Amsterdam Festivals & Major Events
The following are the main events that take place Amsterdam:
1st January: New Year's Day.
25th February: Commemoration of the “February Strike”, led by the city's dockers in 1941 against the Nazi's treatment of the Jews, held on J.D. Meierplein.
February and March: Amsterdam Carnival.
March: On the Sunday closest to 15th March there is a silent procession through the city - the Stille Omgang - which celebrates the “Amsterdam Miracle”, a 14th-century communion wafer, which was supposedly impossible to destroy in fire.
Late April: Keukenhof Floral Parade at Keukenhof Gardens, 30 km southwest of Amsterdam.
30th April: Konninginedag (Queen's Day). Street markets, street parties, fireworks and festivities throughout the entire city until the early evening.
4th May: Dodenherdenking (National Remembrance Day).
5th May: Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day) is celebrated by a smaller version of Queen's Day, held primarily in the Vondelpark.
June: The Netherlands feast of culture, the Holland Festival, is held throughout most of the month at the Stadsschouwburg and other nearby venues. It features major theatrical, operatic, dance and musical events, many for an English-speaking audience.
July-September: Free concerts and theatre performances are held on summer afternoons and evenings at the open-air pavilion in the Vondelpark, while classical music is performed by internationally renowned musicians on a barge in front of the Pulitzer Hotel.
Early August: Gay Pride, exuberant festival run by the city's large gay community, culminating in the colourful carnival parade on Prinsengracht.
Late August: On the last weekend of the month, the annual Uitmarkt takes place in Museumplein. This popular event, which attracts thousands, celebrates the opening of the cultural season in the Netherlands. There are mini-performances by dance, theatre and musical groups as well as hundreds of stalls, which provide information on the various events.
Early September: the annual Bloemencorso (Flower Parade) winds its way from Aalsmeer to Amsterdam in the first week of the month.
Mid-September: Jordaan Festival. Weekend in the Jordaan district devoted to a number of events, including brass bands and smartlap (tear-jerker music), choirs and more.
Mid-November: the parade of St. Nicolaas (the Dutch version of Santa Claus) arrives by steamer at Centraal Station, together with his Moorish helpers (the Zwarte Pieten), who distribute pepernoten (spice biscuits) to the city's children along the parade route.
5 December: shops close early so that families can celebrate Sinterklaas or Pakjesavond (Gift evening), exchanging presents and poems in honour of Saint Nicholas's birthday on 6 December.
31 December: Firework displays take place around Amsterdam harbour and around the Nieuwmarkt/Chinatown area at midnight. Try some oliebollen (doughnuts without the hole), which is an Oudejaars (New Year) tradition.