Essentially Amsterdam – Sunday, November 8, 2026

Sunday November 8, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: a big demonstration closes the Museumplein area to cars while extra metros run, a court rolls back the canal cruise tax rise, and Korn plays the Ziggo Dome.

Court rolls back Amsterdam canal cruise tax rise: A court has ruled that canal cruise operator Stromma should pay Amsterdam €1.50 per passenger again instead of €2.70, backdated to the third quarter of 2024. The city failed to justify the increase and spent part of the revenue on unrelated things such as free public transport for children.

Ten Christmas markets within 90 minutes’ drive of Amsterdam: Ten Christmas markets are within an hour and a half by car, from Haarlem, about 30 minutes away, to the Dickens Festijn in Deventer. The first, Spirit of Winter at Paleis Soestdijk in Baarn, opens 11 November, and most of the others cluster around the weekend of 11 to 13 December.

Amsterdam water board tax could double by 2050: The Amstel, Gooi en Vecht water board wants its tax to rise 4% a year above inflation until 2050. Owners of a €500,000 home would pay €581 in 2027, up from €553 this year. The board says climate change and replacing pumping stations, locks and treatment plants will double its costs.

Diemen stamp club holds on as Amsterdam clubs fold: Founded in 1978, De Zegelaars holds a monthly Sunday stamp fair at community centre De Schakel, plus a club and auction night on the second Tuesday of each month. Its youngest member is 13-year-old Samuel, who got hooked after buying bags of old stamps in a Danish second-hand shop, and membership has hovered around 79 for years.

1,326 Dutch hotels join Booking.com claim in Amsterdam: The hotels want back a large share of the commissions they paid between 2004 and 2024, after the EU’s top court ruled in 2024 that clauses barring cheaper rates on other platforms broke competition rules. Booking.com calls the claims unfounded. A first hearing is expected in 2027.

Free repairs fix 100 bike lights in Noord: Bike mechanics repaired front and rear lights for a steady queue of cyclists on Buikslotermeerplein between 4pm and 6pm. Lamps that could not be fixed on the spot were replaced with temporary lights. The Amsterdam transport region holds the event yearly, rotating among the fourteen municipalities it covers.

Why fine dining is losing younger diners: After Ron Blaauw’s decision to close his gastrobar, hospitality experts say long tasting menus appeal mostly to an older generation, while younger diners graze through the day and want a few small plates in the evening. Time-slot booking has all but ended walk-ins, yet Dutch diners dislike queuing too, so restaurants should offer both quick bites at the bar and a full dinner.

Buying extra leave could risk skilled migrant permits: The IND says highly skilled migrants who buy extra holiday hours can fall below the salary threshold their residence permit requires. It advises employers to take the cost from holiday allowance or an end-of-year bonus instead. New salary thresholds and fees apply from 1 January 2027.

North Holland’s power grid is overloaded in more places: North Holland needs more and more electricity, and its power grid is now overloaded in a growing number of places, which affects businesses, residents and new housing. The first episode of a new NH Nieuws series looks at the problem and at local attempts to work around it.

Big demonstration closes Museumplein area to cars today: Traffic is banned around Museumplein and along the route from 11.30 today, trams are diverted and extra metros run. The demonstration starts at 13.00 on Museumplein, the march runs from 13.45 to 16.00 and everything should be over by about 17.00. The car park under Museumplein is closed from 12.00 to 18.00.

Amsterdam battery firm Return raises €835 million: Return, founded in 2021, stores surplus power that cannot be used when it is produced and bundles battery capacity for overloaded networks. The new money, raised with Deutsche Bank and Rabobank, should help it install more than 5 gigawatts of batteries by 2030, including in Germany.

