Amsterdam Events Calendar 2026: Festivals, Concerts and Sport
Plan your year around Amsterdam's calendar—from April's orange chaos to Pride's Canal Parade, electronic music's biggest night, and winter's glowing canals.
Amsterdam fills its calendar with events that draw international crowds and demand advance planning. The city's festival season runs year-round, but the dates worth rearranging your year for cluster in spring, summer, and fall. King's Day in late April and the Pride Canal Parade in August are the two unmissables—hotels for those weekends book out 6–12 months ahead. The late-summer and autumn stretch brings the Grachtenfestival's classical music, ADE's electronic scene (now in its 30th anniversary edition), and the TCS Amsterdam Marathon's flat, fast course. Winter turns the canals into an open-air light museum with the Amsterdam Light Festival running deep into January. All dates and ticket links verified from official sources; booking windows vary from same-week for smaller events to months ahead for the big four.
King's Day
Citywide · National orange party and street festival · 27 April
The orange-clad national party takes over Amsterdam on 27 April, drawing crowds from dawn into the night for street markets, live music, and canal-side performances. Book hotels 6–12 months ahead—the city sells out completely. Day trips work if you want to avoid the accommodation scramble; most routes run past the royal palace on Dam Square where the official proceedings take place.
Pride Canal Parade
Canal belt and Dam Square · LGBTQIA+ celebration and the world-famous canal parade · 1 August
The Saturday 1 August headline event sees around 80 boats representing community groups, embassies, sports teams and companies sail through the canal belt from late morning to evening, drawing around half a million spectators. The canal-belt streets fill solid; arrive early for a quay-side spot or book a window table at a participating canal restaurant months ahead, as accommodation in the canal ring sells out completely for Pride weekend.
Grachtenfestival
Canal belt and city centre · Classical and jazz music festival · 7–16 August, free Prinsengrachtconcert 22 August
The Netherlands' largest classical-music and jazz festival, held every August along the city's UNESCO-listed canal belt, transforms courtyards, churches, rooftops and floating pontoons into pop-up concert halls showcasing young musical talent for ten days, with many performances free, and culminates in the famous free Prinsengrachtconcert on Saturday, August 22. The 2026 theme is Flow, inspired by water, movement and harmony, and the festival enters the Rijksmuseum for the first time.
Open Monumentendag
Citywide, historic buildings across Amsterdam · Heritage Day with free access to normally-closed buildings · 12–13 September
For one weekend, monuments and historic buildings around the city open their doors to visitors, including places that normally aren't accessible to the public, with access to canal houses with remarkable interiors to historic banks, hotels and more modern landmarks, alongside talks, performances and other cultural programming throughout the weekend. Many entries are free; check the official openmonumentendag.nl for listings.
TCS Amsterdam Marathon
Olympic Stadium and citywide route · Marathon, half marathon, and 7.5 km run · 17–18 October
In 2026, the Marathon will take place on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, with highlights of the course including the start and finish at the iconic 1928 Olympic Stadium, the Rijksmuseum, Vondelpark, the Amstel River, and the Heineken Experience. The TCS Amsterdam Marathon is a World Athletics Platinum Label race, one of only a few in the world alongside the six World Marathon Majors. Registration for the 2026 Marathon opens on December 20.
Cinekid Festival
Various locations citywide · World's largest children's film and media festival · 10–25 October
Cinekid is one of the world's largest children's film and media festivals, with films, workshops, and interactive installations. The festival draws young audiences and families from across Europe; book tickets early for popular screenings. Many venues are in walkable neighbourhoods, so it's easy to make a full day of it.
Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE)
300+ venues across central Amsterdam · World's largest electronic music conference and festival · 21–25 October
The 2026 edition runs October 21 to 25 and marks the festival's 30-year anniversary, with the organisation rolling out specials, retrospectives, and one-off bookings, running across 300+ venues in central Amsterdam with projected 400,000+ attendees, 200+ stages, 3,300+ artists, and 1,200+ events. Jean-Michel Jarre headlines the opening concert at AFAS Live on October 21. Book accommodation by July.
Museum Night
Across Amsterdam's museums citywide · Extended late-night museum hours with performances and talks · First Saturday of November (2026: 7 November)
Museum Night allows visitors to explore museums late into the night with special programmes, performances, and talks, and is particularly popular with younger audiences. Most major institutions stay open until midnight or later. Buy tickets in advance; individual museum passes do not cover this event.
Amsterdam Light Festival
Canal belt and citywide streets · Light art installations and evening canal walks · 26 November 2026 – 17 January 2027
The 15th edition runs from Thursday 26 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027, marking a milestone. The light artworks are freely visible to everyone—no ticket needed to walk past them—but for a curated experience with commentary on the artworks, you can book a canal cruise, guided bike tour, or purchase the walking route map via the app. Walk at your own pace or take an evening boat tour; the full route is about 7 kilometres.
Holland Festival
Various theatres and public spaces citywide · World-class performing arts festival with theatre, dance, music · 3–28 June
Held every June, it brings world-class theatre, dance, music and multidisciplinary performances to stages and public spaces across the city, from innovative contemporary works to reinterpretations of classic pieces, attracting artists and audiences from around the globe, with visitors able to immerse themselves in thought-provoking performances, live concerts, and spectacular outdoor shows. Book tickets as they release in spring; many performances sell out.
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