Saturday October 17, 2026
Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: a grid shortage forces a karting track to close, Tenways buys bike brand Sparta, and the TCS Amsterdam Marathon runs past the Rijksmuseum and along the Amstel.
At a glance
🌦️ Weather: Hi 14°C / 57°F (4° cooler than yesterday) · Lo 10°C / 50°F · 30% chance of rain · wind N 23 km/h (12 knots)
🚲 Cycling: Dry until about 13:00, wet after that.
🌙 Sun & moon: Sunrise 08:09 · Sunset 18:41 · First Quarter · Moonrise 15:32 · Golden hour 18:11 to 18:41
🌊 Outdoors: Air quality fair (AQI 23) · grass pollen low
💶 Markets: AEX 1,143 (+0.9%) · S&P 500 7,646 (-1.3%) · €1 = $1.13 · $1 = €0.89
Grid shortage forces Amsterdam karting track to close: Bleekemolens Race Planet will close on 1 November because it cannot get enough electricity to switch to electric karts. A business on the same site has far more capacity than it uses.
Northern Zuidasdok on hold as cabinet favours maintenance: The cabinet has set aside no money for now to build the northern part of the Zuidasdok. Its 18 billion euros for infrastructure will go mainly to maintaining existing bridges, locks and roads.
Amsterdam overnight stays rise to 24 million: Overnight stays in Amsterdam rose 4% in 2025, and more than half of all tourists in the Netherlands now sleep in the capital. Fewer visitors came from outside Europe.
Former Sloterdijk printing works to become sustainable textile hub: The city is putting more than €900,000 into turning an empty printing plant in Westpoort into a hub for circular textile firms. Companies move in next year and can stay until 2034.
Amsterdam-based Tenways buys bike brand Sparta: Bankruptcy trustees for parent company Accell have sold the Sparta bicycle brand to Chinese-Dutch firm Tenways. The trustees say the sale keeps the brand alive, and they will now sell the rest of the group.
Noord residents invited to reinvent former pig enclosure: The pigs have gone from De VerbroederIJ, freeing up 180 m², and residents of Noord can send in ideas for the space until 16 November. A neighbourhood committee will shortlist up to five.
Why Amsterdam still calls Muntplein the Munt: The Munt began as the Regulierspoort, part of Amsterdam’s late-15th-century stone wall. A brief wartime mint in 1672 gave the tower and square a name that survived an official renaming.
Jordaan takeaway fights closure over cooking smells in court: The owners are challenging the municipality’s order to keep the Elandsgracht takeaway closed until January 1, 2027. They say they need the income while preparing to move to another site.
Kids Run 1,600 metres finishes inside the Olympic Stadium: For children aged 10 to 12, a route along the Marathonweg, Olympiakade and Amstelveenseweg, ending in the stadium with a jubilee medal. 17 October, 13:40, Olympisch Stadion. OUTDOOR / ACTIVE
Quiet after-hours Rijksmuseum for families, free for under-18s: Less crowd and noise, a quiet room and portable stools, for children and adults with autism, ADHD, tinnitus or other sensory needs. 17 October, 18:00 – 21:00, Rijksmuseum. MUSEUM / EDUCATIONAL
Lennox, a new youth opera about sickle cell disease: Sung in Dutch for ages 8 and up, an hour of jazz, gospel, afro and soul from Bnnyhunna, based on Zindzi Zevenbergen’s book. 17 October, Nationale Opera & Ballet, Grote Zaal. FAMILY SHOW
Free Wonderkamer sessions where young kids experiment like artists: Children from four to about ten play as young artists, testing light, weight, movement and material in two free half-hour slots. 17 October, 10:30, Synestheet. KIDS WORKSHOP
Test a possible Rembrandt with UV light, for families with kids 8+: Children and adults work together as researchers, trying signature forgery tests, fibre analysis and drawing, with age eight strictly the minimum. 17 October, Teekenschool. KIDS WORKSHOP
Free Chill Adventures nature missions for kids aged 4 to 12: Children aged four to twelve follow a nature guide outdoors on missions hunting animal tracks, with free tickets booked online. 17 October, 09:30 – 13:00, De Boshalte. OUTDOOR / ACTIVE
