Netherlands Events

So central are windmills to the nation's heritage that a special day is devoted to their vital role in draining the lowlands. Many of the molens (windmills) are decked out in flowers, garlands, figures of angels or the Dutch flag and opened to the public, with exhibitions and demonstrations of the miller's art. Eight windmills remain in, or near Amsterdam, including the Molen van Sloten, at Akersluis 10 in the southwest suburbs, and the Riekermolen, at De Borcht 10 on the banks of the Amstel.

This festival seeks out and presents new forms from the world music scene. Concerts take place at several venues leading up to the finale on Sunday of the festival week, an outdoor event held at Oosterpark. Five different stages are set up in the park to deliver a vibrant and varied musical mix, one especially for children

The principal festival of the performing arts in the Netherlands features classical music, opera, theatre, dance, pop, world music and cinema, plus art and literature events. Both internationally recognized artists and buzz-worthy newcomers perform in some 40 productions around town.

The 11-day festival of experimental theatre takes place on the NDSM wharf in north Amsterdam. Some two dozen on-the-edge performances are enacted in abandoned warehouses and a set of old railroad cars in this semi-remote location, a 15-minute ferry ride (free) from behind Centraal Station. Most shows are in Dutch but non-speakers can enjoy the dance and mime programs, live music and generally conspiratorial atmosphere.

Kwakoe is Amsterdam's biggest multicultural festival and the main event of the Surinamese and African communities. Nominally a commemoration of the abolition of slavery in the former Dutch colony of Surinam in 1863, the fest goes on over six summer weekends in southeast Amsterdam. Thousands flock to Bijlmerpark for live music, dancing, film screenings, discussions and many varieties of ethnic food, plus a football tournament for the Kwakoe Trophy.

Major jazz festival, with some 1,300 artists over a single weekend, attended by over 65,000 music fans. The festival attracts some of the biggest names in jazz and other related genres, including blues, pop, funk and world.

As many as half a million culture vultures join in the weekend of Uitmarkt, a free festival offering snippets and samplers of the upcoming theatre season in a range of indoor and outdoor venues. Plays, film screenings, concerts of all kinds, dance performances, cabaret, street theatre, mime and children's shows all find a place on this exciting programme of events.

A sort of cultural travelling carnival, De Parade is an event on the move, hitting Rotterdam, the Hague and Utrecht before settling into Amsterdam for most of August. The festival features a cavalcade of theatre, film and music in a series of circus-like tents, along with rides for the kids. Most of the edgy theatre and cabaret works, averaging 30 minutes apiece, stage multiple performances throughout the evening.

One of the largest gay and lesbian events in Europe is held in mid-summer. The highlight is a Canal Parade on Saturday afternoon, when dozens of fancifully decorated barges packed with wackily garbed revellers navigate their way through the Prinsengracht and Amstel River. Street parties catering to different sub-groups go on all over town, while club nights, sport and films also feature in the festival.

Deventer on the river Ijssel was one of the famous Hanseatic trading towns in its day, and it preserves much of its impressive early architecture and cultural heritage. For one day each year, it is the scene of the renowned 'Boekenmarkt', one of the largest annual book markets in Europe. Literature and poetry abound, and there are special events for children.

In the heart of Maastricht, the central square fills with more than 40 marquees and stalls at the end of August for a drinking, dining and entertainment experience that runs into the early hours. Live music is played on a permanent stage and visitors can choose between bar and restaurant tents and smaller food stalls, all of them offering delicious fare. Payment is by prepaid vouchers ('preuvene-lappe'), enabling diners to 'graze' freely while wandering through the festive square, which is evocatively lit at night, and to enjoy the lively, party atmosphere. Many of the mouth-watering specialities are reasonably priced, while fine cuisine will consume vouchers rapidly.

Maastricht holds the biggest of the Dutch carnivals, a three-day party that's extended to a full week by some seasoned revellers. The show starts for real on Carnival Sunday, when brass bands march through the city streets. Later, stages are set up for live music and DJs. Meanwhile, fancy dress parties take place in neighbourhoods throughout the city, each with music and entertainment laid on. Maastricht's many bars stay open all night through carnival, and the crowds enjoy singing and dancing in the streets, most of them wearing their 'pekskes' (carnival costumes). Everyone comes down to earth on Ash Wednesday, the day after carnival, when a portion of 'heering biete' (herring and bread) is the traditional consolation.

Nearly 200,000 spectators crowd the streets and canals of Amsterdam to watch an international contingent of athletes compete in the city's annual marathon, with a further 10,000 inside the Olympic Stadium to witness the start and the finish of the race. The 42km course usually includes the nature reserves on both sides of the Amstel River, the Maritime Museum, the historic canals lined with gabled houses and the leafy acres of the Vondelpark.

In November, a major parade marks the arrival of Saint Nicholas, aka Sinterklaas, from Spain, along with hundreds of his sooty-faced helpers known as Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters). The white-bearded character and his entourage sail up the Amstel into central Amsterdam, then ride horses down to Dam Square as the Peters hurl ginger biscuits to the thousands of children in attendance. The spectacle is a prelude to the Dec 5 gift-giving ritual.

About 700,000 people visit Keukenhof Gardens each spring to admire the tulips and other bulb flowers in full bloom. This incredible display of colour is in a beautiful setting, covering an area of 32 hectares (80 acres). There are individual flower shows in three pavilions. Carolus Clusius, the biologist of Leiden's Hortus Botanicus, is generally credited with introducing the tulip into Holland in 1593 and thus unleashing 'tulip mania' on Europe. Azalea, Hortensia, Syringa, Viburnum, Prunus, Forsythia, Lilies, Orchids, Anthurium, Bromelia Begonia and Cyclamen are also on display. Set in a sylvan landscape, the displays incorporate both traditional and modern ideas of garden design.

Thrillers, science fiction, horror and cult movies are the mainstay of the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, which has been terrifying audiences since 1984. The programme includes features, retrospectives, a Fantastic Shorts section, a children's day and an all-night horror film marathon. There are more than 70 screenings overall. Winners of the Black Tulip, the festival's jury award, and the Silver Scream Award, for the film most popular with the audience, are announced on the final evening.

Up to a million people take to the streets of Amsterdam for the annual Koninginnedag celebrations, when the Dutch celebrate the birthday of their Queen Mother, Princess Juliana. Carnival floats, parades, street theatre, fireworks and decorated canal boats are among the treats on offer and everyone dons wacky orange costumes and wigs in token of the royal house. The night preceding the big day is marked by ecstatic parties with top DJs working the crowds.

The 'Bloemencorso van de Bollenstreek' is a parade of flower-decorated floats that makes a slow 40km (25-mile) passage from Noordwijk to Haarlem, where the cavalcade forms an illuminated display overnight. A different theme is adopted each year for this popular festival, which usually attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators who line the length of its route. About 20 large floats are piled high with carefully arranged blooms in a profusion of scent and colour, and more the 30 decorated luxury cars follow, interspersed with marching bands. The town of Noordwijk is treated to a special illuminated parade on the Friday evening beforehand.

A celebration of the late Queen Juliana's birthday, this is Holland's biggest party of the year. Everyone dons wacky orange outfits, live music blares across public squares and boats packed with revellers ply the canals. Another Queen's Day custom is to hold rummage sales along the streets.