Events for internationals in Amsterdam this month
Open-air cinema
Few events encapsulate summer in the city as much as outdoor cinema. Watching a movie outside alongside fellow film enthusiasts, in a park or by the waterside, perhaps with a cocktail in hand, is the perfect combination. Just what high summer calls for!
- Cinetree Forest Festival (Amsterdamse Bostheater, 6-8 August) – screenings combined with expert talks, music and poetry, all within the beautiful setting of the Amsterdam Forest.
- Cityscape Cinema (Hotel Arena and A’DAM Lookout, 23 July-23 August) – classic romantic comedies mingling with Oscar faves and leftfield classics: Think The Grand Budapest Hotel, 10 Things I Hate About You and La La Land.
- Movies at H’Art Museum (H’Art Museum, 5-25 August) – an inspired selection of films including recent Oscar winners, renowned docs and all-time favourites, shown in the museum’s expansive courtyard.
- Pluk de Nacht (Het Stenen Hoofd, 19-29 August) – sultry summer evenings by the waterside, deckchairs, a campfire and cocktails.
Kwaku
If you live in Amsterdam, you absolutely have to go to Kwaku. Over four summer weekends, the Nelson Mandelapark in Zuidoost is heaving with food, music, football and performances. More than 100 stalls serve up a variety Caribbean, African, South American and Asian dishes, from Surinamese spareribs to Korean tacos.
ARTIS Summer Nights
On Saturday evenings throughout summer, visitors of the Artis Royal Zoo can find out what the animals get up to after hours as the zoo stays open until sunset. There’s also live music, workshops, talks and special shows in the Planetarium. A real mainstay of the Amsterdam summer.
WorldPride
For the first time ever, Pride Amsterdam hosts WorldPride, a global event promoting visibility and awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues. The timing could not be more apt: 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of marriage equality in the Netherlands, and it’s 30 years since the first Pride took place in Amsterdam. The programme is jam-packed with parties, concerts, talks, walks and exhibitions, and it all culminates in the famous Canal Parade.
tick, tick… BOOM!
Performed in English, this off-Broadway musical is an autobiographical work by Jonathan Larson, best known for his hit RENT. Set in the New York of the early 1990s, tick, tick… BOOM! tells the story of ambitious composer Jon, who is struggling to find work. As his 30th approaches, he begins to wonder if he’ll ever hit the big time.
Haarlem Culinair
At this food festival, Haarlem’s most renowned and best-loved restaurants present their most successful dishes. It makes for a fun and delicious day out – and it’s a great way to explore Haarlem’s thriving culinary scene.
Bosfest
This intimate, atmospheric theatre festival is held in the heart of the Amsterdam Forest. The performances have a strong focus on immediacy, interaction and sense of space, with the forest functioning not as a backdrop, but as the main character, and the audiences being challenged to delve in and really commit to the experience. Start and end point is the terrace at the Bostheater with a bar, campfire and food.
Grachtenfestival
The magnificent Grachtenfestival, held annually on and around Amsterdam’s canals, is one of the cultural highlights of the Amsterdam summer. The historic canal belt forms the perfect backdrop for classical concerts performed on stages by or on the water, as the musicians play on pontoons and the audience listen from the canal side or from their own boats.
Hartjesdag
This festival is a real Amsterdam classic. Taking place on the Zeedijk, one of Amsterdam’s oldest streets, it evolved from a medieval holiday involving deer hunting and cross-dressing. Deer are no longer hurt in the proceedings, but the cross-dressing is still very much present, plus there’s cabaret acts, folk and opera performances and lots of food and drink. And, most importantly, a huge dose of Amsterdam spirit. Not to be missed.
Historic tram rides
Every Sunday throughout summer and early autumn, you can go back in time and take a ride on a historic tram. The trams run on the last remnant of the former Haarlemmermeer railway line between Amsterdam and Amstelveen Bovenkerk, leading along the Amsterdam Forest, which makes the ride an ideal starting point for a great day out in nature.
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