reductions at certain shops and restaurants.  The cost of a card for 24 hours is 33 Euros; for 48 hours 43 Euros and for 72 hours 53 Euros.  Details at www.iamsterdam.com/visiting_exploring/...