Thursday September 3, 2026
Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: Jumbo recalls four cheeses over listeria concerns, outdoor board games take over Krugerplein, and Hamburg street rap lands at Melkweg.
At a glance
🌦️ Weather: Hi 21°C / 70°F (1° warmer than yesterday) · Lo 17°C / 63°F · 49% chance of rain · wind SW 26 km/h (14 knots)
🚲 Cycling: Wet from early morning, take the tram.
🌙 Sun & moon: Sunrise 06:54 · Sunset 20:23 · Last Quarter · Moonrise 22:18 · Golden hour 19:53 to 20:23
🌊 Outdoors: Air quality good (AQI 19) · grass pollen low
💶 Markets: AEX 1,104 (+0.2%) · S&P 500 7,671 (+0.5%) · €1 = $1.16 · $1 = €0.86
Jumbo recalls four cheeses over listeria concerns: The supermarket chain has issued safety warnings after detecting potential bacterial contamination. Customers can return affected products to any store location for a full refund without a receipt.
Plug-in home batteries surge in Dutch popularity: Tens of thousands of Dutch residents are buying plug-in home batteries to store self-generated electricity. The rush comes as solar net metering rules prepare to end this year.
Former neighbourhood officer joins Amsterdam City Swim: Arjen van de Merwe will be pulled in a small boat along city canals this Sunday. The event raises funds for research into ALS.
Morning storytime and singing for toddlers: Thirty minutes of picture books and Dutch songs for toddlers, requiring at least three registered children. 3 September, 10:30, De Kinderboekwinkel. 📅 STORY / READING
West African djembe drumming classes for kids: Hands-on drumming lessons for children aged eight and up, split into two short late-afternoon skill sessions. 3 September, 17:00, studio PXP. 📅 KIDS WORKSHOP
Project Fearless opens its doors to parents and educators: An evening presentation, movement session, and discussion showing how this non-profit uses sports to build youth resilience. 3 September, 18:00, The Boomsspijker. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
Outdoor board games afternoon on the Krugerplein: An open-air games session set up directly on the square in collaboration with Moving Arts Projects. 3 September, 14:00, Krugerplein. 📅 GAMES / HOBBIES
Iliassopdebeat marks ten years of Drugs & Geld: A headline hip-hop set in the Main Hall celebrating a decade since his landmark mixtape release. 3 September, 20:30, Paradiso. 📅 THEATER
Dreamy indie-pop, ambient synths, and unreleased songs: Stripped-back solo songs and unreleased material headline an indie bill alongside Mazey Haze and Danny Keen. 3 September, 20:00, Cinetol. 📅 THEATER
Intimate guitar folk paired with sonic poetry: Delicate vocal melodies and guitar tracks from Blurrr, preceded by an opening set of sonic verse. 3 September, 20:30 – 22:00, Bimhuis. 📅 THEATER
Samara Cyn tours her debut EP upstairs: The rising rapper performs seven tracks from Detour live during her first headline solo club run. 3 September, 22:00, Paradiso. 📅 THEATER
Hamburg street rap live at the Melkweg: The 187 Strassenbande member delivers raw German rap in the OZ room for an energetic crowd. 3 September, 19:00, Melkweg (OZ). 📅 THEATER
Live indie sets from Pale Puma and Stacy!: Two local indie bands share the stage for a casual live music evening at Primo’s. 3 September, 19:30, Toekomstmuziek. 📅 THEATER
Open live music jam session at Cafe de Knoop: Rotating local musicians host an all-genre jam session every Thursday night where anyone can join in. 3 September, 20:00, Prinsenstraat 5. 📅 THEATER
Contemporary piano trio jazz at Contra: Modern avant-garde piano trio arrangements played live with acoustic double bass and drums in an intimate room. 3 September, 20:30, Contra. 📅 THEATER
Dutch songs, spoken word, and literary storytelling: Solo sets and joint stage performances mixing Dutch songwriting, theatre, and verse from a former city poet. 3 September, 20:00, Roode Bioscoop. 📅 THEATER
Vocal jazz and contemporary piano duets: Original compositions blending classic vocal jazz traditions with modern singer-songwriter influences alongside pianist Timothy Banchet. 3 September, 20:30, De Roode Remise. 📅 THEATER
Free live jazz and world music lounge session: A relaxed hotel lounge gig playing jazz and world rhythms with no tickets or reservations required. 3 September, 18:00, Manhattan Bar Crown Plaza. 📅 THEATER
Nederlands Theater Festival opens across the city: Dozens of award-winning Dutch plays, music theatre works, and cabaret productions begin a ten-day citywide run. 3 September, Diverse locaties. 📅 FESTIVALS
Amsterdam Fringe Festival takes over twenty-three venues: Independent theatre, dance, and live performance staging over two hundred experimental shows across eleven busy festival days. 3 September, 19:00. 📅 FESTIVALS
Don Quixote adapted for the open-air Bostheater: A large-scale outdoor staging in Dutch with English surtitles, blending classic literature with modern social questions. 3 September, 20:30-23:00, Amsterdamse Bostheater. 📅 THEATER
