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Image from Annelies Verhelst

Cultural tips for Amsterdam this autumn

The leaves are falling, the colours are changing and the days are getting shorter. That can only mean autumn and the start of a new cultural season in Amsterdam. Read on for our guide to everything from theatre and film festivals to photo fairs, major exhibitions and music of all genres.

Experience the magic of Monet and Rousseau at Fabrique des Lumières

In collaboration with Fabrique des Lumières

Step inside the paintings of Monet and Rousseau at Fabrique des Lumières, Amsterdam's audiovisual art space. From the bustling harbours of Normandy to the serene gardens of Giverny, Claude Monet devoted his life to capturing the ever-changing dance of water and light. Often called the father of Impressionism, he broke with tradition and pioneered a revolutionary style that inspired an entire generation of artists to emulate a style he pioneered. Afterwards, enter Henri Rousseau’s fantastical world, where everyday Paris meets an imagined jungle. Tigers hide among dense leaves, airships float across painted skies, and dreamlike scenes invite you to wander far beyond reality.

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE)

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) Flags and branding.
Image from Jan de Ridder

Calling all electronic music fans, Amsterdam Dance Event is back again this year, taking over the city with parties, in-stores, 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 2025 is already out - explore all the exciting nightlife events.

Amsterdam Dance Event | 22-26 October 2026 | citywide

International Storytelling Festival

Speaker storytelling on stage at Mezrab
Image from Mezrab

Acclaimed storytellers light up the autumn nights at the spectacular Podium Mozaïek, a theatre in a former Bos en Lommer church. In this weekend-long 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.

International Storytelling Festival | second week of November 2025 | Podium Mozaiek

IDFA

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam flags Leidseplein
Image from Roger Cremers

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 new permanent location dedicated to all things non-fiction: the monumental Vondelpark Pavilion.

IDFA | 12-23 November 2025 | various cinemas

Tosca

Image from Hugo Thomassen

The Dutch National Opera presents Tosca, Puccini’s masterful opéra noir. Sacrifice, power and desire go hand-in-hand in this arresting classic, directed by Barrie Kosky whose 2022 production has drawn plenty of acclaim. Psychologically intense, Tosca unfolds across the stage like a noir thriller, set to a suspenseful operatic score. Unrelenting in its emotional power, as well as visually striking, Tosca is a story of love and betrayal that has stood the test of time. 

Tosca | 3 – 25 September 2025 | Dutch National Opera & Ballet

Afrovibes Festival

CC Amstel Theatre Theater De Pijp
Image from CC Amstel Theater

Afrovibes Festival returns with an extensive program of contemporary dance, music, theatre and design by contemporary makers and artists from Africa and the diaspora. This year’s theme, Legacy, raises questions about cultural heritage and inheritance through the works of world-renowned choreographers, theatre makers, and emerging talent. Catch performances across the city's premier performing arts venues, including Frascati, De Balie, Podium Mozaiek, Bijlmer Parktheater and CC Amstel.

Afrovibes Festival | 2-12 October 2025 | various locations

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

Koninklijk Theater Carré outside of theatre at night
Image from Jan de Ridder

Matthew Bourne’s unique reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet breaks with dancing tradition by exchanging its all-female cast for an entirely male one. It put him on the map as the most groundbreaking choreographer of his time. Over the past 30 years, it has become one of the most successful dance productions ever. Carré will be hosting this one-of-a-kind performance for two weeks only.

Swan Lake | 29 October - 9 November 2025 | Royal Theatre Carré

Cinekid

Kids at Cinekid childrens film festival
Image from Max Kneefel

This annual cinema festival in the autumn holidays has various film, documentary and animation screenings for children aged between 3 and 14 years, alongside interactive installations and workshops. This year’s edition, titled Is dit echt? (Is this real?) takes a fascinating look at Artificial Intelligence and its impact on popular media, film, visual language and storytelling. Children will learn to see AI as a creative ally, find out how it works, and learn about the risks of fake news and deepfake videos.

Cinekid | 11 - 26 October | Ketelhuis Cinema

Tilda Swinton

Eye Filmmuseum exterior by day
Image from Corinne de Korver

A once-in-a-lifetime retrospective of one of the world’s most distinctive artists, Tilda Swinton’s Eye Filmmuseum takeover will take a look at her four-decade-long career. The exhibit features eight works, six of which will be newly created, in spell-binding collaborations with blockbuster directors, from Talk to Her’s Pedro Almodóvar to Luca Guadagnino, whose Call Me By Your Name brought him immediate acclaim. Swinton’s curation encompasses many different media, from film, sculpture, fashion and photography. From a sculptural portrait by Guadagnino to a rich film program and series of talks, this retrospective truly is an ode to Swinton’s role as performer and curator. 

Tilda Swinton | 28 September – 8 February | Eye Filmmuseum

Nederlands Theater Festival & Amsterdam Fringe

Fringe Festival, Sucker Punch
Image from Tim Maitan

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 | 4-14 September 2025 | various locations
Amsterdam Fringe Festival | 4-14 September 2025 | various locations

Imagine Film Festival

Image from 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 | 30 October - 9 November 2025 | various locations

Camera Japan

Camera Japan decoration and set-up at LAB111
Image from 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 | 2-5 October 2025 | Lab111

TCS Amsterdam Marathon

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - JUNE 16, 2016: The Amsterdam Marathon in Amsterdam in a beautiful summer day, The Netherlands on June 16, 2016
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Runners at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon 2016. Shutterstock

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.

TCS Amsterdam Marathon | 19 October 2025 | Olympic Stadium

Super Sonic Jazz Festival

Arists on stage at Super Sonic Jazz Festival 2021 in Paradiso. Steam Down.
Image from Jelmer de Haas

The seventh edition of Super-Sonic Jazz Festival returns to Paradiso, De Duif and Rush Hour Records, showcasing innovative jazz musicians on the cutting edge of R&B, hip-hop, soul, folk, funk and electronic. The line-up this year brings LIKEMINDS, Lord$, Higherlife Jazz to the stage, among many others, with a special Sunday programme featuring only local artists.

Super Sonic Jazz Festival | 14-16 November 2025 | Paradiso

Kimsooja: To Breathe – Mokum

Oude Kerk interior
Image from GJ. van Rooij

With her transformative use of light and shadow, South Korean conceptual artist Kimsooja takes over the historic Oude Kerk with her newest exhibit Kimsooja: To Breathe – Mokum. A meditation on the intersection of light and memory, this installation covers the church’s 44,000 Gothic windowpanes with diffraction film, funnelling incoming sunlight into ever-shifting kaleidescopes of colour. As part of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary cultural program, this experimental and deeply introspective exhibit stimulates the senses while considering the meaning of identity, passage and change.

Kimsooja: To Breathe – Mokum | until 9 November 2025 | De Oude Kerk

Read my World

Image from Rashif Oehlers

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.

Read my World | 11-13 September 2025 | Tolhuistuin

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. From the Affordable Art Fair – where the clues in the name and budget-friendly art pieces are on sale – to PAN Amsterdam, which brings together the worlds of art, antiques and design in one place. You’ll also find the EuropArtFair, a curated collection of some of Europe’s best contemporary artists.

EuropArtFair | 13-14 September | Westergas

Affordable Art Fair | 8-12 October | De Kromhouthal

Pan Amsterdam | 2 - 9 November | RAI