Recorders, trombone, tuba and drums for children aged four and up: Four musicians introduce their instruments, then children ask questions and try some out after the music; children’s tickets are free. 8 November, 11:00, Splendor. FAMILY SHOW

For ages six and up: a dancing spider and Concertgebouw Orchestra musicians: Tarantula, a magic spider who can’t spin a web but makes animals dance, meets Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals and Danse macabre. 8 November, 14:00, Meervaart, Blauwe Zaal. FAMILY SHOW

The Gruffalo for toddlers, then half an hour of play: Thirty minutes of film in Dutch for ages two to six, followed by thirty minutes of supervised play in a cinema made for toddlers. 8 November, 10:30, Eye Filmmuseum. FAMILY SHOW

Kids make St Martin’s Day lanterns in the Indische Buurt: Three hours with the craft cupboard emptied, so children can finish their own lantern before St Martin’s Day; sign up by email. 8 November, 14:00, Badhuis Amsterdam. KIDS WORKSHOP

Mime, music and plenty of audience play in a new kids’ show: In De Blazende BOEM BAM Band, a mysterious suitcase turns two bored siblings into a band that doesn’t always play well together. 8 November, 11:00, Theater Vrijburcht. FAMILY SHOW

Nu-metal from Korn, with Architects and Pixel Grip in support: Jonathan Davis’s band, behind ‘Freak on a Leash’, plays the main hall in the 30th anniversary year of its debut album. 8 November, 19:20, Ziggo Dome. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

From The Gaslight Anthem: Brian Fallon & The Painkillers live: Chris Farren opens at half seven and The Gaslight Anthem singer’s main set follows at half eight in the Main Hall. 8 November, 19:30, Paradiso. POP / ROCK

Kyiv-born pianist Anna Fedorova plays Chopin for Protect Ukraine: All proceeds go to the charity, and the programme without interval mixes solo and chamber works by Chopin, Vasks, Skoryk and others. 8 November, 20:15, The Concertgebouw. CLASSICAL

Saxophones, trumpet and trombone with The Ex at Hear Me Out #4: Formed in the Dutch squat scene of 1979, The Ex play as a ten-piece with horns; a Meetup group goes in together. 8 November, 20:00, Bimhuis. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Rossini’s Stabat Mater for the Sunday after All Souls’: Edward Gardner conducts the Radio Philharmonic and the Groot Omroepkoor, the Dutch broadcast choir, in a programme on grief and loss. 8 November, 11:00, The Concertgebouw. CHOIR / VOCAL

Westercantorij’s free November concert of Mendelssohn, Puccini and Ravel: Mendelssohn’s cantata Wie der Hirsch schreit sits alongside works by Puccini, Ravel and Gardiner, with a collection afterwards and no entry fee. 8 November, 20:00, Westerkerk Amsterdam. CLASSICAL

Bring a laptop to Purpose Creators Club at Zoku: Founders, freelancers and artists meet for half an hour, work for an hour alone or together, then share what they made. 8 November, 11:00, Zoku Amsterdam. NETWORKING

Last call for horror and sci-fi at Imagine Film Festival: Final day of the fantastic film festival, themed ‘Ghost in the Feed’ this year, with horror, sci-fi and an audience prize vote. 8 November, 12:00, FilmHallen, LAB111 en Hal West. FESTIVALS

Two contemporary dance solos, up close, in De Hallen: Ariel Gelbart dances a fragment of First Things, and former Nederlands Dans Theater dancer Thalia Crymble shows her own piece, Worm Pop. 8 November, 20:00 – 21:00, De Hallen. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Shop 1930s to 1980s vintage furniture at Design Icons: Exhibitors sell vintage furniture and interior pieces, entry gets cheaper the later you arrive, and under-16s go in free. 8 November, 10:00 – 18:00, Kromhouthal. FESTIVAL / FAIR

Chantal Janzen as Sally Bowles in a new Dutch Cabaret: Back on stage after ten years, Janzen leads Daria Bukvić’s Dutch-language staging set in the Kit Kat Club of 1930s Berlin. 8 November, 14:00, DeLaMar Theater. THEATER

