Saturday August 22, 2026
Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: a fire destroys the Parknest community center in Flevopark, Paco Peña plays flamenco guitar at The Concertgebouw, and Het Kleine Theater stages a musical family show in Vondelpark.
At a glance
🌦️ Weather: Hi 19°C / 67°F (1° cooler than yesterday) · Lo 14°C / 58°F · 14% chance of rain · wind NW 19 km/h (10 knots)
🚲 Cycling: Mostly fine, a shower is possible.
🌙 Sun & moon: Sunrise 06:34 · Sunset 20:50 · First Quarter · Moonrise 18:22 · Golden hour 20:20 to 20:50
🌊 Outdoors: Air quality fair (AQI 27) · grass pollen low
💶 Markets: AEX 1,106 (+0.3%) · S&P 500 7,670 (+0.4%) · €1 = $1.17 · $1 = €0.85
Fire destroys Parknest community centre in Flevopark: Firefighters allowed the Parknest building in Flevopark to burn down under control overnight after flames spread beneath its roof. The former pancake house had served as a neighbourhood hub since late 2023.
Talpa refunds viewers after Ajax match stream fails: Talpa will refund all viewers who paid to stream the Conference League play-off between FC Sion and Ajax following technical glitches on KIJK. All paying customers will receive their €4.99 fee back in full.
Road safety group urges parents to teach cycling: Veilig Verkeer Nederland is calling on parents to teach their children to cycle independently as the new school year starts. The organisation warns that relying on cars or cargo bikes creates problems.
Work begins on Eleven Square district in Zuidoost: Construction has started on Eleven Square, a new district opposite the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Zuidoost. The development includes 1,100 homes, retail, a theatre, and the city’s tallest residential tower.
Amsterdam game studio PlayerUnknown Productions shuts down: Amsterdam-based video game company PlayerUnknown Productions has closed down amid rising operational costs and limited industry support. The studio is known for its connection to the hit shooter game PUBG.
Tropical temperatures could return to the Netherlands: Weather forecasters predict temperatures could reach 30 degrees next week, particularly across the southern provinces. However, the warmer conditions will be accompanied by daily heavy showers and thunderstorms.
Amazon is most expensive Dutch online marketplace: A study of the ten largest digital marketplaces found Amazon charges sellers the highest commission fees in the Netherlands. French platform Cdiscount was recorded as the cheapest option.
Het Kleine Theater stages a musical family show in Vondelpark: A playful family show packed with music, storytelling and dogs, charting the unlikely bond between two very different park strays. 22 August, 15:30, Vondelpark Openluchttheater. FAMILY SHOW
Meneer Monster brings physical family theatre to Vondelpark Openluchttheater: Physical slapstick and almost wordless family theatre based on the classic children’s book about the little mole. 22 August, 14:30, Vondelpark Openluchttheater. FAMILY SHOW
De verjaardagsdief children theatre performance at De Toverknol: A children’s theatre show at De Toverknol with three Saturday showings, each pitched at a different age group: 10:30 for ages 1 to 4, 12:15 for ages 3 to 7 and 14:00 for ages 5 to 9. Places are booked through the theatre’s own form, and the run continues on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays into September. 22 August, 10:30, De Toverknol. FAMILY SHOW
Saturday morning storytime session for young children at De Kinderboekwinkel: Volunteers read stories to babies and toddlers in the shop’s new cafe space while parents share a coffee. 22 August, De Kinderboekwinkel. STORY / READING
Children paint in the summer garden at Art Studio Amsterdam: Drop the kids off for a morning of painting while you have a coffee at the nearby Treehouse cafe. 22 August, 11:00, Art Studio Amsterdam – NDSM. KIDS WORKSHOP
Help out with farm chores and feed animals at Hoeve Ravenstein: Spend an hour feeding calves, tending goats and working around the farm grounds alongside farmer Arnold. 22 August, 08:30 – 09:30, Hoeve Ravenstein, Baarn. OUTDOOR / ACTIVE
Hands on slime and stress ball making workshop at Hemlab: Kids mix ink, shaving cream and activator in the science lab to make stretchable slime and stress balls. 22 August, 11:00 – 13:00, Hemlab, Zaandam. KIDS WORKSHOP
Young classical soloists perform on a floating stage on Prinsengracht: Young classical soloists team up with Dutch pop singers and a youth orchestra on the open floating stage. 22 August, 15:00, Prinsengracht, in front of Hotel Pulitzer. FAMILY SHOW
Flamenco guitar master Paco Peña performs at The Concertgebouw: The veteran Spanish guitarist brings his solo flamenco playing and original compositions to the main hall. 22 August, 20:00, The Concertgebouw.
