Saturday October 3, 2026
Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: 733 homes open their doors to viewers across the city, the Waldorf Astoria spa earns recognition as the Netherlands’ best hotel spa, and Linnaeusstraat crossing reopens two months ahead of schedule.
The activities listed below are just a curated sample of what’s going on in Amsterdam. Check out our completely redesigned events calendar here.
At a glance
🌦️ Weather: Hi 21°C / 69°F (about the same as yesterday) · Lo 13°C / 56°F · 0% chance of rain · wind SW 9 km/h (5 knots)
🚲 Cycling: Good cycling all day.
🌙 Sun & moon: Sunrise 07:44 · Sunset 19:13 · Last Quarter · Moonrise 23:20 · Golden hour 18:43 to 19:13
🌊 Outdoors: Air quality moderate (AQI 41) · grass pollen low
💶 Markets: AEX 1,117 (+1.3%) · S&P 500 7,723 (+0.7%) · €1 = $1.12 · $1 = €0.89
Waldorf Astoria spa named best hotel spa in the Netherlands: The Guerlain Spa at the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam has won Netherlands’ Best Hotel Spa 2026 at the World Spa Awards. The title followed an international voting round.
Voice AI firm ElevenLabs opens Amsterdam office: ElevenLabs has launched in the Netherlands with an Amsterdam office led by Goswijn Thijssen. The voice AI company plans to triple its Dutch team this year, hiring in engineering and other roles.
Utrechtsestraat will not become one-way after all: The city has dropped its plan for one-way traffic on Utrechtsestraat after objections from residents. Smaller safety measures, such as speed bumps and an extra zebra crossing, are now being considered.
Linnaeusstraat crossing reopens two months ahead of schedule: Trams, buses, cars, cyclists and pedestrians can use the junction with Wijttenbachstraat again after five months of work. At first, the crossing was meant to reopen only for trams.
No trains at Amsterdam Centraal on Saturday 3 October: No trains will run to or from the station for a day while ProRail works on the tracks. Fewer trains will run on 4 and 5 October, and departure times may change.
NS deploys drones against graffiti on its trains: Dutch Railways now flies drones over its shunting yards at night to catch graffiti sprayers. It is also covering artists’ tags with stickers that explain why some trains run shorter.
Hans Anders pulls Meta camera glasses from sale: The optician chain has stopped selling Meta’s camera glasses with immediate effect because of concerns about privacy. It will decide later whether to sell them again, once the public debate has played out.
Weekend van de Wetenschap on the Science Park campus: The research campus opens its doors to visitors for the Weekend van de Wetenschap, the national science weekend, through Saturday afternoon. 3 October, 12:00 – 17:00, Amsterdam Sciencepark. 📅 MUSEUM / EDUCATIONAL
Mèh, an early morning show at the Black Cat Theatre: A theatre piece called Mèh with an early morning start; the listing gives no further detail about what happens on stage. 3 October, 09:30, Black Cat Theatre. 📅 THEATER
Kinderboekenweek party: Feest! Met Pim & Pom, plus a meet and greet: Two free shows on the second floor of the bookshop, each with a meet and greet, plus Pim & Pom crafts all day. 3 October, 10:45, Boekhandel Scheltema. 📅 FAMILY SHOW
Sprookjesmodeshow, a fairy-tale fashion parade with Thé Tjong-Khing: Characters from his fairy tale books take the stage and meet their creator, opening an exhibition of his work; ages four up. 3 October, 13:00, Theater De Krakeling. 📅 FAMILY SHOW
Poppenkast Opgepast: Jan Klaassen and Katrijn for Kinderboekenweek: Erik van Ophem’s contemporary take on Jan Klaassen and Katrijn, thirty minutes long, put on for Kinderboekenweek; already sold out. 3 October, 11:00 – 11:30, De Kinderboekwinkel. 📅 FAMILY SHOW
Live instruments up close for toddlers at Synestheet’s family weekend: Professional musicians introduce children aged two to five to a different instrument each month, in short half-hour slots; free tickets. 3 October, 10:30, Synestheet. 📅 FAMILY SHOW
Beethoven’s Ninth with Iván Fischer and the Concertgebouworkest: The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra leaves its usual hall for the arena, with Iván Fischer conducting Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. 3 October, 20:00, Ziggo Dome. 📅 DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Clowncore hyperpop on the Fokker organ with Pensive Vivifier: Three theatre artists bring hyperpop and clown chaos to the microtonal Fokker organ, then Human Observer plays electronic circus music; face paint available. 3 October, Muziekgebouw. 📅 DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Emma Harner, with Carré nearly sold out: A show billed under Emma Harner’s name, and the listing shows next to none of the hall’s 1,907 tickets still available. 3 October, Theater Carré. 📅 THEATER
