Essentially Amsterdam – Saturday, November 7, 2026

Saturday November 7, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: Ron Blaauw closes his Michelin-starred gastrobar, Schinkelbuurt residents breakfast in a pit to block a substation, and a painted van offers free Museumnacht rides through Oost.

Port of Amsterdam plans eight more wind turbines: The port authority has studied the sites and applied to the province of Noord-Holland for permits for turbines reaching 200 metres at the blade tip. Five would stand on company land, with firms possibly using the power. The original plan for twelve was cut after meetings with neighbours.

Ron Blaauw closes his Michelin-starred Amsterdam gastrobar: The chef says trade is still good after fourteen years on Sophialaan, but the restaurant will shut in February. He will keep the same team for a new, more relaxed concept at the address, to be revealed on 1 December, where diners can walk in without booking months ahead.

Cultivated Wagyu pet food approval revealed in Amsterdam: Oxford-based Ivy Farm announced at a protein industry conference at RAI Amsterdam that UK regulators have cleared its cultivated Wagyu beef, grown from a single cow’s cells, as a pet food ingredient. Its first commercial-scale production run is due in early 2027, and a European application has been filed.

Buyers tour squatted €5 million Amstelveen property: A former business premises on Amsteldijk Noord, with a large plot of land, has been occupied for months by between ten and fourteen squatters. A court ruled last summer they may stay for now but must allow viewings. The agent expects a property professional, not a family, to buy.

Flevoparkbad volunteers helped steer the pool’s renovation: The volunteer association that runs early and late swimming at the Flevoparkbad in Oost now has more than 4,000 members. After its input, a planned new indoor pool was moved elsewhere in Oost and the outdoor pool will be renovated in phases in the spirit of architect Enrico Hartsuyker.

Drivers on the Spaklerweg now enter Amstelvoorde: Name signs for Amstelvoorde went up this week on the Spaklerweg and near Duivendrecht station, though none of its planned 6,200 homes exist yet. The area was split off from Amsterdam-Duivendrecht in an official change in September, shrinking that place by more than half.

Schinkelbuurt residents breakfast in pit to block substation: Veerstraat residents set up tables and chairs in an excavation pit on Friday to oppose a Liander electricity substation planned outside their homes. No permit is needed, so objections are not possible. They were inspired by a 2021 Breughelstraat picnic protest, after which a different site was chosen.

Amsterdamse Bos ferry loses city funding from 2027: Alderman Elise Moeskops will stop subsidising the Helena, which carries about 9,000 cyclists and walkers a year between the Amsterdamse Bos and De Oeverlanden, saying it is recreational. Owner Tim Klijn says the boat would have to be sold. The VVD and SP are looking for other funding.

Free Museumnacht ride in painted van through Oost: On Saturday, Museumnacht ticket holders can take a free 20-minute guided ride in a van painted by artist Hedy Tjin. Rides leave the Wereldmuseum from 19.00 to midnight, seven at a time, by booked slot. The tour then stays free in the Tassie app until year’s end.

A9 near Amstelveen shut one way for tunnel work: The A9 is closed from Friday 20:00 until Monday 05:00 between the Holendrecht interchange and exit 6 (Aalsmeer), heading towards Badhoevedorp. Traffic the other way is unaffected, and the Aalsmeer on-ramp stays open. The diversion runs via the A2, A10 and A4, adding ten to thirty minutes.

Fake city letter warns Sloterdijk residents about data centre: Residents near the planned data centre on the Donauweg received a letter bearing the City of Amsterdam logo, warning of power cuts, noise and 30,000 homes scrapped for lack of electricity. The city says it did not send it, and alderman Alexander Scholtes condemned activists for spreading false information.

Experienced mechanics snub Swapfiets’ AI bike repair system: Bike subscription firm Swapfiets has developed an AI system in which cameras spot a fault and software says how to fix it. CEO Marc de Vries told the EDAY conference the system works, but experienced repairers prefer their own methods, and a human hand still beats robots.

Cancer stories become theatre in OLVG Oost chapel: Life Force grew out of workshops in Dutch and English for people affected by cancer, and blends dance, spoken word, music and video. It runs on 21 November from 14.00 to 16.00 with an optional talk afterwards; register in advance at dgv@olvg.nl.

