Amsterdam Entertainment

Amsterdam offers a diverse range of world-class entertainment, and has for centuries been a leading centre of culture in Europe. A variety of performances are staged in hundreds of venues throughout the city. There is also plenty of low-cost entertainment, from the multitude of street performers and live bands in bars and cafés.

Nightlife

Amsterdam is the perfect place to party. Most clubs open at 22:00 and stay open until 04:00 or 05:00. However, usually things only get going after midnight. The cultural calendar is full, but not jammed. There is a strong jazz scene, good dance clubs and enjoyable English-language shows at the little cabarets and theatres along the canals. Leidseplein is the centre of Amsterdam's nightlife, with some of the city's most popular restaurants, bars and nightspots all located within walking distance of each other around the square.

Theatre and music

All year round, every night of the week, you can find quality, English-language theatre in Amsterdam. Most of the major theatres are centred around the Leidseplein, within an easy stroll of each other.  

Amsterdam is bursting with live music; it is a city with a rich tradition in classical music and opera. In summer, concerts can be enjoyed at one of the city's beautiful parks. In bars and cafés all over Amsterdam, live music is played seven nights a week; you just have to know where to look. Anything from Mississippi blues and bluegrass, jazz improvisations and soothing classical violins to underground hip-hop, electronic music and dancehall reggae - you will find it here.

Festivals

• Amsterdam has a busy calendar of events, and with something going on during most months of the year, visitors can take in a festival or event of some kind during their visit. Highlights include: 
• During the yearly National Heritage Days in September, 35 of Amsterdam's most important monuments open their doors to the public free of charge, with guided tours on offer, giving visitors the opportunity to see otherwise hidden treasures.
• Every year, Holland's edition of Santa Claus (Sinterklaas) arrives in Amsterdam on a steamboat from his home in Madrid and makes his traditional entry into the city. After a reception, hosted by the mayor, Santa sets out on a merry parade through the city, escorted by floats, bands and hundreds of helpers.
• The annual Cannabis Cup in November celebrates all things related to marijuana. Amsterdam is well-known for its canals, red light district and notorious ‘coffee shops’, where patrons can buy and smoke a broad variety of the finest cannabis. Holland's tolerance towards soft drugs is a magnet for people from around the globe, who feel that here they can have a more relaxed lifestyle, even if it's just for a weekend. Thousands of visitors come to enjoy the city’s 400 ‘coffee shops’ in order to buy and smoke marijuana legally.
• The Holland Festival, held in June, is the main arts event in the Dutch calendar and sees Amsterdam brim with culture for over three weeks. Performances take place at the new modern music venue Muziekgebouw aan't IJ and many other major concert halls and theatres.
• The annual Amsterdam Canal Festival, the Grachtenfestival, held in August, puts on classical music concerts along two of the city's main canals. Nine days of indoor and outdoor performances culminate with the Prinsengracht concert, held on a floating stage in front of the Pulitzer Hotel.