Fast Balkan brass from Fanfare Ciocărlia, a Romanian village band: Players taught by their fathers and grandfathers bring fast Ottoman funk and Balkan brass to the OZ room, part of the ROOTS series. 17 October, 19:30, Melkweg. DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Three hundred years of the Vater-Müller organ, played all day: Built by Christian Vater from 1724, the restored organ is played by seven concert organists in turn, with seats at every concert. 17 October, 10:00 – 17:00, Oude Kerk. CLASSICAL
Claron McFadden sings Nina Simone with double bass at Splendor: In the second Ontworteld (Uprooted) evening, River Adomeit’s bass backs McFadden through well-known and lesser-known Simone songs; Splendor members get in free. 17 October, 20:00, Splendor. DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Truls Mørk plays Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto: The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra pairs Mahler’s Blumine with Beethoven’s Eighth, with an interval and drinks included in the ticket. 17 October, 20:15, The Concertgebouw. CLASSICAL
John Williams’s Harry Potter scores in a canal-side church: La Chapelle Sauvage plays John Williams’s music from the Harry Potter films, with doors opening half an hour before the start. 17 October, 20:00, Keizersgrachtkerk. DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Blood Red Shoes, the indie garage duo, with Sm^sher in support: Laura Mary Carter and Steven Ansell, more than twenty years into touring, play new music they wrote, produced and mixed themselves, no membership needed. 17 October, 19:30, Tolhuistuin. POP / ROCK
Candlelight: Disney Princess songs for string quartet: A string quartet plays an hour of songs from Frozen 2, Mulan, Aladdin and more, for ages five up, latecomers not admitted. 17 October, 19:00, De Waalse Kerk. DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Rooted & Ready, a personal branding workshop in Zuidoost: Trainer Tsnatee Elisa on telling your own story to stand out for jobs, plus networking, though ticket sales have closed. 17 October, 13:00 – 17:00, NoLIMIT. WORKSHOP / TRAINING
Le Temps Perdu’s French brocante pop-up, fresh from France: Plates, dishes, cutlery, glassware, silverware and some art, all brought back from France and on sale this weekend in Oud-West. 17 October, 11:00 – 17:00, Le Temps Perdu, Eerste Helmersstraat 89. FOOD / MARKETS
Free entry to the StudioSnoeck vintage market, with food and wine: Vintage clothes for men and women, jewellery, ceramics and other finds, with food, music and wine, and drinks carrying on after closing. 17 October, 11:00 – 18:00, One Sixty. FOOD / MARKETS
Come dressed up for a weekend of knights and crafts at Muiderslot: Craftspeople weave and make chain mail between knight shows, fire-eating and a knights’ course for kids aged 4 to 8. 17 October, 10:00 – 17:00, Rijksmuseum Muiderslot. FESTIVALS
Canal house wealth traced back to Surinamese plantations: Two former residents profited from Surinamese plantations, and the audio tour comes from a descendant of a woman enslaved at Jagtlust. 17 October, Huis Willet-Holthuysen. ART / MUSEUMS
Browse AmsterArt’s contemporary art in a church, free at the weekend: Contemporary work for sale fills the church until Sunday, opening with a €5 preview with live music, wine and snacks. 17 October, Posthoornkerk. ART / MUSEUMS
Empty rooms of the old Walenweeshuis, in free photographs: Built in 1669 for French-speaking immigrants and later home to the Maison Descartes, the Vijzelgracht building appears here empty, in Roos Aldershoff’s photos. 17 October, 13:00 – 18:00, Keizersgrachtkerk. ART / MUSEUMS
Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, free and in English with a film group: A film group gathers beforehand for Aaron Sorkin’s drama about the Facebook whistleblower leaks, and people often stay for drinks afterwards. 17 October, 18:30 – 21:30, Kriterion. FILM