Creative direction and multi-disciplinary careers in conversation: Stephanie Afrifa interviews TJ Sawyerr about his career traversing fashion modelling, creative direction, and music journalism. 3 September, 19:00, The Social Hub Amsterdam City. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
Nicole Seymour on humour in environmental literature: An academic discussion analysing queer ecologies and comedic writing in contemporary cli-fi and nature books. 3 September, 20:00, SPUI25. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
Centenary museum celebrations across Amsterdam: Creative workshops, guided depot visits, and pop-up exhibitions launch a hundred days of civic history activities. 3 September, 10:00 – 17:00, Diverse locaties in Amsterdam performingarts, festivals. 📅 FESTIVALS
Fast-paced short-form and long-form comedy games: Seven ensemble actors build unscripted scenes and quickfire sketches directly from live audience suggestions upstairs. 3 September, 20:00, Boom Chicago. 📅 THEATER
Festival launch exploring public space through performance: Opening remarks and a live performance kick off a four-day festival dedicated to public art. 3 September, 18:00, Rozenstraat. 📅 ART / MUSEUMS
Tree fungus robotics and radio-wave energy show-and-tell: Two resident artists present robotic arms guided by fungal signals alongside ambient electromagnetic energy harvesters. 3 September, 19:30 – 21:00, Waag Futurelab. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
Pay-what-you-can English standup comedy in a basement: Five to ten comedians test short routines in an intimate underground bar below the hostel. 3 September, 20:00, OOSTerBAR. 📅 THEATER
Musical comedy season opener with Mark Harris: Paris-based musical comedian Mark Harris headlines an English comedy night in an atmospheric neighbourhood bar. 3 September, 19:30, De Nieuwe Anita. 📅 THEATER
Free pizza and movie screening for youth: A free evening of cinema and hot pizza arranged specifically for teenagers and young adults. 3 September, 18:00 – 22:00, De Boshalte. 📅 FILM
Open mic English standup comedy in De Pijp: Local beginners and seasoned club comics try out fresh material before an informal late-night pub afterparty. 3 September, 19:00, Café De Plakhoek. 📅 THEATER
Fashion Week panel on breaking Dutch designers globally: Industry veterans discuss two decades of the Lichting platform and international career trajectories for fashion graduates. 3 September, 12.30 – 13.30, The HUB. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
Wellness, food, and culture festival at the WTC: Corporate wellness sessions and live cultural programming animate the outdoor plaza of the business district. 3 September, World Trade Center Amsterdam. 📅 FESTIVALS
Professor Geert Lovink delivers his media farewell lecture: A retrospective talk and reception marking more than two decades of research into internet culture. 3 September, 16:00 – 17:15, Gerard van Haarlemzaal, Jakoba Mulderhuis. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
Casual parkside language exchange at Pacific: Multilingual meetup tables in Westerpark welcoming speakers of all proficiencies to practice conversational Dutch, English, and Spanish. 3 September, 19:30, Pacific Park. 📅 NETWORKING
Learn Japanese Sashiko visible mending on scrap fabric: Twelve participants learn geometric hand-stitching techniques to build custom decorative repair patches from reclaimed textiles. 3 September, 18:30, The Swapshop. 📅 WORKSHOP
Monthly neighbourhood board games evening with snacks: A table of provided games, free snacks, and open seats funded to connect local area residents. 3 September, 19:00 – 22:00. 📅 GAMES / HOBBIES
Couples wheel-throwing pottery session for two: Two hours of guided wheel-throwing instruction for pairs, including studio materials and final glazed ceramic firings. 3 September, 17:30, Atelier Kleie. 📅 WORKSHOP
Drop-in Dutch conversation practice at the central library: Free informal conversation tables designed to help A1 to B1 learners build Dutch speaking confidence. 3 September, 10:00 – 11:30, OBA Oosterdok, OBA helpt plein. 📅 CLASS
Evening painting class with Italian wine and bites: Two and a half hours of guided canvas painting, practical feedback, soft jazz, and wine. 3 September, 19:15, Art Studio Amsterdam – Centre. 📅 WORKSHOP
Late-night expat karaoke session in De Pijp: Singing favourite pop tracks in a local lounge with welcoming drinks and platters for early arrivals. 3 September, 20:30 – 23:00, Emperium Lounge. 📅 GAMES / HOBBIES
Try out beginner Salsa and Bachata for free: Back-to-back introductory partner dance classes where absolute beginners can join without bringing a dance partner. 3 September, 18:00, Heineken Hoek Grand Café. 📅 CLASS
Crypto exchange Bitvavo cuts nearly 100 jobs: The largest cryptocurrency platform in the Netherlands is reorganising its workforce in response to market shifts. Management described the staff reduction as a strategic move to maintain financial health.
