Essentially Amsterdam – Sunday, September 13, 2026

Sunday September 13, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: foundation risks run deeper across the city than estimated, A9 highway traffic shifts into a sunken stretch through Amstelveen, and the classic flea circus returns to the Jordaan.

The activities listed below are just a curated sample of what’s going on in Amsterdam this weekend. Check out our completely redesigned events calendar here.

Amsterdam foundation risks run deeper than estimated: Satellite data reveals one in four homes sank more than a millimetre each year during the last decade. Experts warn repair costs could trigger a broader financial shock.

Wolf spotted forty kilometres from Amsterdam in Laren: A wandering wolf has been sighted in Het Gooi, prompting nature reserves to lock up sheep at night. Experts are divided over whether wolves could eventually reach the coastal dunes.

Amstelkwartier street balances new housing and heritage: Bella Vistastraat blends modern residential architecture with the historic monuments of the former Zuidergasfabriek. Ongoing restoration work continues alongside minor local complaints about parked fast food diners.

A9 traffic moves into sunken Amstelveen section: Both directions will share the new northern trough from Monday morning following a full weekend closure. Speeds are limited to 90 kilometres per hour on the narrowed lanes.

New youth theatre show takes shape in the Teekenschool: A new youth theatre production takes shape in the Teekenschool near the Rijksmuseum, bringing Dutch historical figures to the stage and linking their stories to questions young audiences face today.

Behind the scenes with Amsterdam court ushers: Court ushers have opened up about their daily work during the national rule of law week. Around twenty staff members handle courtroom logistics and attendee care each day.

Build jazz grooves on custom instruments at SoundLAB: Parents and children compose rhythm pieces together using custom SoundLAB devices, without needing to read sheet music. 13 September, 15:00 – 16:00, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Atriumzaal. 📅 KIDS WORKSHOP

Short French animations and supervised play at Cinemini: Thirty minutes of gentle European animations for toddlers and preschoolers, followed immediately by supervised playtime in the room. 13 September, 10:30, EYE Filmmuseum. 📅 FAMILY SHOW

Splendor Kinderconcert: brass, cembalo, and instrument trials: Five musicians play original pieces, then open the floor so young visitors can hold and test the instruments. 13 September, 11:00, Splendor. 📅 KIDS WORKSHOP

Test cargo bikes and get free tune-ups at Bakfietsfestival: Families can test-ride electric cargo models, let mechanics inspect their own bikes, and drop children off for face painting. 13 September, 12:00-17:00, QicQ concept store. 📅 FESTIVALS

A revival of the classic flea circus in the Jordaan: Forty minutes of storytelling and tiny circus tricks performed in a miniature theatre, suited for all ages. 13 September, Villa Kakofonie. 📅 FAMILY SHOW

Centuries-old slapstick puppet theatre on Dam Square: Half-hour slapstick puppet performances carry on a street theatre tradition running on the square since 1893. 13 September, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, De Dam (voor het Koninklijk Paleis). 📅 FAMILY SHOW

Fixing and tinkering at Repair Kid: Children take apart and repair items in a drop-in Sunday session built for ages four through twelve. 13 September, 13:00, Pllek. 📅 KIDS WORKSHOP

Make your own constellation at OBA Oosterdok: Children aged six and up draw, paint, and glitter poetic artworks inspired by night constellations. 13 September, 14:00, OBA Oosterdok Juniorlab. 📅 KIDS WORKSHOP

K-pop group ITZY on their arena tour: Tight group choreography and synchronized electro-pop tracks fill the cavernous hall for an energetic stadium show. 13 September, AFAS Live, Amsterdam-Zuidoost. 📅 POP / ROCK

Q.Festival Portuguese music concert in Begijnhof: An afternoon concert presents traditional Portuguese musical heritage inside the historic English Reformed Church sanctuary. 13 September, 15:15 – 16:45, De Engelse Kerk. 📅 WORLD / FOLK

Aidan Mikdad plays Chopin and Beethoven’s Waldstein sonata: An uninterrupted one-hour morning programme featuring Beethoven’s twenty-first sonata and Chopin, with drinks covered in the ticket. 13 September, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Het Concertgebouw, Recital Hall. 📅 CLASSICAL

Khamari brings contemporary soul and R&B to Melkweg: Support act Ambré opens at eight before the singer-songwriter takes the stage in the venue’s MAX hall. 13 September, 19:00, Melkweg. 📅 HIP-HOP / R&B

Rachel Chinouriri brings debut album songs to Tolhuistuin: The London singer-songwriter plays tracks from her 2024 debut record in a club show presented by Paradiso. 13 September, 20:30, Tolhuistuin. 📅 POP / ROCK

Dublin indie-grunge outfit Bleech 9:3 at Bitterzoet: Guitars, bass and drums from the Irish four-piece for a sold-out Sunday evening gig. 13 September, 20:30, Bitterzoet. 📅 POP / ROCK

Choral polyphony and physical performance in Mees Vervuurt’s An Elegy: Nederlands Kamerkoor trainees sing across seven native languages alongside solo percussion and movement in a new contemporary composition. 13 September, 20:15, Muziekgebouw. 📅 CLASSICAL

Vocal and piano jazz at an ice cream salon: A relaxed Sunday session of standards and tunes paired with ice cream or wine right off Waterlooplein. 13 September, 16:30, De Boule de Boule. 📅 JAZZ / BLUES

Glazyhaze brings Italian dreampop to Cinetol: Venice alternative rock band Glazyhaze headlines an evening of reverb and dreampop alongside local support Girlhead. 13 September, 19:30, Cinetol. 📅 POP / ROCK