Raw guitars from Vienna: My Ugly Clementine in the Bovenzaal: A Viennese trio of Sophie Lindinger, Mira Lu Kovacs and Nastasja Ronck, moving between grunge, post-punk and pop, in the upstairs hall. 3 October, 19:30, Paradiso. 📅 DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Spiritbox’s Tsunami Sea tour, with Jinjer and Dying Wish: Courtney LaPlante’s Canadian progressive metal band on its Tsunami Sea tour, with Jinjer and Dying Wish opening the night. 3 October, AFAS Live. 📅 DANCE / PERFORMANCE
The Crossing: Kate Moore’s walking music in a church: New music by Kate Moore drawn from long-distance walks and myths of crossing water, Charon, Saint Christopher, Nehalennia; pay what you like. 3 October, 14:30 – 15:30, Mozes en Aäronkerk. 📅 DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Six hours of Petre Inspirescu for Doka Studio x Unsilenced: Petre Inspirescu plays six hours in the hotel’s basement club, after a downtempo warm-up from Arpe; 18 plus, ID required. 3 October, 21:00, Volkshotel. 📅 DANCE / PERFORMANCE
Herfstpop, a free mini-festival out in Bovenkerk: Six live bands on two stages in the Noorddamcentrum in Bovenkerk, Amstelveen, put on by the local pop venue; free entry. 3 October, 19:30 – 23:59. 📅 FESTIVALS
Laptops and coffee: Appsterdam’s Coffee Coding morning: Bring a laptop and a side project; developers of every level work, swap feedback and talk mobile, languages and UX over coffee. 3 October, 09:30 – 11:30, The Coffee Room. 📅 NETWORKING
How we built TKS.Life in 2 weeks, a software engineering talk: The TKS team walks through how they planned, built and shipped an app in a fourteen-day sprint; the address appears only after registering. 3 October, 01:00. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
Interdisciplinary Tech Meetup, by host approval only: A tech meetup that mixes disciplines, run by Ishaan, who approves each sign-up before the address is shared. 3 October, 13:00. 📅 NETWORKING
Paid, Purposeful and In Demand: a masterclass for coaches: Erickson facilitator Nadezhda Mihaylova spends two hours on turning coaching experience into group programmes and selling them, then drinks and snacks. 3 October, 18:30, The Manor Amsterdam. 📅 WORKSHOP
Art and entrepreneurship at the DAS Creative Producing keynote: A keynote on art and entrepreneurship from the arts academy’s Creative Producing programme, held at its Jodenbreestraat building. 3 October, 11:00, Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
Third round of the WE Make Trouble Hackathon at the Kauwgomballenfabriek: Women-identified founders meet people with skills to offer and build impact-first ventures, with workshops on finance, sales, leadership and product fit. 3 October, 18:00, Social Impact Factory Kauwgomballenfabriek. 📅 NETWORKING
733 Amsterdam homes open to viewers on Saturday: On Open House Day, 3 October, buyers can walk into homes for sale across Amsterdam and Weesp without an appointment. Even the cheapest one is beyond what a single modal income can borrow.
NDSM Open: seventy artists’ studios on the wharf: About seventy artists open their studios across the wharf, with puppet theatre, live music every hour and a tatreez embroidery workshop. 3 October, 12:00 – 18:00, NDSM LOODS, X-Helling en Treehouse NDSM. 📅 ART / MUSEUMS
English stand-up and soup at The Original Mezrab Comedy Night: International and local stand-ups perform in English on the first Saturday of the month, with soup and drinks from the bar. 3 October, 20:00 – 22:30, Mezrab. 📅 THEATER
Brown Café Day opens at Eik en Linde on Saturday 3 October: Nearly 100 traditional pubs across the country will welcome visitors on 3 October for the annual Day of the Brown Café. The opening event will look at why so many of these cafés are closing.
Thirty years or older: the Antiek/Curiosa Vintage markt: Indoors in the renovated church, every stall sells antiques, curiosa or vintage at least thirty years old, with no ordinary second-hand. 3 October, 09:00, Oosterkerk. 📅 FOOD / MARKETS
Art Brunch: Yayoi Kusama, her New York years and fame: Brunch with the 6 Plates social group, talking through Kusama’s art as survival, her New York years and the business of art. 3 October, 11:00 – 13:00. 📅 TALKS / IDEAS
FUJIKO, Kimura Taichi’s new film, at CAMERA JAPAN: A new 95-minute film by Kimura Taichi with English subtitles, screened in LAB 2 as part of CAMERA JAPAN’s four-day festival. 3 October, 15:00, LAB111. 📅 FILM
Pivot: Sham, improv in English followed by an open jam: The Pivot team improvises a show in English, then hands the stage to the audience for a jam, no experience needed. 3 October, 19:30 – 21:30, The Tunnel & Co.. 📅 THEATER
Browse the stalls of the Javaplein Vintage Markt: Second-hand and vintage stalls spread across the square in Oost, free to wander through for most of the day. 3 October, 10:00 – 17:00, Javaplein, Amsterdam-Oost. 📅 FOOD / MARKETS
Curators’ Walkthrough with Megan Hoetger and Lawil Karama: Co-curators Megan Hoetger and Lawil Karama walk visitors through the current show, tracing the artists’ research and the themes connecting them. 3 October, 14:00, W139. 📅 TOUR