GoYa Quartet and Carlos Ferreira play Mozart and Brahms: Principal clarinettist Carlos Ferreira joins the Amsterdam string quartet for an evening playing quintets by Mozart and Brahms. 22 August, 20:00, The Concertgebouw.
Eccentric costumes and live music take over Valtifest: Costumes and eccentric dress take over the long-running city festival with multiple stages for music, fashion, and performance. 22 August, 13:00 – 23:00, Kaap Amsterdam, IJdijk 10.
SonPaTi brings modern Cuban rhythms to Marineterrein: Amsterdam band SonPaTí plays modern Cuban rhythms alongside a preview of classic local songs reworked in Caribbean style. 22 August, 16:00, Marineterrein.
Indian indie folk band When Chai Met Toast plays Melkweg: The Indian indie-folk-rock band brings their narrative-driven songs to the hall on their latest world tour. 22 August, Melkweg.
Live jazz and late picnics until sunset in Artis: Live music fills the park bandstand as the grounds stay open until sunset for late picnics on the grass. 22 August, 16:00, Artis.
Classical stars perform on the water at the Prinsengrachtconcert: Leif Ove Andsnes, Sol Gabetta and Maria Warenberg perform classical music from a floating pontoon, free from the quays. 22 August, 21:20, Prinsengracht, in front of Hotel Pulitzer.
Classic musical Singin in the rain screens outdoors at Het Zonnehuis: Gene Kelly’s 1952 musical about Hollywood’s messy transition to the talkies screens outdoors on the terrace. 22 August, 21:00 – 22:30, Het Zonnehuis. FILM
Dungeons and Dragons meets live comedy improv at Cinetol: The Cauldron stages an unscripted fantasy adventure where dice rolls and audience suggestions guide the heroes through taverns and monster fights. 22 August, 17:00, Cinetol. COMEDY
Theatre festival Bosfest brings evening performances to Amsterdamse Bos: Wander between intimate theatrical performances, poetic concerts and dusk walks scattered throughout the woods, with food from a Mexican chef. 22 August, 18:00, Bostheater, Amstelveen. THEATER
Free workshops on greening balconies and roofs at Tuinen van West: Garden designer Inge Slothouber opens her plot and runs two free workshops on greening balconies, roofs and small city spaces. 22 August, 11:00, Tuinen van West. TALKS / IDEAS
Plum tasting and farmers market at Rijksmuseum Muiderslot: Tasting the plum harvest in the orchard alongside a regional farmers market celebrating a seventeenth-century castle tradition. 22 August, 10:00 – 17:00, Rijksmuseum Muiderslot. FESTIVALS
Atlantis 2.0 club night at Pre-Reserved: A sensory dinner with drinks pairings exploring seaweeds and the future of seafood as ocean levels rise. 21 August, 18:45 – 23:00, Pre-Reserved. DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Open air cinema festival Pluk de Nacht returns to Het Stenen Hoofd: Beach chairs on the IJ waterfront showing unreleased festival features, documentaries and shorts under the open sky. 19:00 – 00:00, Het Stenen Hoofd. FILM
Island dinner and sailing evening at Fortress Island Pampus: Sail across the IJmeer for outdoor starters on the grass followed by a seated dinner inside the fort. 22 August, 18:00 – 23:00, Fortress Island Pampus. FOOD / MARKETS
Traditional Cypriot food popup weekend at MLT Bakery: Traditional Cypriot family recipes, handcrafted savory dishes, homemade desserts and specialty coffee served across a two-day weekend popup. 22 August, 11:00 – 17:00, MLT Bakery & Coffee. FOOD / MARKETS
Casual bike and scooter races for kids at Marineterrein: Free casual races for kids on everyday balance bikes, scooters, and city bikes, strictly leaving racing gear at home. 22 August, 12:00-15:00, Marineterrein. SPORTS (ACTIVE)
Community summer market with live acts at De VerbroederIJ: Market stalls, workshops, and live acts run entirely by local volunteers create a community gathering by the water. 22 August, 12:00 – 17:00, De VerbroederIJ.
