Cultural tips for Amsterdam this autumn
Yayoi Kusama at The Stedelijk Museum
This landmark retrospective celebrates the visionary work of Yayoi Kusama. Spanning more than seven decades of radical creativity, the exhibition traces Kusama’s singular artistic universe through paintings, sculptures, immersive installations, drawings, fashion, collages, performances and archival material. Take in the extraordinary breadth of a practice that has profoundly reshaped contemporary art and visual culture.
Yayoi Kusama | 11 September - 17 January | The Stedelijk Museum
The Amsterdam Storytelling Festival
Acclaimed storytellers light up the autumn nights at the spectacular Podium Mozaïek, a theatre in a former Bos en Lommer church. In this five day festival, expect pacey plots, touching tales and real-life accounts from around the world as master storytellers demonstrate the art form of spoken word. Along with the shows, there are also talks, workshops, a masterclass, live music and a midnight saloon.
Amsterdam Storytelling Festival | November 2026 | Podium Mozaiek
IDFA
Amsterdam’s much-anticipated International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam returns with another solid documentary selection. Expect films tackling life, love, politics and society, along with a trend-setting programme of talks, performances, and interactive and immersive projects. Screenings will take place at cinemas around the city, including at the festival's striking permanent location dedicated to all things non-fiction: the monumental Vondelpark Pavilion.
IDFA | 12-22 November 2026 | various cinemas
Art fairs
Each autumn, curators, critics, and buyers (with big and small wallets) descend on the city for a succession of unmissable fine art events. The Affordable Art Fair – where the clues in the name and budget-friendly art pieces are on sale is back for its 20th edition, in the sweeping industrial expanse of the Kromhouthal. PAN Amsterdam, renowned around the world for its incredible array of art, antiques and design, also returns this november.
Affordable Art Fair | 25-29 November 2026 | De Kromhouthal
Pan Amsterdam | 1 - 8 November 2026 | RAI
Cherry Town
In this masterful contemporary opéra, the announcement of a new construction project sparks hope in a city where rents are sky-high. The Dutch National Opera presents Cherry Town, an all-too-relevant story rife with the opposing forces of love and corruption.
Cherry Town | 8 – 20 October 2026 | Dutch National Opera & Ballet
Afrovibes Festival
Afrovibes Festival returns for its 23rd edition with an extensive program of contemporary dance, music, theatre and design by contemporary makers and artists from Africa and its diaspora. This year’s theme Soil | Soul considers a world where land is evermore at the centre of struggles of identity and power. Presenting works from world-renowned choreographers, theatre makers, and emerging talent, Afrovibes Festival sprawls across the city's premier performing arts venues, including Frascati, De Balie, Podium Mozaiek, Bijlmer Parktheater and CC Amstel.
Afrovibes Festival | 1-4 October 2026 | various locations
The Greatest Swan Lake in the World
Derek Deane's unique reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky’s ballet features double the dancers - 48 instead of 24 - for a spectacularly impactful performance. After the enormous successes of the 2023 production, the renowned Shanghai Ballet returns to the stage of Theatre Carre for what is sure to be a spell-binding performance of this beloved classic.
The Greatest Swan Lake in the World | 22 - 27 September 2026 | Royal Theatre Carré
Cinekid
This annual cinema festival celebrates its 40th year of kid-focused fun, with a host of film, documentary and animation screenings for children aged between 3 and 14 years. As the world’s largest festival for children’s film and media, Cinekid offers a global perspective, inviting you to go on a journey of discovery into the lives of those around the world.
Cinekid | 10 - 25 October 2026 | Pathe Amsterdam Noord
Ulrich Seidl – Über das Leben, die Liebe und den Tod
As the first Dutch exhibit devoted to the acclaimed Austrian filmmaker, Ulrich Seidl – Über das Leben, die Liebe und den Tod is a fascinating convergence of early, rarely-seen and newly commissioned pieces. With its highly intimate and empathetic lens, the lives of seemingly ordinary people adrift in the world of late-stage capitalism reveals just how perceptive and unflinching Seidl's cinematic gaze truly remains.
Ulrich Seidl – Über das Leben, die Liebe und den Tod | 19 September – 31 January| Eye Filmmuseum
Nederlands Theater Festival & Amsterdam Fringe
To open the cultural season each September, Netherlands Theater Festival offers ten days of performances spread across the city’s top stages, with a broad range of language-no-problem shows in the programme. To coincide, sometimes referred to as the NL Theater Festival’s quirky little sister, Amsterdam Fringe is all about bringing avant-garde productions to light. Each year, 70 productions are created by unorthodox theatre-makers keen to impress with their vision. The venues where these eclectic performances occur can be just as unexpected.
Netherlands Theater Festival | 3-13 September 2026 | various locations
Amsterdam Fringe Festival | 3-13 September 2026 | various locations
Imagine Film Festival
For the best in fantasy, horror and science fiction, the Imagine Film Festival challenges viewers to question the future of humankind and society. Along with screenings, workshops, masterclasses and games, prescient themes such as disaster scenarios from eco-horror and Cli-Fi (climate fiction) are discussed in accessible talks which actively involve audiences.
Imagine Film Festival | 29 October - 8 November 2026 | various locations
Camera Japan
The largest Japanese film festival in the Benelux, Camera Japan, is characterised by its diverse programme. In addition to the best, the weirdest, and the most unexpected feature films, documentaries and anime, attention is paid to visual arts, music, dance, fashion, architecture, food, and much more.
Camera Japan | 1-4 October 2026 | Lab111
TCS Amsterdam Marathon
When it comes to running events, you could say Amsterdam has a personal best: the TCS Amsterdam Marathon takes place annually in October, drawing in elite runners from around the world alongside thousands of amateurs sporting their new running shoes. The course starts from the city’s famous Olympic Stadium and passes many of Amsterdam's most notable landmarks and attractions while making its way back to the stadium. On Saturday, the festivities will kick off with an approachable 7.5km race.
TCS Amsterdam Marathon | 17 - 18 October 2026 | Olympic Stadium
Super Sonic Jazz Festival
The eight edition of Super-Sonic Jazz Festival returns to Paradiso, showcasing innovative and contemporaru jazz musicians on the cutting edge of R&B, hip-hop, soul, folk, funk and electronic. The festival celebrates jazz in all its iterations. Expect plenty of enlivening music, and wear your dancing shoes.
Super Sonic Jazz Festival | 20-22 November 2026 | Paradiso
Read my World
Amsterdam's leading international literature festival returns to Noord’s Tolhuistuin in September. Dedicated to unearthing the stories beneath the sheen of daily news, the unmissable literary event brings writers, poets and performers from around the world to showcase their takes on the world’s most pressing issues. Spend three days immersed in topics like urbanity and discover literature’s power in making the significant questions of our time personal. Attend the afterparty on the opening night, which features music and dancing in the Tolhuistuin's magical garden.
Read my World | 10-12 September 2026 | Tolhuistuin
Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE)
Calling all electronic music fans, Amsterdam Dance Event is back again this year, taking over the city with parties, lectures, and lots of cool arty audiovisual stuff. Along with the conference geared toward industry professionals, almost all of Amsterdam’s nightlife venues will host DJ events by the genre's leading lights.
The official programme for 2026 is already out - explore all the exciting nightlife events.
Amsterdam Dance Event | 21-25 October 2026 | citywide