From football tournament to festival
Kwakoe started in 1975 as a small-scale football tournament to give the youth in Bijlmermeer who could not go on holiday a nice summer. Kwaku quickly grew into a competition where not only football was played, but where food and drink took an important place. The festival is mainly known for its atmosphere and in addition to football there are many other activities such as debates, lectures, dance workshops, beauty contests and music performances.
Kwaku Summer Festival is one of the larger festivals in the Netherlands and one of the largest events in Amsterdam, attracting around 300,000 visitors each year. The festival brings cultures together and provides a beautiful whole of performances, dance, film, music and of course football.
Flavors in abundance
The large number of stalls with food and drinks is one of the major attractions for many visitors. Here you can order the most delicious exotic drinks, Surinamese spareribs, spicy Korean tacos and other Asian, African, Caribbean and South American dishes.
Pink Kwaku
Pink Kwaku is usually celebrated on the penultimate Sunday in July. Hopefully Kwaku will turn pink again in 2027, but that depends on whether the festival goes ahead in a new format. Pink Sunday is known as one of the most extravagant days of the Kwaku Summer Festival, where everyone is welcome to enjoy a cultural spectacle. Pink Sunday forms part of Queer & Pride Amsterdam.
