Events for internationals in Amsterdam this month
Haarlem fun fair
Or “Kermis” in Dutch. Lovely Haarlem is always worth a trip, and if you have little ones in tow and/or are in a retro amusements kind of mood, why not combine your visit with all the fun of the fair on the city’s historic Grote Markt. The morning of the 14th is reserved exclusively for visitors with special needs.
Flower Parade
The Netherlands’s annual flower parades (bloemencorsos) are a deeply traditional and yet completely eccentric event that every international resident should witness at least once. Floats fantastically (and painstakingly) decorated with millions of flowers are paraded through the streets and villages of the country’s ‘flower strip’ region, with dedicated clubs and communities preparing for the event for months.
Amsterdam Coffee Festival
Have you made the switch from flat whites to long blacks yet? Or are you a filter girlie? Cold-drip kind of guy? Whatever your preferred coffee methodology, this festival will cater for you, with baristas and roasters from all over Europe. Best start training now – your caffeine tolerance will need to be at unknown heights to take full advantage.
Expats Connect: career switch and networking
Hosted by AIC, this after-work event offers career advice, CV feedback and plenty of opportunities for networking with other internationals.
KunstRAI
A real stalwart of the country’s art scene. You don’t need to be an art collector to enjoy a good snoop around here – it’s a great day out for anyone with even just a passing interest in art, photography and design. Around 100 galleries from the Netherlands and beyond present an impressive selection of contemporary fine arts, photography, post-war art, current and vintage design and specialist art books.
Pure Markt
Some of the farmer’s markets in Amsterdam offer a whole experience rather than just being a place to buy some organic celeriac and maybe a bit of fancy cheese. The Pure Markt has more than 90 food and drink stalls, organic farmers, knowledgeable producers and artisans, delis and non-food, plus music, outdoor seating and generally good vibes.
King’s Day
As a resident of the Amsterdam Area, you’re likely to know what King’s Day – Koningsdag – entails, even if you’re a relatively recent arrival. And if you’re a long-term Amsterdammer, you’re probably in one of two camps: embrace or escape. We say: embrace! There’s a lot of fun to be found in smaller pockets of the city, (slightly) off the beaten track. Check out the smaller neighbourhood events such as the Bredeweg Festival, go and see what your favourite bar or café is putting on, or just take a stroll around your neighbourhood – buy some second hand treasures, eat an orange tompouce, say hi to your neighbours. Toch wel leuk.
Yamato – The drummers of Japan
If large-scale stage spectaculars are your thing, head to Amstelveen’s main theatre for this undoubtedly breath-taking performance of the Japanese master drummers of Yamato. The production is themed around the strength and soul of human expression in the era of AI.
Liberation Day & Freedom Meals
Following directly on from Herdenkingsdag (Remembrance Day), 5 May is a national day of celebration known as Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day). Lots of festivals and events commemorate the country’s liberation from Nazi rule, celebrating freedom, human rights and life in general. As part of this, communal lunches are organised all over town – find your local event on a map on the official website nearer the time and join your fellow Amsterdammers at a long table.
Ongoing events and exhibitions
Artzuid
Regardless of its beauty – if you live in Amsterdam or its surroundings, it can get easy to get too caught up in everyday life to really appreciate the city. So take some time out to explore and enjoy your hometown anew. And Artzuid is an excellent incentive to do so. The Netherlands’ leading sculpture biennale sees 50 sculptures by internationally renowned artists erected on the leafy streets of Amsterdam Zuid. The heart of the five-kilometre route are the Apollolaan, Minervalaan and Churchilllaan avenues, which form part of the early-20th-century Plan Zuid grid by renowned architect and urban planner HP Berlage. You can explore Artzuid on your own or join a guided tour; in the school holidays, the Artzuid organisation also offers holiday camps for children between 6 and 12.
Vondelpark Open Air Theatre
It has entertained generations of Amsterdammers for more than 50 years, so it’s almost an understatement to call the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre an Amsterdam institution. Each summer, from May to September, the theatre presents a packed programme almost every weekend, from young talent to established names. There’s dance performances on Fridays, family entertainment on Saturday daytime, comedy on Saturday evenings, classical concerts on Sunday mornings and pop music on Sunday afternoons. And it’s all free.
Conservatorium Concerts
Experiencing the city’s rich cultural scene doesn’t always have to cost a lot. Amsterdam’s Conservatory hosts free concerts and other events almost daily, from piano recitals to woodwind workshops.
La Bayadère
Visiting a performance by the Dutch National Ballet should be on every Amsterdammer’s cultural to-do list, and this production of Marius Pepita’s 19th-century ballet would make a great initiation. With a revised libretto and a new storyline, the performance re-examines the historical context and ditches the orientalist perspective and idealised, exoticised presentation of the original version (Pepita had never visited India when he wrote La Bayadère).
Metamorphoses
‘All things change, but nothing dies.’ The Rijksmuseum’s major spring exhibition Metamorphoses shows how artists were inspired by the Roman poet Ovid’s two-thousand-year-old poem about shape-shifting gods, humans and animals. The exhibition includes an impressive selection of works by Titian, Caravaggio, Correggio, Rodin, Brancusi, Magritte and Bourgeois, as well as contemporary photography and video art. It’s organised in partnership with Rome’s Galleria Borghese.
Rijksmuseum, until 25 May
Animalia Amsterdam: Pet Portraits
Photographer Isabella Rozendaal’s pet portraits have been published as a much-loved series in Het Parool for years. This mini exhibition in the Green Salon of the Museum of the Canals presents some of her most striking works.
Ekō – Japan in two visual narratives
This exhibition juxtaposes early photographs of Japan, including work by the British-Italian photographer Felice Beato, with contemporary pieces created in response by photographer and visual artist Anaïs López. Working in the second half of the 19th century, Beato created a carefully staged image of Japan that would conform to Western audiences’ expectations and ignored the country’s increasing modernisation.
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Never miss a beat in Amsterdam!
Whether you’re new to the Amsterdam Area or have been living here for years, our newsletter is designed to help internationals make the most of life in this vibrant region.
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