Evening of four days in Amsterdam

Although walking is probably not the first thing you would associate with Amsterdam, there are a number of the beautiful city walks. NWB - The Evening of four days organizes this event again at the beginning of June. Traditionally, the event started in the first full week of June.

The Evening of four days in Buitenveldert, North, West, Westerpark and Zeeburg takes place from the 8th of June until the 11th of June. In the South of Amsterdam the event takes place from the 9th of June until the 12th of June.

Four nights in succession there is a walk over a distance of 5 or 10 kilometers. These distances are dependent on age: children aged nine years and older can walk the 10 kilometer walk. Younger children walk the 5 kilometers. Experience has shown that children from 5 to 6 years are able to walk a distance of 5 kilometer.

The walkers will be starting every night between 18.00 pm and 19.00 pm. Before 21.30 pm everyone has to be back at the beginning point. The routes leads through the neighborhood. This often leads to surprising discoveries. For example, the walk in the East cross the dike behind the Flevo Park. And from Buitenveldert you walk through the forest Amstelpark and Amsterdam forest. After four nights of walking, each participant receives a medal. Participate? You can still sign in on the departure points before the first day of the event till 17.45 pm. You have to pay 5 euros per person.

In Amsterdam are six departures:

• Zeeburg: Sports Zeeburg, Insulindeweg 1001
• Osdorp: Korfbalver. 'Rohda, Willink Avenue / Troelstralaan (Sportpark' Ookmeer)
• Buitenveldert: S.V. 'Triaz', Van Heenvlietlaan 6
• North: clubhouse The Volewijckers, Baron de Coubertinlaan 6
• South: Entrance hall 'Bijlmer Sports, Bijlmerplein 76
• Westerpark: from the stadsdeelkantoor

Amsterdam Roots Festival

The Amsterdam Roots Festival will be held from the 13th of June until the 21st of June. The event has a free festival day Roots Open Air on the 21st of June, from 13.00 until 21.30 in the Oosterpark. For more than ten years, the Amsterdam Roots Festival is one of the leading international music festivals and presents a large and broad audience frontier developments in the world.

Roots Open Air A highlight during the Amsterdam Roots Festival, the Roots Open Air is the Mediterranea. Roots Open Air is the only major world music event in Amsterdam.

At the festival, international and national artists will be playing on six stages from 13.00 until 21.30. There are also dance acts and presentations and there is a big market with more than a hundred stands. This year the theme of the festival is Mediterranea: the Mediterranean as a crossroad of cultures.

The 'Holland festival' in Amsterdam

The Holland Festival in Amsterdam is an annual event held from the 4th of June until the 28th of June in 2009. The first edition of this international festival was held on the 15th of June in 1948 in the Stadschouwburg Amsterdam. The festival has an illustrious history because each artistic director gave a twist to the festival. Since the advent of director Pierre Audi in 2005, the festival is back to its roots with a mix of performing arts and a mix of big names and bold experiments.

This year, the festival is held in several locations such as the ‘Amsterdam Cultural Bolwerken’, ‘the Music Theatre’, ‘Westergasfabriek’ and the Concertbuilding.
Since the first show, the Holland Festival offers a variety of impressive and sensational artistic projects from all over the world, theatre, music, dance, opera and visual arts. Some names that will be on the festival this year are Adam in Exile from the Dutch opera and Antonioni-project.

The main genres they use are classic and contemporary music, opera, music theatre, classic and contemporary theatre, dance, multidisciplinary theatre, pop music, world music, movie and some presentations of visual arts.

In 2008 this event had 43 productions, 93 performances and 71.593 visitors. Entrance prices are ranking from free to €110,00. The price depends on the date people want to go and the amount of days people want to go. For students, all performances are €10,00.

The World Press Photo exhibition 2009

For the people who are in Amsterdam on the 4th of May until the 28st of June, the yearly World Press Photo exhibition 2009 takes place in the Oude Kerk (Old Church). During the exhibition, you can see the best pictures of the press of last year. The World Press Photo is the biggest press photo event of the world. The best pictures are collected in a traveling exhibition. After Amsterdam, you can see the exhibition in hundred locations all over the world.

Yearly, 2 million people visit this World Press Photo event. For I AMSTERDAM cardholders, the entrance for the World Press Photo Exhibition 2009 is free. The Jury of World Press Photo has selected a picture of Anthony Suau about the economic crisis as press photo of the year. On this picture, you can see a policeman with a drawn gun who is searching in a house whose inhabitants are expelled.