Outdoor acrylic painting session in the park: Bring a blanket to sit on and leave with your own acrylic canvas, with all painting materials supplied. 22 August, 15:00, Vondelpark. WORKSHOP
Pick and arrange organic flowers at Noorderbloemen: Florist Sophie Engels leads you through the organic nursery to pick seasonal blooms and learn hand-tied bouquet techniques. 22 August, 10:00, Noorderbloemen. WORKSHOP
Darkroom workshop turns phone photos into analog prints: Turn the photos on your phone into physical black-and-white analog prints using portable beginner darkroom kits. 22 August, 14:00, Stichting Het Salon Ateliers. WORKSHOP
Creative natural soapmaking workshop at De Hallen Amsterdam: Learn cold-process soapmaking from scratch over coffee, formulating scents with essential oils and designing your own bars. 22 August, 10:00 – 12:30, De Hallen Amsterdam. WORKSHOP
Camp overnight on the historic island of Fort Pampus: Spend the night on the IJmeer island once day visitors depart, capped at ten tents across the grounds. 22 August, Fort Pampus.
Beginners art history and sketch tour at Rijksmuseum: Conservator Liz Hébert combines art history and basic sketch tuition across different galleries, open to complete beginners. 22 August, 11:00, Rijksmuseum. WORKSHOP
Good to know
New on Dutch streaming: Say Yes To The Dress Benelux (HBO Max), The Apartment Job (Netflix), The Mummy (Disney+), Code 3 (Prime Video)
New on the big screen: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets returns Thursday to Filmhallen and Vue Amsterdam, Filmcollege 1: film en vermaak opens Thursday 17 September at Filmhuis Griffioen, and Fragments of Belonging opens Thursday at Rialto De Pijp. Showtimes here.
Overheard on Reddit: A thread reporting that the Parknest community center in Flevopark burned down drew mourning from neighbors who praised its friendly, non-commercial vibe, while commenters suggested crowdfunding a rebuild, noted the building’s murky ownership status, and questioned whether the recent fires in the area were arson.
Today’s supermarket deals: Dr. Oetker Big Americans Texas pizza (2 for €5.99) from Albert Heijn, Lay’s Max, Hamka’s, Doritos, Bugles, Cheetos (2 for €4.50) from Jumbo
Did you know? Amsterdam Dance Event turns the city into a five-day electronic-music network, with more than 1,200 events across nearly 300 locations.
115 years ago today: On August 22nd, 1911, Hartjesdag still ran through the Jordaan, though newspapers already described the old street festival as fading.
In case you missed it
Our three most clicked-on items from yesterday’s newsletter.
In tomorrow’s edition: A concert featuring Mikey2hats, Amsterjammers, and Shandon Sahm at Noordholland, the Live At Our Place performance by Kernel Magits and Līva Dumpe at Treehouse NDSM, and Eeehlektro presenteert Vissige Fissa at Het Groene Veld.
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Have a great Saturday and enjoy your weekend.
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