Festivals in Amsterdam

A quick look at Amsterdam's holiday calendar might give you the impression that the city is always celebrating something, and that's not far from the truth. The warmer months bring music, theater and film festivals, dance parties, parades and open-air shows, and the dark months have their own lineup of light art and late museum nights.

Even if you aren't coming for a particular festival, check what's on for your dates. A big event can be the best night of your trip, or the reason hotel prices spike. Here are the big ones, in calendar order, with the dates we could confirm.

Spring

King's Day (27 April)

This is Amsterdam's biggest party of the year, and it's the one this page used to call Queen's Day. Since 2014 the holiday has marked King Willem-Alexander's birthday on 27 April (moved to the 26th when the 27th falls on a Sunday). The whole city turns orange: street parties start the night before, the canals fill with boats, and a huge free flea market takes over the sidewalks. In 2027 it falls on a Tuesday.

Expect crowds you have to move with rather than through, and plan any sightseeing around it. Some attractions shorten their hours: the Anne Frank House, for example, closes at 5pm on King's Day. Our King's Day guide (it still carries its old Queen's Day address) has more, and April in Amsterdam covers the rest of the month.

Summer

Holland Festival (June)

The Holland Festival is the country's big international performing-arts festival, with theater, music, dance and opera at venues across the city through most of June. The 2026 edition, the 79th, ran from 3 to 28 June. It's the one to check if you want serious culture rather than a street party. See June in Amsterdam for what else is on.

Vondelpark Open Air Theatre (May to September)

Not a festival exactly, but the free weekend shows at the Vondelpark Openluchttheater run all summer: dance on Friday nights, comedy on Saturday nights, classical music on Sunday mornings. Free entry, donations welcome.

De Parade (late July to early August)

De Parade is a traveling theater festival that looks like an old-fashioned fairground: tents, a swing ride and food stalls, with short performances (most around half an hour) running several times a night, so you can see a few in one evening. It tours four Dutch cities each summer. Since 2025 the order has been Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam and then Utrecht, so Amsterdam is now the third stop rather than the last. In 2026 it played Amsterdam's Martin Luther Kingpark from 24 July to 9 August. You pay to enter the grounds and buy tickets per show.

Pride Amsterdam and the Canal Parade (late July to early August)

Pride Amsterdam is a week-plus of parties, talks and events, and the Canal Parade is the main event: decorated boats sailing through the canals past packed banks and bridges. It's some of the best people-watching you'll ever get. Amsterdam hosted WorldPride in 2026. Pride Amsterdam 2027 runs from 31 July to 8 August, with the Canal Parade on Saturday 7 August 2027. Our gay Amsterdam section has more.

Grachtenfestival (August)

The canal festival fills the city with classical music and jazz for about ten days in August, with concerts at more than 95 locations along the canals and across the city. The 2026 edition ran from 7 to 16 August. Many concerts are ticketed, so check the festival's program early. See August in Amsterdam for the rest of the month.

Autumn

Amsterdam Dance Event (October)

The Amsterdam Dance Event is when the city's clubs are at their best. It's a five-day mix of club nights all over town and a music-industry conference that runs alongside the festival (older versions of this page said the conference came first). The 2026 edition is the 30th and runs 21 to 25 October. If you're coming for it, book your bed early. Our Amsterdam clubs page is a good place to start.

Museumnacht (early November)

For one night, more than 70 Amsterdam museums stay open until the small hours with music, performances and bars. Museumnacht 2026 is on Saturday 7 November, from 7pm to 2am. It sells out most years, so buy early. More in our Museum Night guide.

Winter

Amsterdam Light Festival (late November to mid-January)

Light artworks go up along the canals and around the city for about seven weeks, and you can see them on foot or from a canal boat. The 15th edition runs from 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027. It's the best reason to visit in the dark months, along with the rest of our Amsterdam in winter advice.

New Year's Eve (31 December)

Amsterdam is still one of Europe's most popular cities for New Year's, but don't picture the days of street fireworks this page used to describe. Amsterdam already banned consumer fireworks in recent years, and a nationwide ban on consumer fireworks took effect on 1 August 2026, so 2026-27 is the first New Year's under it. Towns can still put on professional displays. See our New Year's in Amsterdam page for how the night works now.

How to pick a festival for your trip

• You want the city at full volume: King's Day or the Pride Canal Parade. Book your bed months ahead.
• You want club nights: Amsterdam Dance Event in October.
• You want culture without the crush: the Holland Festival in June, or the Grachtenfestival in August.
• You're coming in winter: time it for the Light Festival, and Museumnacht if you're here in early November.

For the most up-to-date listings of everything on in the city, check the I amsterdam events calendar, and our month-by-month pages, from January to December.

photo by passer-by