Masters of Comedy, in Dutch, with Edson da Graça: Dutch-language stand-up with Edson da Graça headlining, Jacob Adriani and Stef Balm in support, and Howard Komproe hosting. 3 October, 20:00, Comedy Cafe. 📅 THEATER
Ten tapas from across Spain in one hands-on class: Ten tapas from across Spain’s regions, from albondigas and gambas con ajo to crema catalana, cooked hands-on with wine included. 3 October, 17:00. 📅 CLASS
Linux Repair Café in the library makerspace: The library’s makerspace hosts a repair session devoted to Linux, where you can bring a computer and get help. 3 October, 13:00, OBA Javaplein – Maakplaats. 📅 WORKSHOP
Maki-e lacquer workshop at CAMERA JAPAN, already sold out: A two-and-a-half-hour workshop in the Japanese lacquer decoration technique, part of CAMERA JAPAN, and already fully sold out. 3 October, 13:00, LAB111. 📅 WORKSHOP
NDSM Kunst Toer past the wharf’s temporary artworks: Artist Su Tomesen leads an hour’s walk past the temporary artworks, with Henk Schut on his sound installation In Tune; in Dutch. 3 October, 15:00 – 16:00, NDSM-werf. 📅 TOUR
Phones checked in, pens out: the Offline Writing Party: Phones go into a phone hotel, then an hour of shared silent writing, prompts and paper provided, followed by time to talk. 3 October, 10:00 – 13:00, Restaurant Elixer. 📅 GAMES / HOBBIES
Paint an Amsterdam autumn in acrylics on a Zoku rooftop: An instructor guides three hours of acrylic painting on a rooftop, an Amsterdam autumn scene, and no prior experience is needed. 3 October, 14:00, Zoku Amsterdam. 📅 WORKSHOP
Collage and washi tape at a Creative Art Journaling Workshop: Everything is laid out, scissors, glue, magazines, washi tape, plus an A5 journal to keep, and nobody has to finish anything. 3 October, 11:30 – 14:00, Studio Creatief. 📅 WORKSHOP
Cancelled: Art of Happiness tour at SAC Gallery: Listed as cancelled; it was to pair a neighbourhood walk, masala chai and the exhibition Upon Us After with a happiness researcher. 3 October, 15:00, South Asian Contemporary Art Amsterdam. 📅 TOUR
Internationals get-together in the bar that used to be Sorel’s: AIC’s free social meetup for internationals returns to the restyled Bar TWLV in the Marriott on Leidseplein, where around 70% of guests arrive solo, with cocktails until midnight. 3 October, 20:00 – Midnight, Bar TWLV (Amsterdam Marriott Hotel). 📅 NETWORKING
Café Kompleet: An all-day café in the Helmersbuurt serving a fresh take on Dutch classics. A relaxed spot for locals looking for traditional food done differently.
Zero Zero Elandsgracht: The focaccia sandwich shop has opened a second branch on the Elandsgracht. Find their Italian-style sandwiches in this new Oud-West location.
Tacite: A new fine dining restaurant has opened in Oud-Zuid. The restaurant offers upscale dining in the neighbourhood south of the city centre.
Good to know
New on Dutch streaming: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Prime Video), Last Seen (Apple TV), Cocomelon (Netflix), Safe House (SkyShowtime)
New on the big screen: Fjord opens Wednesday at 5 cinemas, and Moppervis at 5 cinemas. Showtimes here.
Overheard on Reddit: A post about the city installing new trash cans with separate compartments for deposit bottles sparked disagreement over whether the design would actually prevent people from breaking them open to retrieve bottles, with some citing instances of vandalism within hours while others argued the trial was a reasonable test before investing in more expensive solutions.
Today’s supermarket deals: De Koffiejongens Medium roast coffee beans (25% off) from Albert Heijn, Alle Jumbo’s coffee beans (2e halve prijs) from Jumbo.
Did you know? For ice-skating on the canals to be safe, temperatures must be below zero for a full week and the ice must be at least 7 centimeters thick – the last time this happened was in 2018.
111 years ago today: On October 3rd, 1915, Piet Mondrian’s recent work went on view at the Stedelijk Museum in the exhibition “Moderne Kunst,” during his rapid move toward abstraction.
Looking ahead – next week
The bigger things coming up in Amsterdam over the next seven days.
• Children’s Book Week · Wednesday 30 September to Sunday 11 October, Across Amsterdam
• PINT Bock Beer Festival · Friday 2 October to Saturday 3 October, De Hallen Studio’s
• Dutch Dance Festival · Friday 2 October to Thursday 8 October, Various venues
• Science Weekend · Sunday 4 October, Weekend van de Wetenschap
• Cinekid Film Festival · Saturday 10 October to Friday 16 October, Pathé Amsterdam Noord
• 24 Hours Amsterdam-Zuid · Saturday 10 October to Sunday 11 October, Amsterdam-Zuid
In case you missed it
Our three most clicked-on items from yesterday’s newsletter.
In tomorrow’s edition: Band of Horses performs at Paradiso, the Sunday Market takes over Westergas, and a PICO-8 beginners workshop runs at A Lab – Playground.
Have a great Saturday.
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