Culture Guide (August 2026)
This article contains sponsored items
Discover Rembrandt with Bloomberg Connects
Sponsored content
As the former residence of the famed Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn, this incredible museum dates back to the early 17th century. As you wander from room to room, marvelling at the carefully reconstructed space where Rembrandt once lived and worked, you’ll feel as if you are transported to Rembrandt’s own lifetime. As a painter and art dealer, he sold his own paintings and the work of others. You can listen to this remarkable story on the Bloomberg Connects platform, an audio tour with 9 stops that leads you through the entire museum. In addition to audio tours, you can also find stories, maps, and interviews with artists and curators on Bloomberg Connects. Download Bloomberg Connects to discover insights from experts, context, and more.
Editor's Pick: Amsterdamse Bostheater
There’s nothing quite like this whimsical escape into the forest to signal the very height of summer. Hidden beneath the leafy canopy of the Amsterdamse Bos lies the Bostheater, an enchanting open-air amphitheatre where plays, concerts and spoken word performances unfold beneath age-old trees. Though it is run almost entirely by volunteers, the theatre’s program features truly world-class talent, from Dutch chart-toppers like Chef Special to nights of contemporary storytelling. This August, the annual Bosfest returns the venue with ten days of performances, bringing together theatre, live music, poetry and comedy against the enchanted backdrop of these dense green woodlands.
Amsterdamse Bostheater | June – September | Amsterdamse Bos
Amsterdam’s Canal Museums
Sponsored content by Amsterdam’s Canal Museums
As you wander along Amsterdam’s picture-perfect canal belt, you’ll no doubt admire the beauty of the city’s canal houses. But these buildings offer more than just a pretty face: behind the facades of many of these stately homes lie world-class museums of history, nature, photography, and art. Discover extraordinary taxidermy at The Art Zoo Museum, selected for Time magazine's World's Greatest Places 2026. Or visit the acclaimed Grachtenmuseum to catch its newly-opened Love on the Canals exhibition, which tells the story of the last three decades of Amsterdam's world-famous Pride boat parade.
De Parade
Travelling theatre festival De Parade brightens the banks of the Amstel river once again this summer. Across July and August, this lively carnivalesque festival brings an unbeatable atmosphere to Martin Luther King Park with a mix of theatre, music, spoken word, dance, and a host of food trucks. Each year, this cherished institution draws Amsterdammers to its whimsical fairground setting for a perfect summer evening.
De Parade | 24 July – 9 August | Martin Luther King Park
WorldPride Amsterdam's Cultural Programme
As the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage, Amsterdam’s Pride celebrations have held a special place in Dutch culture for decades. This year, the city’s Pride program takes on a global lens, as Amsterdam hosts WorldPride, welcoming visitors from across the globe for an expanded program of exhibitions, performances, and, of course, plenty of parties. Catch the UNITY Concert on the green field of Amsterdam’s Museumplein, or attend the Human Rights Conference at the Beurs van Berlage in the city’s centre. Explore a range of exhibitions, from the history of the canal parade at the Museum of the Canals or a deep dive into drag in Amsterdam at the City Archives.
WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 Culture | Until 8 August | City-wide
Andy Warhol, The Textiles
This exhibition centres on the variety of textile designs that Andy Warhol created in the 1950s, before he became a pioneer of Pop Art. For the first time in the Netherlands, over sixty of these designs have been brought together, featuring motifs such as ice cream sundaes, toffee apples, colourful buttons, sliced lemons, pretzels, and jumping clowns. Discover how Warhol experimented early on with repetition and composition, laying the foundation for the style that's since made him world-famous.
Andy Warhol | Until 6 September | Museum Cobra
ARTIS Summer Nights
Dating back to 1838, ARTIS is one of Europe's oldest zoos. This beautiful green oasis, set in the lush waterside neighbourhood of De Plantage, is worth a visit at any time of year, but the long summer evenings bring an extra touch of magic to the zoo. Every Saturday throughout August, ARTIS keeps its doors open until the last daylight fades from the sky, offering a program of live music, workshops, outdoor activities and talks from keepers and researchers.
ARTIS Summer Nights | July – August | ARTIS
Summer Dance Forever
International dance festival Summer Dance Forever returns to Amsterdam for a week-long celebration of hip-hop and street dance culture. Dancers from around the world gather for spectacular battles at Paradiso, alongside a host of workshops, talks, club nights and performances that explore the evolution of urban dance styles. Catch African Perspectives the OBA Theater, featuring a program of dance works rooted in the movement and identities of the African diaspora. Or get ready to dance yourself with Digging Deep into House at Paradiso, where veteran house DJs guide you through the depths of the music genre.
Summer Dance Forever | 25 – 31 August | City-wide
Pluk de Nacht Festival
As the sun sets, wrap yourself in a blanket against the cool sea breeze and settle in for a night of cinema beneath the stars. Open-air film festival Pluk de Nacht – translating directly to ‘Seize the Night’ – returns to the scenic shores of Het Stenen Hoofd, a peaceful waterfront spot in Amsterdam’s West. Expect a program that brings independent cinema and arthouse favourites to the screen, as well as acclaimed documentaries and animation straight from the world's leading film festivals.
Pluk de Nacht Festival | 19 – 29 August | Het Stenen Hoofd
The Little Big Things
This astounding story of tragedy and resilience takes to the stage of the Royal Theatre Carré for its Dutch premiere. The new British musical The Little Big Things is based on the extraordinary true story of Henry Fraser. After an accident leaves him paralysed at 17 years old, Fraser is forced to reimagine the life he once envisioned for himself. But as this profoundly uplifting story unfolds, Fraser discovers unexpected strength and purpose despite unimaginable difficulty. Set against an acclaimed contemporary score by Nick Butcher and Tom Ling, The Little Big Things packs an emotional punch that is sure to linger beyond its final notes.
The Little Big Things | Until 16 August | Theater Carre
Follow our social media channels and stay up to date on events and happenings in Amsterdam, get inspiration for things to do and discover hidden gems on our dedicated @Iamsterdam Instagram and @Iamsterdam_official TikTok channel.