Queer Tattoo Fest Amsterdam: over 50 artists, workshops and a makers market: Club FrouFrou’s two-day convention centres on care and space for queer bodies, with workshops, performances and a makers market alongside the tattooing. 8 November, 11:00, De Hallen. FESTIVALS

Searching for the Underground, a free sound installation in the Indische Buurt: Composer Kate Moore recorded a courtyard garden residents can see but never enter, and plays live at the 16:00 opening. 8 November, 14:00 – 17:00, De Poorthuisjes. ART / MUSEUMS

See Masterpiece Amsterdam, the city painted in the 17th century: Canal-belt views, the new town hall on the Dam and shipping on the IJ, with an audio tour in English and Dutch. 8 November, all day, Stadsarchief Amsterdam – De Bazel. ART / MUSEUMS

Wood-fired pizza workshop for teens in Noord, free with Rise the Future: Teenagers aged 13 to 20 spend two and a half hours on dough, stretching and baking, and sign themselves up by email. 8 November, 12:00, Het Machinegebouw. WORKSHOP

Forage, taste and hear nature’s stories on a poetry walk in Ruigoord: Annie’s foraging walk, Wildpluk Poëziewandeling, spends ninety minutes picking and tasting wild flavours and sharing nature’s stories in the village. 8 November, 14:00, in het dorp. TOUR

Vinyasa yoga by the IJ, on the beach at Pllek: Bianka Duka takes all levels from meditation through postures, chanting and breathwork, moving indoors if it rains; mats and fleeces provided. 8 November, 10:30, Pllek. CLASS

Make a Chinese Hanfu hairstick from woven petals and chains: Beginners weave petals, make chains and attach flowers in a group of up to ten, children over ten welcome with an adult. 8 November, 13:00, OBA CC Amstel. WORKSHOP

Ocean-style epoxy side tables and trays in an Amstelveen studio: Artist Yaffa Cohen walks up to eight beginners through a 37cm side table or 40cm tray, with materials and coffee included. 8 November, 19:30 – 22:30, Yaffa’s Heart Studio. WORKSHOP

Shrinky Dinks crafting, turning your drawings into keychains, pins and Crocs charms: A small group of ten draws on plastic that shrinks when heated, then sets the charms in UV resin; complete beginners welcome. 8 November, 13:15, OBA CC Amstel. WORKSHOP

•  Restaurant De Salon (Witte de Withstraat, De Baarsjes): Pool table, chansons and wines on tap from sommelier Rosemarie Veldhoen, plus pizzas with vodka sauce and red mullet with fennel from the old pizza oven.

•  World of Flavours: Twelve independent kitchens from Surinamese pastry to Tex-Mex tacos and fresh pasta, with a tropical bar and live music in one space.

•  Wolff & Beer: All-day spot for breakfast croissants, lunch sandwiches, seasonal dinner dishes and beers, open seven days a week with Ajax matches on screen.

 

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

The Maker Market bij Amstel1: Amstel1, 11:00 – 17:00.

Daily markets open today: Art Amsterdam Spui (Spui) and Nieuwmarkt. See all markets open today

Head of Legal & Compliance: Brand New Day, Amsterdam, EUR 8,000 – 9,000 a month – Lead the legal and compliance function at Brand New Day, advise the board and manage nine professionals across legal, compliance, customer integrity and privacy.

Product Designer: BridgeFund, Amsterdam, EUR 5,802 – 6,350 a month – Own customer research and end-to-end design for BridgeFund’s website, onboarding, and borrowing journeys, turning insights into product improvements.

Head of Customer Experience: Talk360, Amsterdam, EUR 65,000 – 70,000 a year – Lead Talk360’s support team to improve retention and build support operations for embedded partner products.

Interim – Accountmanager binnendienst: Athora Netherlands, Amsterdam, up to EUR 65 an hour – Support participants and advisers through the pension payout process in the Personal Solutions Sales team, handling customer contact, quotes and administration.

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

Looking ahead: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (from Thu 12 November), G10 Festival (from Wed 11 November) and Deepavali Festival (Sat 14 November). See the week ahead →

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