Amsterdam is well-renowned for having a large number of diverse festivals on its cultural calendar. Events run throughout the entire year, although the main festival season peaks during the summer months. The city’s major festivals include Holland Festival, Uitmarkt, Grachten Festival, Amsterdam Dance Event and the Amsterdam Light Festival.
In the following listing, we mention over 45 Amsterdam festivals ordered by season, plus a few more around the rest of the Netherlands.
Note due to many event cancellations over 2020-2022, some festivals may be re-scheduled to off-season dates.
Amsterdam City Passes
These all inclusive passes may save you money on a well planned Amsterdam itinerary.
| Most attractions + city transport | Includes some tour excursions | Includes Van Gogh Museum |
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| I amsterdam City Card | GO City Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass | Tiqets Amsterdam Digital Pass |
| 1/2/3/4/5 days | 1/2/3/5 days | package deal |
| €65 – €135 | €59 – €119 | €62 |
| 70 attractions + transport + canal cruise + bike rental | Over 25 attractions/tours + canal cruise + bike rental | Rijksmuseum + Van Gogh Museum + canal cruise |
| excludes Anne Frank House / Van Gogh Museum / tours | excludes Anne Frank House / Van Gogh Museum / transport | excludes any other attractions |
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Spring festivals in Amsterdam
CineDans Fest – [DANCE FILM] International ‘dance on screen’ festival with around 60 film screenings plus debates and workshops. Date: expected 24-26 Mar 2023 (19th edition). Location: EYE Film, Amsterdam.
Kaboom Animation Festival [ANIMATION FILM] – Cutting-edge films from experimental art-house to colorful stories for families and kids. Date: Utrecht: 24-29 Mar 2023; Amsterdam: 30 Mar – 2 Apr 2023. Location: various venues in Amsterdam and Utrecht.
Amsterdam Coffee Festival – [COFFEE] A festival event for coffee lovers and industry professionals featuring artisan coffee, gourmet food stalls, barista demonstrations, live music and art exhibitions. Founded 2014. Date: rescheduled for 30 Mar – 1 Apr 2023. Location: Westergas, Amsterdam.
Tulp Festival – [FLOWERS] Tulip Festival Amsterdam, tulips will be on display across the entire city during the whole month of April 2023.
DGTL Festival – [ELECTRONIC MUSIC] Global electronic music festival with mix of art installations and sustainability projects. Date: 7-9 Apr 2023. Location: NDSM wharf, Amsterdam.
King’s Day – [STREET PARTY] Amsterdam goes orange crazy one day each year with this huge street party and market celebrating the King’s birthday. Date: 27 Apr 2023.
Amsterdam Art Week – [ART] The Amsterdam Art Week event features various exhibitions, performances, screenings, debates and gallery tours. Date: 31 May – 4 Jun 2023. Location: Galleries and project spaces around Amsterdam.
Rolling Kitchens – [FOOD] The Rollende Keukens food festival (free entry) features dozens of mobile kitchens and food trucks offering appetising dishes plus live music. Date: Expected 17-21 May 2023 (15th edition). Location: Westerpark, Amsterdam.
Taste of Amsterdam – [FOOD] Culinary festival held over 4 days with dishes from some of Amsterdam’s best restaurants and chefs. Events include tastings, workshops, a food market and live music. Date: expected June 2023. Location: expected at Amstelpark, Amsterdam.
Summer festivals in Amsterdam
Holland Festival – [PERFORMING ARTS] The country’s biggest performing arts festival running most of June every year. The event features scores of performances including theatre, visual arts, classical, dance, opera and film. It attracts a high calibre of local and international performers with around 75,000 visitors. Founded 1947. Date: June 2023 (76th edition). Locations: Multiple locations in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam Open Air – [ELECTRONIC MUSIC] Outdoor music festival with camping area held over a weekend. Founded 2011. Date: expected 3-4 Jun 2023. Location: Gaasperpark, south-east Amsterdam.
No Art Festival – [UNCONVENTIONAL ART] Features unconventional art-performances and pioneering musicians. Date: 24 Jun 2023. Location: Flevopark in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam Roots Festival – [WORLD MUSIC] Well-established international music and circus festival held at various venues around the city. Founded in 1983 as the Africa Roots Festival, and since 1998 as the Amsterdam Roots Festival. Date: late June/early July 2023. Locations: Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Bimhuis, TapasTheater, CC Amstel, OSCAM, New Metropolis ZO, all in Amsterdam. The free Roots Open Air will be at Oosterpark, Amsterdam on 2 Jul 2023 (date to be confirmed).