Amsterdam parking permits could cost €15 more monthly: The city wants to raise first resident parking permit fees by 10 to 15 euros a month from January 2027, with the steepest rises in Centrum-West, Nieuwmarkt and Plantage. Noord and Zuidoost get only the usual adjustment for rising prices. The council decides in December.

Free lantern-making for St. Martin’s with craft author Franzi: Franziska Fiolka, who made a craft book with publisher Boycott, helps children aged 5 to 12 make a lantern, booking by email. 7 November, 15:00 – 16:00, Kinderboekwinkel Casperle. KIDS WORKSHOP

Concert for babies up to 18 months with Quirine Viersen: Quirine Viersen, Daniël Kramer and Kendra van Nes play a morning concert made for babies from newborn to a year and a half. 7 November, 09:30, Bimhuis. FAMILY SHOW

101 Dalmatians The Musical, with Cruella after the puppies at the RAI: Kim-Lian van der Meij’s Cruella wants the puppies for a fur coat, in a show using flashing lights and smoke effects. 7 November, 19:30 (5 nov), 14:00 en 19:30, RAI Amsterdam (Entree G). FAMILY SHOW

Swap toys your children have outgrown at the Afvalpaleis: Bring along toys nobody at home plays with any more and swap them for something another family has brought. 7 November, 12:00 – 17:00, Afvalpaleis. FOOD / MARKETS

Sinterklaas, K3 and superpowered Pieten in this year’s family film: A storm keeps the Pieten off the roofs in this 79-minute Dutch-language film, with Robert ten Brink and Martien Meiland in the cast. 7 November, 11:30, Het Ketelhuis. FILM

No André Hazes at AFAS Live tonight, the concert is cancelled: He has called off all his shows over voice problems, and buyers are refunded, service costs included, within 30 days. 7 November, 20:00, AFAS Live. POP / ROCK

Herman van Veen in concert with his programme Vandaag: The Dutch singer-songwriter performs his concert programme Vandaag, meaning today, in the nineteenth-century circus building on the Amstel. 7 November, 20:00, Koninklijk Theater Carré. SINGER-SONGWRITER

Dvořák’s Seventh with Klaus Mäkelä, in the Essentials series for newcomers: A spoken introduction by presenter Thomas Vanderveken comes first, then the full symphony without an interval, with drinks included in the ticket. 7 November, 21:00, The Concertgebouw. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Cello Biennale Amsterdam, ten days of cello along the IJ: Recitals run from Bach at breakfast to a late Cello Club Night, with the National Cello Competition held during the ten days. 7 November, Bimhuis. FESTIVALS

Haydn and Brahms with Sheku Kanneh-Mason and the Residentie Orkest: The Hague’s Residentie Orkest plays an afternoon programme of Haydn and Brahms with soloists Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Ivan Karizna and Liza Ferschtman. 7 November, 16:00, Bimhuis. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Olivier Latry’s candlelit Westerkerk organ recital is cancelled: The Paris organist was due to play Bach, Franck and Vierne on the Duyschot organ, part of the Organ Celebrities Series. 7 November, 20:00 – 21:00, Westerkerk Amsterdam. CLASSICAL

By Day, an afternoon-to-midnight dance party in Amsterdam West: Kenny Dope leads a day-into-night line-up with Benny Rodrigues, Tonno Disko and Coco Coquelicot, playing from late afternoon until midnight. 7 November, 16:00, Het Sieraad. ELECTRONIC / DANCE

A full day on beating stage fright and pitching with confidence: Coach Ryan Millar runs hands-on practice in storytelling, preparation and delivery for freelancers, entrepreneurs and professionals who pitch or present. 7 November, 10:00, Room2Learn. WORKSHOP

Museum Night, around 65 venues on a single ticket: One ticket gets you into all participating museums for the night, with many running special programmes and a free bus between them. 7 November, all day, Around 65 locations across Amsterdam. ART / MUSEUMS

Four duets between dance and music in HOV2+ at De Hallen: Young duos from different disciplines each perform a piece about how two bodies communicate, with one work paired with a dance film. 7 November, 19:30 – 22:30, De Hallen. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Middle age, stupid AI and physical comedy from Rhys Darby: The New Zealand comedian from Flight of the Conchords and Hunt for the Wilderpeople brings a new stand-up show to the Rozengracht. 7 November, 20:00, Boom Chicago. COMEDY

