Essentially Amsterdam – Sunday, October 25, 2026

Sunday October 25, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: Hema turns 100 after starting out on the Kalverstraat, Ronald Brautigam plays Beethoven’s Pathétique on fortepiano in the Kleine Zaal, and Verknipt fills AFAS Live with a full day of techno.

Hema turns 100 after starting on Amsterdam’s Kalverstraat: Leo Meyer and Arthur Isaac opened the first shop on 4 November 1926, selling household goods for 10, 20 or 50 cents. The oldest surviving Amsterdam branch, on Nieuwendijk since 1936, is where the smoked sausage roll began, after a manager bought too many sausages.

Amsterdam Dance Event pushes hotel rooms to €380 a night: Roughly 600,000 visitors are expected at this year’s festival, with Westerpark and Leidsplein packed with partygoers and crowds already at Westergas, Radio Radio and WestWeelde on Friday. A Norwegian visitor said four nights for two cost 3,000 euros, while one artist said the parties were mainly for networking.

Jordaanbrug partly reopens on 26 October after renovation: The last phase of work on bridge 117, known as the Jordaanbrug, is starting, affecting traffic on Rozengracht and Marnixstraat. Work began in late 2024 because the bridge’s wooden foundation from 1891 was no longer adequate; its inner structure is being rebuilt while the exterior keeps its monumental character.

Empty field by Weespertrekvaart in Oost becomes park: The city started work this month on the Solitudoplantsoen, a green space by the Solitudobrug, and it should be finished by the end of the year. It will have a 4 by 15 metre boules court, a climbing frame for children aged 6 to 12 and two chess tables, one wheelchair-accessible.

Weesp runner Rick van der Burg takes on the Spartathlon: The 35-year-old started at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens in late September, one of 400 runners in the 246-kilometre race, which requires qualifying. Historically only 50% finish, by kissing the feet of King Leonidas’s statue in Sparta. A documentary follows how he fared.

Amsterdam tests closing IJfront flood locks on Wednesday: Early on 28 October, the water board and city will close the IJfront’s eleven locks, which shield part of the centre from high water. This yearly drill involves no real threat; crews and equipment will be visible, and the slight rise in water level should barely be noticed.

Jordaan Indian restaurant barred from cooking over smells: A judge upheld the city’s September cooking ban at the Elandsgracht takeaway after inspectors found a neighbour faced over 2,000 hours of smells a year, against a limit of 176. To reopen before moving on 1 January, the owners need a two-metre extractor pipe and have applied for a permit.

Ruigkids, a free afternoon for children in Ruigoord’s church: Kids bring parents, aunts or grandparents to the village church, with creative workshops and a circus hint, full programme still unannounced. 25 October, 12:00 – 17:00, In de kerk, Ruigoord. KIDS WORKSHOP

Kids Rave: Future Beats, a daytime ADE party for families: Children, teenagers and parents dance to house DJs from Belgium, Britain and Italy inside Panama, once the harbour’s power station. 25 October, 12:00, panama.nl. FAMILY SHOW

Cinemini at Eye: The Gruffalo for toddlers, then playtime: A half-hour screening for ages two to six, in Dutch, followed by thirty minutes of supervised play. 25 October, 10:30, Eye Filmmuseum. FILM

Draw like Fiep Westendorp in the Rijksmuseum’s Fiep-Lab: Kids four and up make Jip and Janneke shadow drawings and design patterns with an adult, free once you’ve paid museum entry. 25 October, 10-16 uur, Teekenschool. KIDS WORKSHOP

A people-pleasing schoolgirl and her bossy sister in music theatre for 6+: Theater Sonnevanck’s SUPERMENS gezocht, loosely after Brecht, has a live audio describer and a touch tour first for visually impaired visitors. 25 October, 14:30, Theater De Krakeling. FAMILY SHOW

Ali Baba’s forty thieves, seen through the heroine Morgiana’s eyes: 40 Rovers retells Ali Baba through its clever heroine and asks who gets remembered in a story, with live music. 25 October, 15:00, Plein Theater. THEATER

Scooter, Hyper Hyper and H.P. Baxxter at the Ziggo Dome: The German act, fronted by Baxxter and known for How Much Is the Fish?, has been going for over thirty years. 25 October, 19:00, Ziggo Dome. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Reinier Zonneveld 8HRS Live x Loveland, one techno set lasting eight hours: One continuous live set of hard and acid techno, no other names on the bill, played out at Mediahaven on Moermanskkade. 25 October, 13:00, Mediahaven. FESTIVALS

Verknipt ADE Sunday, a full day of techno at AFAS Live: The Dutch techno organisation’s second ADE show runs from afternoon to midnight, over-18s only, with tickets from about 62 euros. 25 October, 14:00 – 23:59, AFAS Live. FESTIVALS

Improvised techno on hardware: Speedy J presents STOOR Live: Musicians swap in and out of an unplanned hardware jam while robotic cameras feed an LED video object, with Donato Dozzy among them. 25 October, 16:00, Paradiso. ELECTRONIC / DANCE

