Kwaku Summer Festival

From football tournament to festival

Kwakoe started in 1975 as a small-scale football tournament to provide youth in the Bijlmermeer who could not go on holiday with a nice summer. Kwaku soon grew into a competition where not only football was played, but where food and drink played an important role. The festival is best known for its atmosphere and besides football, there are many other activities such as debates, lectures, dance workshops, beauty pageants 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 every year. The festival brings cultures together and provides a beautiful whole of performances, dance, film, music and of course football.

Flavours galore

The large number of stalls with food and drink is one of the major draws for many visitors. Here you can order the tastiest exotic drinks, Surinamese spare ribs, spicy Korean tacos and other Asian, African, Caribbean and South American dishes.

Pink Kwaku

The second last Sunday of July Kwaku turns Pink. Pink Sunday is known as one of the most extravagant days of the Kwaku Summer Festival, where LGBTIQ+ and straight crowds come for a cultural spectacle. It should therefore come as no surprise that the Roze Kwaku event is part of the Amsterdam Pride programming.

Check out the Kwaku Summer Festival website for tickets and more information.

Amsterdam 750

On 27 October 2025, Amsterdam will celebrate its 750th anniversary, marking a year-long celebration. Starting on 27 October 2024, a jubilee year full of activities for all Amsterdammers begins.