What's on in Amsterdam, Netherlands through the year

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, New Year's Eve

• Rule

  Timed tickets at the big museums

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  The Anne Frank House sells online only, in time slots released roughly six weeks ahead, and the Van Gogh Museum works the same way. Turning up on the day is not a plan between March and October. Source ↗

Still on: Amsterdam Light Festival (26 Nov – 17 Jan), New Year's Eve (28 Dec – 2 Jan)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Voorjaarsvakantie (February) holidays in Netherlands

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — between the peaks, Tulip season

• Nature

  Tulip season

  19 Mar – 10 May · usuallyWildflowers & bloomsCrowded

  The bulb fields around Lisse run from late March to the second week of May and usually look their best in the second half of April. Keukenhof is the ticketed version; the fields either side of the road are free and, on a bike, better. Source ↗

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Tulip season

• Festival

  King's Day

  27 AprNational holidayCrowded

  The king's birthday turns the whole city into a street market and a boat party, and the centre closes to traffic. Rooms are booked and priced months out; the trains in are full from breakfast. Source ↗

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Tulip season (19 Mar – 10 May (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Tulip season

• Holiday

  Remembrance and Liberation Day

  4–5 MayNational holidayCrowded

  Two minutes of national silence at eight on the evening of the 4th, trams and all, then free festivals across the city on the 5th. The quiet is the part visitors remember. Source ↗

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Tulip season (19 Mar – 10 May (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Vondelpark open-air theatre

  1 Jun – 31 Aug · usuallyMajor festival

  Free weekend concerts, cabaret and children's theatre in the park from June to the end of August. It is a picnic with a stage rather than a festival, and it is the reason the Vondelpark is unusable on a warm Sunday. Source ↗

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Pride Canal Parade

• Festival

  Pride Canal Parade

  25 Jul – 8 AugCrowdedBook early

  The boat parade takes over the Prinsengracht on the first Saturday of August, at the end of a week of street parties. Amsterdam hosts WorldPride in 2026, so the 2026 edition runs longer and larger than usual. Source ↗

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Vondelpark open-air theatre (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Pride Canal Parade

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Vondelpark open-air theatre (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)), Pride Canal Parade (25 Jul – 8 Aug)

Shoulder season — between the peaks, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Amsterdam Dance Event

• Festival

  Amsterdam Dance Event

  20–26 Oct · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Five days in October when a thousand-odd events fill the clubs and every hotel room in the ring at the same time. Book before the line-up is announced or pay for the privilege. Source ↗

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Sinterklaas

  14 Nov – 5 DecMajor festival

  Sinterklaas arrives by boat in mid-November and the country spends three weeks on the run-up to the evening of 5 December, which is the real Dutch gift night. Children's event, but the whole city plays along. Source ↗

• Festival

  Amsterdam Light Festival

  26 Nov – 17 JanMajor festival

  Light installations along the canals through the darkest eight weeks of the year, free to walk and ticketed by boat. It is the one thing that gives the December and January evenings a reason to be outdoors. Source ↗

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, New Year's Eve

• Holiday

  New Year's Eve

  28 Dec – 2 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedClosures

  The national ban on consumer fireworks took effect in August 2026, so the loudest night of the Dutch year is now sparklers and licensed displays rather than the old free-for-all. Rooms are at their December peak and the 1st is a shutdown. Source ↗

Still on: Timed tickets at the big museums (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Sinterklaas (14 Nov – 5 Dec), Amsterdam Light Festival (26 Nov – 17 Jan)