What events are celebrated in Amsterdam?

Many popular eventsand even world-renowned, take place in Amsterdam every year.

In this article, I want to share with you some of Amsterdam's biggest events.

Here we go!

Amsterdam events: article summary

Amsterdam event: the Festival of Lights

L'Amsterdam Light Festival is an annual festival of light art in Amsterdam.

Artists, architects and designers from all over the world bring their artworks and light installations to life during the festival. The works are arranged along two routes. Each route has its own theme and a set of artworks.

I suggest you admire this spectacle at night, as light sculptures are set up in various places in the city center.

Christmas markets

If you're looking to do some Christmas shopping, fancy a hot chocolate or are ready to do some ice skatingChristmas markets are the place to be!

Amsterdam is home to Christmas markets all over the city, several ice rinks and even an ice sculpture festival!

If you want to know more about Christmas markets in Amsterdam, I recommend you read the article I wrote on the subject.

Event in Amsterdam: Tulip Day

The Dutch are known the world over for their tulips and the Tulip Day is a major event in Amsterdam!

Every year, on the third Saturday in January, Dutch tulip growers build a huge garden with around 200,000 tulips on the Dam square.

Amsterdam's largest garden transforms Dam Square into a sea of color, where thousands of people come pick up a free bouquet of flowers.

It's the official start of the tulip season in the Netherlands.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is a big event in Amsterdam every year.

It takes place near Nieuwmarkt (China Town) and it's a real spectacle.

With fireworks, dragon dances and delicious food, it's well worth a visit!

Amsterdam event: Gay Pride

Amsterdam Gay Pride is probably Amsterdam's best-known international event.

The festival attracts several hundred thousand visitors every year and is one of the biggest annual events in the Netherlands.

The event generally lasts a week of various activities, including exhibitions, cultural and sporting events.

There are also plenty of street parties, and the whole event is very inclusive.

At the climax of the festival, you'll find the Canal Paradea parade of boats of all types on the first Saturday in August.

The King's Festival

It's one of Amsterdam's major festivals, and many Dutch people look forward to it all year round.

Every year, around a million people take to the streets and canals of Amsterdam, most of them dressed in orange, making it one of the biggest street parties in the world.

King's Day is a national holiday on which people celebrate the birthday of King Willem Alexander.

All over Amsterdam (and in many other cities throughout the country), you'll find concerts, street vendors, open-air bars and lots of people to party with!

Amsterdam event: the Vondelpark open-air theater

Vondelpark is the famous park in the center of Amsterdam. In summer, it's a meeting place for tourists and locals alike. Here, you can take advantage of the huge green space to walk, cycle or simply relax on the grass with food and drink.

In the middle of the park is the open-air theater. During this event, the Vondelpark theater is used for all kinds of free shows for all ages.

Open Garden Days

Hidden behind the majestic facades of the houses along Amsterdam's canals are some of the city's best-kept secrets: private gardens.

At this annual event, some thirty gardens are open to the public.

You need to buy a ticket, but this will give you access to all participating gardens. As an option, you can take a special river boat that will take you from one garden to the next.

Amsterdam event: Heritage Day

For two days, during this event, Amsterdam's monuments open to the public.

It's the only chance you'll get to peek inside luxury canal houses, castles, palaces, old farmhouses and even forgotten factories.

Around 4,000 historic buildings and sites throughout the Netherlands are accessible during this event.

During your stay, you'll probably be able to take part in one of the events on offer in Amsterdam. These allow you to get up close to the locals and experience an exceptional moment in the city.

What to do in Amsterdam in 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 5 days, a week?

Whatever the length of your stay, I invite you to download my special Amsterdam guide.

It's free and in PDF format.

All you have to do is tell me below which e-mail address you'd like to receive it at.

EDIT: you can't enter your email?

Take the quiz at the top of this article and you'll be able to register your email address to receive the special Amsterdam guide!