Julidans – [DANCE] International contemporary dance festival with a broad programme. Date: 2-16 Jul 2023. Location: Internationaal Theater Amsterdam and at other locations in the city.
Over het IJ Festival – [THEATRE] A 10 day summer theatre festival held on the waterfront of the IJ river and around Amsterdam Noord. It also includes live bands, DJs and plenty of good food and drink. Date: July 2023 (31st edition). Location: NDSM wharf, Amsterdam (accessible by free ferry from Amsterdam Central).
Guilty Pleasures Festival – [PARTY] Party festival with nostalgic theme and wide array of activities. Date: 8-9 Jul 2023. Location: Gaasperplas, Amsterdam.
Kwaku Summer Festival – [WORLD MUSIC] Large summer festival (founded in 1975 as a local football tournament) focussed around the culturally diverse Zuidoost (south-east) district of Amsterdam. Has a broad range of activities including art and music, a football tournament and food offerings. Date: 15 Jul to 6 Aug 2023 each weekend. Location: Nelson Mandela Park, Amsterdam.
Milkshake Festival – [DANCE PARTY] Gay-friendly dance music festival over a weekend organised by Paradiso and AIR which includes a camping area. Date: 29-30 Jul 2023. Location: Westerpark, Amsterdam.
Pride Amsterdam – [LGBT EVENT] World famous annual LGBT event held over a week at the end of July/beginning of August. The highlight is the spectacular canal parade around the Prinsengracht canal and river Amstel which attracts large crowds. Date: expected 29 Jul – 6 Aug 2023. Location: around Amsterdam.
Dekmantel Festival – [ELECTRONIC MUSIC] Electro music festival featuring a large line-up of cutting-edge artists. Date: 2-6 Aug 2023. Location: Held at 8 stages in Amsterdamse Bos and at various venues around the IJ river in Amsterdam.
Sail Amsterdam 2025 – [TALL SHIPS] Major international tall ships event held in Amsterdam every 5 years. With around 600 ships moored around the IJ, it has become Europe’s largest free-access nautical event. 2020 event was cancelled. Date: expected August 2025. Location: IJ harbour Amsterdam.
De Parade – [THEATRE] A travelling theatre festival which visits Rotterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven, Utrecht and Amsterdam. The Amsterdam event normally takes place in the Rivierenbuurt district. Date: 18 Aug – 3 Sep 2023. Location: Martin Luther King Park, Amsterdam.
Grachtenfestival – [CLASSICAL MUSIC] Canal festival featuring classical and jazz music performances throughout Amsterdam, many on unique stages on the city’s waterways. Date: 11-20 Aug 2023 (26th edition). Location: various around Amsterdam.
Loveland Festival – [DANCE PARTY] Big DJ dance festival event with a local and international line-up in the western suburbs of Amsterdam. Date: expected 12-13 Aug 2023. Location: Sloterpark, Amsterdam.
Reggae Lake Festival – [REGGAE] The largest reggae music festival to be held in the Netherlands. Date: 19-20 Aug 2023. Location: Gaasperpark in Amsterdam.
Uitmarkt – [ARTS] The largest cultural festival (normally 300 performances across 25 stages) in the Netherlands taking place in central Amsterdam over a single weekend, marking the start of the new Dutch cultural season. Free entry. Date: 25-27 Aug 2023 (46th edition). Location: various around Amsterdam.
Mysteryland Festival – [ELECTRONIC MUSIC] Large electronic music festival event with multiple stages held over an August weekend just outside Amsterdam. Features over 250 artists and 100,000 visitors. Includes a well-equipped camping site. Founded 1993. Date: 25-27 Aug 2023 (28th edition). Location: Floriade festival grounds, Haarlemmermeer (near Hoofddoprp).
Pluk de Nacht Festival – [OPEN-AIR FILM] “Seize the night” open-air film festival (free entry) showing a variety of unreleased international films, animations and documentaries. Also held in Utrecht. Founded 2003. Date: Aug – Sep 2023 (20th edition). Location: Het Stenen Hoofd, Amsterdam.