Morgan Stanley targets Dutch savings with high rates: The American investment bank is seeking deposits from savers in the Netherlands by offering competitive interest rates. It follows similar moves by Turkish, Italian and Baltic financial institutions.
AI engineering talks aboard cruising canal boats: Founders share technical stories over silent disco headsets while two boats cruise side-by-side with beer and pizza. 3 September, 18:00 – 20:00, Central Amsterdam Canals. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
Developer meetup and founder talk with AppSignal: Startup founders and local coders gather over pub drinks to hear insights from AppSignal co-founder Thijs Cadier. 3 September, 19:00 – 22:00, Café de Muurbloem. 📅 NETWORKING
Autonomous AI agents and legacy codebase engineering: Technical talks from Cloudflare and TomTom engineers on deploying multi-agent AI systems, followed by sponsored drinks. 3 September, 18:00, Buro de Pijp. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
DashCon returns with crypto payment infrastructure talks: A full-day conference focused on decentralized digital cash mechanisms, payment tools, and live speaker panels. 3 September, 09:00 – 17:00, De Hallen Studios. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
UK property investor networking and dinner launch: An informal dinner gathering for local investors covering UK title-splitting and buy-to-let portfolio strategies. 3 September, 18:30 – 21:30, Restaurant Colijn. 📅 NETWORKING
Akhi ‘n Friends: Run by a former barista from Rum Baba and Monk, Akhi ‘n Friends is a relaxed coffee spot designed with a living-room feel.
Aden’s: Aden’s is a new cafe in Nieuw-West. Visitors can sit down to enjoy a selection of coffee, house lemonades, and sweet desserts.
Fridays Sandwiches: Located on Asterweg in Amsterdam Noord, this sandwich spot prepares generously filled sandwiches. Menu highlights include options with unique names like the PEKKA and YIGGY.
Good to know
New on Dutch streaming: Deep Revenge (HBO Max), Robin Hood (SkyShowtime), Irma la Douce (Prime Video), Öngörü (Disney+)
New on the big screen: 12 Angry Men returns Monday to De Uitkijk, and Boyz n the Hood to Filmhallen. Showtimes here.
Overheard on Reddit: A thread complaining about broken escalators at Amsterdam Centraal drew responses pointing out that stations like Sloterdijk, Zaandam, and Utrecht suffer from the same issue, with others attributing the persistent outages to supply chain delays for replacement parts.
Today’s supermarket deals: Old Amsterdam Mature 35+ slices (25% off) from Albert Heijn, Pepsi or Royal Club (2 for €3.25) from Jumbo.
Did you know? Rokin metro station is partly an archaeology display: construction of the North/South metro line uncovered about 700,000 objects.
106 years ago today: On September 3rd, 1920, an Olympic sailing race was staged on the IJ, making Amsterdam an official competition venue of the Antwerp Games.
In case you missed it
Our three most clicked-on items from yesterday’s newsletter.
In tomorrow’s edition: The AKINCI Fall Exhibition opens at AKINCI, Jeroen Henneman presents a solo show at Vriend van Bavink Gallery, and Vitor Kley performs live at Tolhuistuin.
Have a great Thursday.
Running something in Amsterdam? Tell us about it and we will take a look.
Hit reply if you have a local tip or a story from your corner of town.

Want to make sure you never miss a day of Essentially Amsterdam? Subscribe here.