TCS Amsterdam Marathon, past the Rijksmuseum and along the Amstel: Saturday brings a City Walk, kids runs and a 7.5 km, before Sunday’s full and half marathons wind through the Vondelpark. 17 October, 09:00, Olympisch Stadion. SPORTS
Paint Japanese scenes in watercolour with artist Vita Tverdokhlib: Four hours of clear guidance and room to improvise, painting Japanese landscapes or women in traditional dress, booked via Instagram. 17 October, 11:00 – 15:00, Café Belcampo – de Werkplaats. WORKSHOP
Rooftop acrylic painting for beginners above Zoku: Art & Sky’s instructor walks beginners step by step through a cappuccino scene on canvas, three hours with a view over the city. 17 October, 14:00, Zoku Amsterdam. WORKSHOP
Seeds big and small, with a peek inside the Hortus seed bank: Meet by the oak on the terrace for an hour among 4,000-plus species, whose seeds staff and volunteers gather daily. 17 October, 13:00 – 14:00, Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. TOUR
Make a zipper or flap leather bag by hand, no experience needed: Over two hours you cut, punch and rivet your own leather, with tea, sweets, tools and guidance from experienced leather workers included. 17 October, 10:00, Amsterdam House of Arts & Crafts. WORKSHOP
Windmills, florals and ships in Delft Blue on your own tile: Two hours of brushwork and glazing for anyone 16 or over, with the kiln-fired tile ready in two to three weeks. 17 October, 13:00 – 15:00, Rombout Hogerbeetsstraat 136H. WORKSHOP
Akhi ’n Friends: A coffee spot designed to feel like a living room, where you can settle in with a warm drink and relax.
Pinuku: Mochi inspired by the owners’ Maluku and Filipino heritage. A small shop bringing Southeast Asian flavours to Amsterdam.
Nous: A café occupying a corner premises on Haarlemmerplein, a neighbourhood spot for coffee and conversation.
Good to know
New on Dutch streaming: Collision (HBO Max), Doctor X: Mafia in White (Netflix), Ek Thi Daayan (Prime Video), Konuşanlar (Disney+)
New on the big screen: Clayface opens Thursday at 4 cinemas, and Fallen Angels at Pathé Tuschinski and Vue Amsterdam. Showtimes here.
Overheard on Reddit: A dominatrix considering Amsterdam faced warnings that the housing crisis would make it financially impossible without stable income.
Today’s supermarket deals: Alcohol-free beers from Hertog Jan, Corona, Leffe or Tripel Karmeliet (2+1 free) from Jumbo, Doritos or Lay’s Max (2 for €2.99) from Jumbo.
Did you know? Amsterdamned turned the canals into a horror setting, with a killer using the waterways as a murder route.
94 years ago today: On October 17th, 1932, Amsterdam’s first traffic lights began operating on Leidseplein. Two years later, the city’s three-colour design became the national standard.
Adoptable pet of the day: Meet Bagel, a 2-year-old European Shorthair at Dierenopvang Amsterdam. Take a look →Looking ahead – next week
The bigger things coming up in Amsterdam over the next seven days.
• Herfst op Westergas · Saturday 10 October to Sunday 18 October, Cultuurpark Westergas
• Denim Days Market · Friday 16 October to Saturday 17 October, De Hallen
• TCS Amsterdam Marathon · Saturday 17 October to Sunday 18 October, Olympisch Stadion Amsterdam
• Amsterdam Dance Event · Wednesday 21 October to Sunday 25 October
• Bitcoin Amsterdam 2026 · Thursday 5 November to Friday 6 November, Sugar Factory
In case you missed it
Our three most clicked-on items from yesterday’s newsletter.
In tomorrow’s edition: Noa Wildschut plays Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Het Concertgebouw, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 and Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 fill the Concertgebouw, and the Race of the Classics rows on the IJ behind Centraal Station.
Have a great Saturday.
Running something in Amsterdam? Tell us about it and we will take a look.
The leaves along the Amstel are turning, which makes even a short walk worth the long way round.
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