Autumn festivals in Amsterdam
Amsterdam Fringe Festival – [THEATRE] The Dutch Theatre Festival shows the best of last season’s productions whilst the Fringe offers avant-garde theatre. Date: 7-17 Sep 2023. Location: various around Amsterdam.
Valtifest – [ELECTRONIC MUSIC] DJs perform dance, house, electro and hip-hop. Date: expected 2 Sep 2023. Location: Kaap Oost (Zeeburgereiland) in Amsterdam.
ZeeZout Festival – [DANCE PARTY] Electronic music festival with the motto ‘making friends dance’. Date: Sep 2023. Location: Tuinen van West in Amsterdam.
Jordaan Festival – [FOLK MUSIC] Dutch musical singers gather in the streets of the Jordaan neighbourhood. Founded 1975. Date: Sep 2023 (unconfirmed). Location: Appeltjesmarkt, Amsterdam.
KOHA (Klassiek Op Het Amstelveld) – [CLASSICAL MUSIC] Open-air festival which gives a stage to young international classical talent. Date: 15-17 Sep 2023. Location: Amstelveld Amsterdam.
Ambacht in Beeld Festival – [CRAFT] Festival offering workshops, masterclasses and documentary films covering a wide range of craft skills. Date: 23-24 Sep 2023. Location: NDSM Loods in Amsterdam.
Camera Japan – [JAPANESE CULTURE] Japanese cultural festival which features film, art, music, architecture plus Japanese food. Founded 2006. Date: expected 28 Sep – 1 Oct 2023 (18th edition). Location: LAB111
Lift-Off Film Festival – [INDEPENDENT FILM] International film festival showcasing emerging artists and featuring shorts, documentaries, animations and features. Date: Oct 2023. Location: LAB111, Amsterdam.
Cinekid – [KIDS FILM] International film, television and new media festival for kids. Date: Oct 2023. Location: Pathé Amsterdam Noord.
Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) – [ELECTRONIC MUSIC] Major international conference and festival for electronic music. The festival normally has an extensive range of electronic sub-genres; it’s also the world’s most important electric music conference for industry professionals. Date: 18-22 Oct 2023 (28th edition). Location: various around Amsterdam.
Imagine Film Festival – [CULT FILM] Well-established international film festival (formerly Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival) showing sci-fi, cult, fantasy and horror films. Founded 1984. Date: Oct – Nov 2023 (39th edition). Location: Film Hallen/LAB111, Amsterdam.
IDFA – [DOCUMENTARY FILM] International documentary film festival Amsterdam. Annual event showing a wide variety of thought-provoking documentaries. Date: 8-19 Nov 2023 (35th edition). Location: Pathé Tuschinski, Het Ketelhuis, de Brakke Grond theatre, Amsterdam plus others.
Winter festivals in Amsterdam
Note, some of the winter festivals have been impacted by the lockdowns and their future status is unknown.
Amsterdam Light Festival – [ILLUMINATIONS] Light art installations around the centre of Amsterdam. Date: expected 30 Nov 2023 – 21 Jan 2024 (12th edition). Location: Amsterdam
IMPRO Amsterdam – [IMPRO THEATRE] Improvisation theatre festival which attracts a high calibre of international impro players. Date: Feb – Mar 2024 (28th edition). Location: Zonnehuis Theatre Amsterdam.
Chocoa Festival – [CHOCOLATE] Chocolate festival promoting sustainable and good quality chocolate including workshops and tastings. Date: 7-11 Feb 2024. Location: Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam.
Other festivals in the Netherlands
Pinkpop – [POP/ROCK] Large annual music festival running which features major artists playing on 4 stages. Founded 1970. Date: 16-18 Jun 2023. Location: Megaland, Landgraaf in Limburg, south Netherlands.
North Sea Jazz Festival – [JAZZ] The world’s largest indoor music festival held over 3 days featuring international jazz plus blues, soul, funk, hip hop, world music and more. Founded 1976. Date: 7-9 Jul 2023. Location: Ahoy Rotterdam.
Redhead Days – [REDHEADS] Gathering of ‘redhead’ people from all over the world. Festival includes about 50 activities and a group photoshoot. Founded 2005. Date: 25-27 Aug 2023 (16th edition). Location: Spoorpark Tilburg.
NOTE – We try to provide as accurate info as possible, however some smaller events may only confirm exact dates a few weeks beforehand; events can also be changed or cancelled at short notice.
Last updated 13 March 2023. This article was first published in 2019 and has been regularly updated.
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