Summer in Amsterdam

Enjoy countless festivals, urban beaches, picnics in the park, outdoor cinema & art, and cool drinks on sunny terraces - Amsterdam is teeming with things to do in the summer. And, on a bright sunny day, the best place to be is outside! Find out how to experience Amsterdam and go home with a healthy tan. Sunglasses on – let’s go!

Summer inspiration

Summer highlights

Things to do this season

Best waterfront bars to go by boat

Summertime means boating time in Amsterdam. This watery city has a pretty special feature: cafés, bars and restaurants where you can moor your ...

Perfect picnic spots in Amsterdam

Make the most of Amsterdam’s sunny days by heading off for a picnic away from the city centre. From grassy fields to a full-on forest, we’...

Experience Amsterdam’s charming waterside

In a city with lakes, rivers, seafront and more than 100 kilometres of canals, there’s no shortage of aquatic adventures. Get the most out of yo...

Outdoor cinema in Amsterdam

As summer sun casts Amsterdam in a dreamy glow, the time has finally come for one of our favourite seasonal pastimes: open-air cinema. Pack some popco...

Outdoor swimming spots in Amsterdam

Come summer, this city built on water provides some exceptional opportunities for an alfresco dip. Read on for your complete guide to Amsterdam’...

Museums with secret gardens in Amsterdam

Amsterdam comes alive when the sun is out, and the last thing most people want to do is be indoors. Luckily, many cultural institutions have some hidd...

Amsterdam’s best parks

Whether you want to get fit, let the kids go wild or just sit and chill in the sun, Amsterdam’s parks offer a surprising range of beautiful plac...

Best spots for boating around Amsterdam

There is absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as messing around in a boat on the riverbank. Taking in the scenery and a breath of fresh air fro...

Outdoor and adventure activities in Amsterdam

It’s not all urban in Amsterdam: the proximity to the coast and plentiful waterways create countless possibilities for watersports and outdoor a...

Amsterdam Beach

Explore breathtaking dunes, take part in water sports, or just relax along one of the most unspoilt coastlines in Northern Europe. Amsterdam Beach mak...

A taste of summer

Major summer events

Holland Festival

Holland Festival will return in 2023. A leading international performance arts festival in the Netherlands, the Holland Festival t...

01/06/2023 - 25/06/2023

Diverse locaties / various locations

SAIL Amsterdam

SAIL Amsterdam takes place once every five years and is one of the biggest events in the city. The tenth edition will start in Aug...

20/08/2025 - 24/08/2025

SAIL Amsterdam

Open Garden Days

For one weekend only, visit the pristine gardens of some of Amsterdam’s finest canal houses and experience the quiet oases during ...

16/06/2023 - 18/06/2023

Diverse grachtentuinen

Uitmarkt

The Uitmarkt has been marking the national opening of the cultural season in the Netherlands for 45 years and offers an accessible...

25/08/2023 - 27/08/2023

Uitmarkt

Vondelpark Open Air Theatre

Every year, the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre presents a programme packed with festivals, dance, cabaret, children's theatre, stand-...

04/06/2023 - 10/09/2023

Vondelpark Openluchttheater

Julidans

Julidans presents the current state of affairs in contemporary dance. In a broad program, see the work of leading and idiosyncrati...

01/07/2023 - 15/07/2023

Diverse Locaties / Various locations

Keti Koti Festival

Every year on July 1, the abolishing of slavery is commemorated in various places in the Netherlands. Keti Koti reminds us of the ...

01/07/2023

Oosterpark

Open Days Fortress Island IJmuiden

The Fortress Island IJmuiden offers monthly tours. During these open days you can explore the island with or without a guide.

20/07/2022 - 06/11/2022

Forteiland IJmuiden

Pride at the Beach

Rain or shine, it's time to get out your flip-flops and swimwear as Pride Amsterdam returns to the beach at Zandvoort aan Zee from...

30/07/2023 - 01/08/2023

Pride at the Beach

ROEF Festival

It's time again for the highest festival in Amsterdam: the ROEF Expedition. For the seventh year in a row, ROEF brings festival-go...

09/06/2023 - 02/09/2023

Diverse Locaties / Various locations

Pluk de Nacht Filmfestival

For more than 20 years you can enjoy the open air film festival at the Stenen Hoofd in Amsterdam. This festival guarantees sultry ...

16/08/2023 - 26/08/2023

Het Stenen Hoofd

De Parade Theatre Festival

In the summer of 2023, the Parade, the travelling theatre festival with its colourful tents, terraces and restaurants, returns to ...

11/08/2023 - 27/08/2023

Martin Luther Kingpark

Amsterdam Open Air

The aim of Amsterdam Open Air is to reflect the diversity of today's electronic music scene and Amsterdam's nightlife, rather than...

03/06/2023 - 04/06/2023

Amsterdam Open Air

Dekmantel Festival

The multi-day Dekmantel Festival, which guarantees quality house and techno, returns in the summer of 2023 to the Amsterdamse Bos ...

04/08/2023 - 06/08/2023

Het Amsterdamse Bos

Grachtenfestival Amsterdam

In 2023, the Grachtenfestival will return to Amsterdam. At the Grachtenfestival everything starts with music. Young musicians from...

11/08/2023 - 20/08/2023

Grachtenfestival Amsterdam

Milkshake Festival

Milkshake Festival is a multi-genre music festival in Amsterdam and has become a favorite of the capital. Milkshake Festival will...

29/07/2023 - 30/07/2023

Westergas

Red Light Jazz Festival

Red Light Jazz is an annual festival that celebrates Amsterdam's position as a true jazz city. Each year, the event aims to showca...

02/06/2023 - 04/06/2023

Diverse Locaties / Various locations

Amsterdam Roots Festival

Amsterdam Roots is getting ready for one of the first open air festivals in Amsterdam. Unbelievable but true, Roots Open Air is re...

28/06/2023 - 02/07/2023

Oosterpark

Once Upon a Time

In a stunning town house on Museumplein square, right between the Van Gogh and the Moco Museum, a pop-up museum hosts the Once Upo...

21/05/2022 - 30/10/2022

Once Upon a Time

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