Amsterdam Dub Event: Moritz von Oswald marks 30 years of ADE: Dub through the KrackFree Soundsystem, with Radikal Guru joined by a trumpeter and a Jah Works tribute from Earth Works Amsterdam. 25 October, 18:00, Melkweg. ELECTRONIC / DANCE

Beethoven’s Pathétique on fortepiano, Ronald Brautigam in the Kleine Zaal: Several Beethoven piano sonatas, including the Pathétique, played on a fortepiano rather than a modern grand, with an interval and drinks included. 25 October, 14:15, The Concertgebouw. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker for brass, Sunday morning in the Grote Zaal: The Concertgebouworkest’s trumpets, horns, trombones and tuba add Shostakovich’s jazz suite and music from Phantom of the Opera, with child tickets available. 25 October, 11:00, The Concertgebouw. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Tags, names and repetition: the ESSENCE at STRAAT: Graffiti pared to its building blocks, from New York’s underground to the Dutch scene, with items from the Dutch Graffiti Library. 25 October, all day, STRAAT Museum. ART / MUSEUMS

Twenty-five years of friendship, Najib Amhali and Roué Verveer on one stage: The two comedians share the stage for Alles is Comedy, their autumn tour, and this Rode Zaal show is already sold out. 25 October, 15:00, Meervaart. COMEDY

Snogeiros, portraits of the Portuguese Synagogue’s community at 350: Photographer Marte Visser was given exceptional access to the congregation’s daily life, photographing the people and traditions of the community today. 25 October, 11:00 – 17:00, Portugese Synagoge (Joods Cultureel Kwartier). ART / MUSEUMS

Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing on a Sunday afternoon, with drinks after: Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant over less than a day in the 1989 film, with a drink afterwards and snacks offered by the centre. 25 October, 14:00, Cultureel Centrum Soop. FILM

Ancient glass at the Allard Pierson, studied with a nuclear reactor: Over 200 objects examined with TU Delft, a free audio tour from the curator, and modern work inspired by the old techniques. 25 October, 10.00 – 17.00, Allard Pierson. ART / MUSEUMS

Pioneers of Media Art: early Dutch video art from Montevideo’s archive: Father and son Jeep and Livinus van de Bundt sit at the centre, alongside archive footage and works by Nam June Paik. 25 October, Nxt Museum. ART / MUSEUMS

Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie, de Appel’s exhibition on class in art: A research project begun in 2006 on how class shapes the making and showing of art returns, with display racks by Özgür Atlagan. 25 October, 12:00, Tempel Amsterdam. ART / MUSEUMS

Tiramisu Experience Workshop: chef Alexandra’s classic recipe, by hand: You eat what you make and take two tiramisu home, but all twelve places for this session are already sold out. 25 October, 18:00 – 19:30, La Bottega by Chiara’s Food. WORKSHOP

Pour your own candle by the Oudeschans, beginners welcome: Two hours with wax, wicks and colours, materials and guidance included, plus tea and something tasty, a short walk from Nieuwmarkt. 25 October, 13:00, Amsterdam House of Arts & Crafts. WORKSHOP

City Clean-up for the ADE Closing, then drinks on the Zeedijk: Expats and Dutch locals pick litter from the centre for ninety minutes, with gear provided, then head back to the pub. 25 October, 14:00 – 16:00, The Queen’s Head. VOLUNTEERING

Two hours of autumn yin yoga on IJburg, with a hot-water bottle: Teacher Minne draws on Traditional Chinese Medicine, focusing this autumn session on the lung and large intestine meridians, open to all adults. 25 October, 15:00 – 17:00, OBA IJburg – Open ruimte. CLASS

Botanical illustration in one day: history, sketching and watercolour: Iris Merks teaches up to fifteen people to draw and paint a seasonal flower, with a watercolour set and museum entry included. 25 October, 10:00 – 16:30, Art Zoo Museum. WORKSHOP

Cut-paper collage in the style of Matisse, any level welcome: School for Skills’ Creatief Cafe, held in Dutch, has you cutting coloured shapes like Matisse’s late cut-outs, beginners welcome, from €6.50. 25 October, 10:00 – 12:00, de Werkplek. WORKSHOP

Live music, timba and a dance workshop at Sandunguera: Salsa District’s Cuban dance party opens with a workshop led by a surprise artist, then DJ Mulato plays salsa, timba and reggaeton. 25 October, 17:00, KZ – Kompaszaal. WORLD / FOLK

 

Art Amsterdam Spui: artists sell their own work straight from the studio. Spui, 11:00 – 18:00.

The Maker Market: independent makers selling handmade design, crafts and food. De Hallen, 12:00 – 17:00.

Museum Market: art, craft and design stalls between the trees, free entry. Museumplein, 10:00 – 18:00.

Daily markets open today: Nieuwmarkt.

Looking ahead: Imagine Film Festival (from Tue 27 October), Tapis Rouge French Film Festival (from Wed 28 October) and Brainwash Festival: Bold Ideas for Curious Minds (from Thu 29 October). See the week ahead →

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