The yearbook of the best Photos of 2009 is available in six languages in the Oude Kerk, several bookstores and on the World Press Photo website.

You can visit the exhibition on Monday until Saturday from 10.30 until 17.30 and on Sunday from 13.00 until 17.30.

You can reach the exhibition by public transport or by car.
Tram: line 4, 9,16, 24 or 25 at stop Dam.Metro: line 51, 53 or 54 at stop NieuwmarktTrain: Amsterdam Central StationCar: A10, exit S116 Noord/Centrum (Nord/Center), after the Ij Tunnel to the right (Prins Hendrikkade)
Location: Oudekerksplein 23, Amsterdam

Open Gardens Days in Amsterdam

Also this year on the 19st, 20st and 21st of June, Amsterdam is in the sign of the open garden days. During these 3 days, individuals make their gardens available for the public. These gardens are nominated as the most beautiful gardens of Amsterdam. This event is organized by the Canal Museum.

About 25 gardens will be open for visitors. Of these 25, there are several gardens who previously were not available for visitors. Many architects have done their best on these gardens to create an oasis of greenery and tranquility. During the open garden days you can visit the most beautiful gardens.

The proceeds who will be recruited with the tickets, will benefit a good cause, namely the purchase of the coach house. The coach house was used by the Museum Van Loon. The temple-like facade of the coach house, but also the house itself, are designed by the architect Adriaen Dortsman. When the coach house is bought, in the future the museum building, the garden and coach house will shown to the public.

Visiting hours: Friday the 19st, Saturday the 20st and Sunday the 21st of June between 10.00 and 17.00 hour. Price: passe-partout € 15.00 (the proceeds of the event is intended for the purchase of the coach house).

Sales and start addresses: Bijbels Museum, Herengracht 366-368, Huis Marseille, Keizersgracht 401, Museum Van Loon, Keizersgracht 672, Museum Willet-Holthuysen, Herengracht 605. On the passe-partout you will find all the garden addresses with a small description. During these three days, a boat will be shipping to the different addresses. Presale: only in Amsterdam VVV and the Amsterdam Tourist Uitburo.

Spend your day in Amsterdam

When you are planning a day trip to Amsterdam and you want to visit the standard attractions such as the red light district, but that is not your main goal? Below you will find some ideas for a day trip in Amsterdam just different than Amsterdam is renowned for.

Amsterdam has a lot of night clubs and bars, but Amsterdam Escape Caffé is the new hotspot, located next to the Escape Venue. In June 2007 Escape is created. Escape has become a major crowd puller with its diverse offerings. Escape consists of Escape Club, Escape Lounge, Escape Deluxe, studio Escape and Escape Caffé. This trendy tent is on the Rembrandtplein in the heart of Amsterdam.

Transport in Amsterdam is excellent. You can easily take public transport and its an experience in itself. Virtually all segments of the population move by the tram and other public transport. The trams run from any platform every 5 minutes, so you never have to wait very long. Almost all parts of the city are very easily accessible by tram. Although public transport is excellent, it is also very nice to explore the city in a different way. Consider the organization Around Amsterdam. They offer scoot tours. This is a fun way to explore the city. Under the guidance of a guide you can visit all the highlights of Amsterdam, as the Pipe, the Red Light District, the Jordan and the canals.

For total relaxation, a day Sauna Deco is the best option. Sauna Deco has an area of 600sqm and is centrally located on the Herengracht in the heart of Amsterdam. This sauna is unique because its interior is derived from Le Bon Marche, a Paris department store in 1920. In the sauna you can use the following facilities: sauna, Turkish steam bath, foot bath, immersion bath, hammocks and lounge. Sauna Deco also offers the possibility of arrangements, but you must book in advance. These packages also provide a variety of massages and treatments.

JUMPING AMSTERDAM

Jumping Amsterdam is the annual highlight on the equestrian calendar. The best riders of the world show their talent in dressage, jumping and driving. The event takes place in the Amsterdam RAI. Every year the Dutch capital is host of the top of the dressage and jumping on the last weekend of January.