Open Monumentendag: last day to step inside the city’s monuments: Sunday is the final day of Open Monumentendag, with historic buildings across the city open free of charge. Among the highlights: twenty-minute flash lectures at the Stopera on lost Vlooienburg, told through excavated finds and a scale model. 13 September, Stopera. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS

Ride the Verzetstram through wartime Amsterdam landmarks: A museum educator narrates a one-hour historic tram loop stopping by key wartime persecution and resistance landmarks. 13 September, 10:30 – 16:00, Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam. 📅 ART / MUSEUMS

Crate-digging and live sets at The Independent Label Market: Independent record labels sell releases straight to buyers alongside food, drinks, and live sets across the garden. 13 September, 12:00, Tolhuistuin, Tuin. 📅 FOOD / MARKETS

Pakhuis Wilhelmina opens ninety-six artist studios for its biennale: Dozens of makers show their workspaces alongside screenings, workshops, a pop-up market, and group exhibitions inside the harbor warehouse. 13 September, 12:00 – 18:00, Pakhuis Wilhelmina. 📅 ART / MUSEUMS

Fruit picking and harvest festivities at Landgoed de Olmenhorst: Wander the organic orchards to harvest apples and pears, backed by food trucks, live bands, and children’s crafts. 13 September, 10:00 – 21:00, Landgoed de Olmenhorst. 📅 FESTIVALS

Surinamese street food and live music at KWAKU DownTown: Roti, bara, moksi meti and shaved ice stalls set up alongside an open-air afternoon music programme. 13 September, Vondelpark Openluchttheater. 📅 FESTIVALS

Sunday Market sets up stalls inside the Stopera: Over fifty local artists and makers sell ceramics, fashion and street food along the newly renovated indoor arcade. 13 September, 11:00 – 17:00, Amstel 1 (Stopera). 📅 FOOD / MARKETS

How De Pijp became Amsterdam’s Quartier Latin: Historian Michel Didier charts how the working-class district evolved through 19th-century painters, literary movements, and Amsterdam School architecture. 13 September, 14:30 – 16:00, Arti et Amicitiae. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS

Pure Markt sets up stalls across Amstelpark: Artisan food makers, warm drinks and creative crafts spread out across the park walkways for the day. 13 September, 11:00, Amstelpark. 📅 FOOD / MARKETS

Hacking old radios into noise synthesizers: Multimedia artist Francesco Zedde guides hands-on circuit bending using provided radio kits to build cheap, functioning electronic instruments. 13 September, 15:00 – 18:00, Q-Factory Amsterdam. 📅 WORKSHOP

Explore the vanished Bijlmermeerpolder by bike for Open Monumentendag: Bring your own bike for a guided ninety-minute ride tracing the landscape that existed before the high-rise blocks. 13 September, 11:00 – 14:00, Verzamelplek rondleiding. 📅 TOUR

Behind the scenes at Nationale Opera & Ballet: Walk through the costume ateliers, prop workshops, and backstage wings during a seventy-five-minute guided tour conducted in Dutch. 13 September, 10:30-11:45, Nationale Opera & Ballet. 📅 TOUR

Pastels, charms, and faux cream at a decoden craft workshop: You spend the afternoon piping fake whipped cream and fixing charms onto mirrors, frames, or phone cases. 13 September, 13:30, Maakplaats Room 1st Floor OBA CC Amstel. 📅 WORKSHOP

Free trial lessons and backstage tours during Meervaart Open House: Drop into the halls for foyer activities, free sample classes in streetdance and acting, or guided theater tours. 13 September, 12:00 – 17:00, Meervaart. 📅 WORKSHOP

Eight rounds of timed chess at Lazy Sunday Rapid: Eight rounds of ten-minute games run to a soundtrack across a busy room on the IJ waterfront. 13 September, 14:00, Tolhuistuin, IJzaal. 📅 GAMES / HOBBIES

Japanese tonkatsu cooking class in De Pijp: Four people gather around a kitchen table to learn rice cooking, scratch tonkatsu sauce, and crisp cutlet frying. 13 September, 16:00, DE REPUBLIEK. 📅 WORKSHOP

Mindful paper folding at ORIGAMI Club Amsterdam: Author Samuel Tsang guides beginners through three classic paper models using step-by-step projector demonstrations in a quiet library room. 13 September, 11:00 – 12:30, OBA CC Amstel. 📅 WORKSHOP

Phones in pockets for an Offline Club morning: A phone-free cafe morning starts with quiet reading or journaling before opening into casual conversation over drinks. 13 September, 10:30 – 13:00, Café Brecht. 📅 SOCIAL / DRINKS

Broadcasting, media, and tech innovation at IBC 2026: Industry professionals gather across the conference halls for panel discussions on artificial intelligence, streaming platforms, and media hardware. 13 September, 10:30 – 18:00, RAI Amsterdam. 📅 CONFERENCE

Wine & Cheese with Wiztivi & Velocix at IBC 2026: French cheese, wine and casual trade conversation about television tech at an afternoon booth reception inside the RAI. 13 September, 16:00, RAI Amsterdam, Hall 1, Booth C29. 📅 NETWORKING

Ikkoku Omakase & Izakaya: Set on Ceintuurbaan in Amsterdam-Zuid, this minimalist Japanese spot offers unique izakaya dishes, sake, and cocktails. Guests will also find a dedicated omakase room available on select dates.

Gios by the River: This waterside spot welcomes guests with colorful interiors and vibrant arched windows. Inside, visitors can sit down to a simple menu filled with classic Italian dishes.

Chateau Amsterdam: Located on the IJ River, this urban winery crafts house wines from imported European grapes. Guests can enjoy these homemade pours alongside hearty Italian dishes in the attached wine bar and restaurant.

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