Chantal Janzen back as Sally Bowles in a new Cabaret: Daria Bukvić directs this new Dutch-language production set in 1930s Berlin’s Kit Kat Club, with Freek Bartels in the cast. 1 November, 15:00, 20:00; matinee 14:00, DeLaMar Theater. THEATER

Free drawings and open doors at a Molenwijk studio for Landelijk Atelierweekend: Artist Henk Veen opens his home studio, lets each visitor pick a free drawing and, time allowing, sketches on the back. 7 November, 12:00 – 17:00, Atelier Henk Veen. ART / MUSEUMS

Strawberries grown on the artist’s own blood, a Museum Night piece: Margherita Soldati, who lives with severe allergies, turns a fictional greenhouse into a performance about control, food production and the body. 7 November, 19:00, Mediamatic Biotoop. THEATER

Moluccan Museum Night in Zuidoost with spoken word, song and a DJ: Artists with Moluccan roots guide you through their group show, followed by storyteller Djé-Rimo, singer Jessica Manuputty, DJ Giba and snacks. 7 November, 19:00, CBK Zuidoost. FESTIVALS

Pick up a free native tree in Noord at the last giveaway: Register first and choose a wild apple or cornelian cherry, both easy in a pot, with composting workshops and children’s activities alongside. 7 November, 10:00 – 15:00, Tolhuistuin. VOLUNTEERING

The Offline Club’s phone-free rooftop evening, sauna optional: Phones go into a phone hotel while you read, journal or knit, and sauna ticket holders get a slot in the evening. 7 November, 17:30, Stretch & Fold Café. SOCIAL / DRINKS

Build a St. Martin’s light sculpture, free and for all ages: Light and assorted materials become sculptures for St. Martin’s on 11 November, with children taking part alongside a parent or carer. 7 November, 12:00, De Ster in Gein. WORKSHOP

Y-dentity, sharing memories of IJburg at the neighbourhood bookshop: Volunteers from Het Geheugen van Oost, a local memory project, collect residents’ personal stories of IJburg to record the neighbourhood’s history. 7 November, 12:00, IJburg Boeken. WORKSHOP

Mix your own green cleaning products during Museum Night: A hands-on Museum Night session where you make household cleaning products with more environmentally friendly ingredients. 7 November, 19:00, Museumnacht. WORKSHOP

Online Buddhist meditation training on Mahamudra and Kriya Tantra: The last year of a four-year FPMT course, taught weekly online by Ven. Losang Gendun, with registration required through the website. 7 November, 15:30, Needs a location. CLASS

•  Omi (De Pijp): An intimate chef’s table restaurant that pays tribute to the owners’ grandmothers.

•  Santo: Indonesian, Mexican and global influences meet in a new all-day bar and kitchen opening summer 2026 on Vinkenstraat.

•  Hummus & Habibis: The article lists Hummus and Habibis among its new Amsterdam hospitality spots.

 

De Tuinen Van yard sale: De Tuinen Van, 11:00 – 16:00.

art’otel x NOCKNOCK The Design & Makers Market: art’otel amsterdam, 11:00 – 17:00.

Daily markets open today: Dappermarkt, Lindengracht (Jordaan) and Markt Bos en Lommerweg (Bos en Lommerweg). See all markets open today

Interim – Lifetime inrichter: Athora Netherlands, Amsterdam, up to EUR 120 an hour – Configure Lifetime to connect it to the BPM layer and enable straight-through processing of business processes.

Freelance Strategic Buyer: Loop Earplugs, Amsterdam, EUR 60 – 80 an hour – Lead category sourcing, negotiate structural cost reductions, and support the Industrialization Team in preparing Loop products for mass production.

Senior Software Engineer, Payments Platform: Airwallex, Amsterdam, EUR 125,000 – 160,000 a year – Build REST services and payment infrastructure for the Payments Platform, helping businesses accept and process international payments reliably across markets.

Senior Account Executive: Altura, Amsterdam, EUR 140,000 – 150,000 a year – Prospect and close complex deals for Altura’s AI bid-management platform, working with bid teams and product.

More international jobs in Amsterdam: see the full list or get them in your inbox every day.

Looking ahead: Make It Yourself Festival & Sustainable Home Market (Sun 8 November), Imagine Film Festival (Sun 8 November) and G10 Festival (from Wed 11 November). See the week ahead →

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