Events in Amsterdam
This October 2026, Amsterdam fills its calendar with running, music and film. The TCS Amsterdam Marathon is based at the Olympic Stadium on 17 and 18 October, and the Amsterdam Dance Event takes over clubs and venues from 21 to 25 October, with Scooter Crushes ADE at the Ziggo Dome on 25 October. Cinekid Festival brings children's film to Pathé Amsterdam Noord from 10 October. Candlelight Hans Zimmer Tribute plays the Tuschinski on 15 October and Deep Purple reach the Ziggo Dome on 9 November. In the museums, Whistler, Dandy and Disruptor opens at the Van Gogh Museum on 16 October and WORN stays on at the Rijksmuseum.
What's on in Amsterdam according to the official calendar
The festivals, markets and events below come from Amsterdam's official events calendar for the month, and each card links the organiser's own listing with the dates and venue. For the city's permanent sights, start with visiting Amsterdam's tourist attractions.
Cinekid Festival
When: 10 to 25 October
Where: Pathé Amsterdam Noord
A children's film and media festival with screenings, workshops and installations, based at the Pathé cinema in Amsterdam Noord.
Amsterdam Dance Event
When: 21 to 25 October
Where: Clubs and venues across Amsterdam
Electronic music's big week in the city, with established names and rising stars playing everything from techno and house to drum 'n' bass.
Museum Market
When: 25 October and 15 November
Where: Museumplein
A monthly open-air market on the museum square, where designers sell art, craft and design, free to browse.
IDFA Documentary Film Festival
When: 12 to 22 November
Where: Cinemas and venues across Amsterdam
The world's largest documentary film festival screens new documentaries from the Netherlands and abroad across the city.
Arrival of Sinterklaas
When: 15 November
Where: From the Amstel to the Maritime Museum
Sinterklaas and his helpers arrive by steamboat along the Amstel to the Maritime Museum, then continue the procession on horseback.
Live music and festivals in Amsterdam
Scooter Crushes ADE
Scooter Crushes ADE plays Ziggo Dome on 25 October at 20:00.
Candlelight Best of Ludovico Einaudi
Candlelight Best of Ludovico Einaudi comes to Posthoornkerk on 29 October at 18:45.
Jungle
Jungle plays Ziggo Dome on 3 November at 20:00.
Deep Purple
Deep Purple plays Ziggo Dome on 9 November at 20:00.
Mother's Finest
Mother's Finest plays Poppodium Q-Factory on 13 November at 20:30.
Hatsune Miku: Miku Expo 2026 Europe
Hatsune Miku: Miku Expo 2026 Europe plays AFAS Live on 15 November at 20:00.
What's on in Amsterdam this month
Striptopia
Striptopia plays Melkweg on 21 October at 19:00.
Aftershock Book Launch
Aftershock Book Launch comes to Melkweg on 25 October at 17:00.
Sooshi Mango
Sooshi Mango plays De Meervaart on 27 October at 20:00.
The GothamChess Europe Tour 2026
The GothamChess Europe Tour 2026 comes to Theater Amsterdam on 1 November at 20:00.
Chad Daniels & Kelsey Cook
Chad Daniels & Kelsey Cook plays Boom Chicago on 2 November at 20:00.
Luca Ravenna
Luca Ravenna plays Boom Chicago on 10 November at 20:00.
Temporary exhibitions in Amsterdam
Martine Gutierrez, Wunderkind
Until: 18 October
Where: Huis Marseille
A large solo show on childhood creativity and identity, by the artist behind the shape-shifting self-portraits shown at the Venice Biennale.
The Land of Chocolate Sprinkles
Until: 8 November
Where: H'ART Museum
H'ART builds a show around the idea of making a new world together, using art drawn from major museum collections.
Yoshitoshi, Master of the Moon
Until: 4 January 2027
Where: Van Gogh Museum
One hundred prints by Yoshitoshi tell one hundred stories, from warriors and lovers to mythical beings, always with the moon in view.
Whistler, Dandy and Disruptor
Dates: 16 October to 10 January 2027
Where: Van Gogh Museum
The first retrospective in the Netherlands devoted to the artist James McNeill Whistler.
Maya Inès Touam, Belongings
Dates: 24 October to 7 February 2027
Where: Huis Marseille
The first solo exhibition in the Netherlands by the French-Algerian artist, whose tableaus bring together different times, cultures and art movements.
WORN
Until: 21 March 2027
Where: Rijksmuseum
Twenty-four garments from 1640 to 1930, shown for the traces of wear, repair and reuse left by generations of owners.
From Vermeer to Van Gogh, Dutch Masters
Dates: daily, 9:30 to 10:30
Where: Fabrique des Lumieres
A walk-through projection show that turns the Dutch Golden Age, from Vermeer's light to Van Gogh's colour, into room-sized moving images.
Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, The Renaissance Masters
Dates: daily, 11:00 to 17:30
Where: Fabrique des Lumieres
A second immersive show at the venue, taking visitors from Florence to Rome through the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.
Amsterdam tickets and tours
Keep the city and national holiday calendar in mind
Public holidays change the rhythm of a visit more than most travellers expect. The official city guide notes that schools, city councils, post offices and banks close for the whole day on these dates. The national government lists 11 official holidays in the Netherlands in 2026, and Amsterdam adds none of its own, which makes the national calendar the only one to check. One caveat comes from the government itself: no Dutch law turns an official holiday into a day off, and each contract or collective agreement decides who stops work.
National holidays in the Netherlands 2026
- 1 January New Year's Day (Nieuwjaarsdag)
- 3 April Good Friday (Goede Vrijdag)
- 5 April Easter Sunday (Eerste Paasdag)
- 6 April Easter Monday (Tweede Paasdag)
- 27 April King's Day (Koningsdag)
- 5 May Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag)
- 14 May Ascension Day (Hemelvaartsdag)
- 24 May Whit Sunday (Eerste Pinksterdag)
- 25 May Whit Monday (Tweede Pinksterdag)
- 25 December Christmas Day (Eerste Kerstdag)
- 26 December Boxing Day (Tweede Kerstdag)
Local holidays in Amsterdam 2026
Amsterdam has no local public holiday on top of the national list. The City of Amsterdam publishes its own holiday page and it names national dates only. King's Day, the one the city celebrates hardest, is national too: it falls on 27 April, and it shifts to the Saturday whenever 27 April lands on a Sunday.
Not every date closes the same doors. The city council counters shut on New Year's Day, Easter Monday, King's Day, Liberation Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday and Christmas Day, the seven dates it lists; Good Friday and Boxing Day are not among them. The official city guide warns that shops, museums and attractions usually close early or close for the whole day on public holidays. The GVB transport counters run adjusted hours on those dates and close on New Year's Day, and the opening hours of the I amsterdam Store are published on its official page.
Keep exploring Amsterdam
The Amsterdam guide
The Amsterdam guide on Tourist Office gathers a day-by-day plan, the museums and canal sights worth booking ahead, and what the city offers for free.
Where to get help in Amsterdam
Where to find the city's tourist information points, what they offer visitors and which public holidays change their opening hours.
Netherlands highlights
Beyond the capital, the country guide runs from the Rijksmuseum and Keukenhof to Kinderdijk's windmills, Zaanse Schans and the food worth trying.