Jumping Amsterdam started in the old RAI in 1958. The intension was to start a leading international equestrian competition in the capital city of the Netherlands. The initiator of this event is Ben Arts, an old international jump rider. He had problems to get Hans Tetzner, the well known sports doctor, as a chairman and beer magnate Freddy Heineken as sponsor for this event. The first edition of Jumping Amsterdam immediately was a success. Nevertheless, there was a financial deficit and they could not paid the amount for the location. The RAI became in that way the second sponsor for Jumping Amsterdam.

Jumping Amsterdam is known for its strong participation in the dressage category. This year, the world top riders, led by triple Olympic champion Anky van Grunsven, promised to come to Amsterdam, because of the great public and the environment. On Friday, they had ridden the Grand Prix, on Saturday they did the World Cup kür on music and Sunday was the dressage evening with a stronger line than ever.

For January 2010, they at least expect such a successful Jumping Amsterdam as this year. The tickets for Jumping Amsterdam are available on TopTicketLine.com. Make sure that you are on time, because as a real horse lover you cannot miss Jumping Amsterdam.

HISWA

HISWA is an event that is mend for water sport lovers and boat lovers. This event takes place in the Amsterdam RAI at the 3rd of March till the 8th of March. The name stands for “business and industry in shipbuilding and water sport”. In 1932, HISWA was found by Dutch yacht builders and suppliers with only one goal; to organize one national water sport exhibition.

There are many things to see and to buy such as accessories, clothes, the latest navigation-equipment, books and magazines and boats. People from all over the world come to this event. 1200 companies are associated to HISWA Foundation.

They offer hundreds of boats in all types and sizes such as dinghies, sports boats, yachts, open sailboats and rowboats starting from 1,5 meters to 20 meters. HISWA has all the stuff you need; clothes, accessories up and around the boat or information about water sport vacations, sailing schools and sailing areas.

The entrance prices for this event are:

• A day pass included the public transfer € 17,50
• Evening pass after 18.00 included public transfer is € 12,50
• A senior pass included public transfer is € 13,50
• Kids to 16 years included public transfer is € 10,00People can make a donation to the Emma Child Hospital.

This is a charity that helps young children who have a special or rare disease.

Partying on Queensday in Amsterdam

For all party lovers… If you love partying and especially in Amsterdam, you should come to Queensday on the 30th of April in Amsterdam. Originally, this is the national celebration of Queen Mother, but after many years it became a day to party all day and all night. This day will be celebrated all over the Netherlands but you can not find a better atmosphere than in the capital city of the Netherlands; Amsterdam…

This annual open-air event is visited by 750.000 people from all over the world and everybody is wearing crazy orange outfits, heads, shoes, make up and wigs. Even food and drinks are orange. The main colour that is used for the outfits is orange because this is the colour of the House of Orange-Nassau. Queensday is also known for its ‘freemarket’ (vrijmarkt in Dutch).

This means that everybody can sell their things in the streets, legally.


If you decide to come, I recommend to come by train because near and in Amsterdam, the traffic is a complete chaos all day long. The moment you arrive on the Central Station of Amsterdam you already can see the crowd partying and that is only the beginning.


Every famous place in Amsterdam is used to create festivities that people can visit such as the well known Dam Square, Damrak, Rokin, Rembrandtplein, Leidsestraat and Leidseplein. On the Museumplein is a concert with national and international stars performing on stage. Entertainment, having fun, enjoying, laughing are the main goals of this famous event.

Valentine’s Day in Amsterdam

Valentine's Day is a day when lovers give each other extra attention with gifts, flowers or cards and which is celebrated on the 14st of February. Originally, Valentine's Day was intended for people who wanted to declare anonymous love to someone.

One of the legends told that a young couple asked Bishop Valentine to marry them. The man was a pagan soldier, the woman was a Christian. By Bishop Valentine was love more important than the laws of the emperor and married the couple.

Several pairs came soon with the same request. Bishop Valentine was identified and arrested. When he had to appear by the emperor, he tried to convert him. Claudius II, the emperor in that time, felt insulted by him and let him torture. This happened on the 14st February, but the year is unclear. Before the sentence happens, he still saw a chance to give the daughter of the jailer a small letter with the text: From your Valentine.

Almost a quarter of the people in Amsterdam say that the Vondelpark is the most romantic place in the city. But also the Leidseplein and Weteringschans, the canals, the Amstel and Rembrandtplein are called 'hot spots' by the people in Amsterdam when it comes to romance.