Essentially Amsterdam – Monday, October 12, 2026

Monday October 12, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: mice are seen running through the Schiphol departure hall, a cat is freed after six days inside a Nieuwendijk wall, and Khalid brings his It’s Always Summer Somewhere Tour to town.

Fire-hit Amstelveenseweg florist hopes to reopen in two weeks: Mandy’s Bloemenshop in Zuid has been allowed to build a new kiosk where its old one burned down. A fundraiser has already brought in €30,000 towards uninsured damage.

René Onclin stitches Amsterdam streets with needle and thread: Painter and textile artist René Onclin sketches his Rivierenbuurt neighbourhood almost daily, then embroiders it at home. His work is on show this weekend in the High Five exhibition at Loods 6.

Mice seen running through Schiphol departure hall: A video of mice darting through Schiphol’s departure hall is circulating online this week. The airport says more mice are being seen, while the cleaners’ union blames understaffing and low pay.

Litter picker finds far fewer cans in Amsterdam: A litter picker repeated a route through Amsterdam that he first walked in 2017 and found a fraction of the bottles and cans. He says the deposit scheme should be expanded, not scrapped.

Cat freed after six days in Nieuwendijk wall: A cat spent six days trapped in a cavity wall on the Nieuwendijk after falling seven metres. Firefighters drilled into a neighbouring shop before the animal climbed out onto the roof.

Resold Amsterdam Marathon race numbers cost up to €300: Race numbers for next weekend’s marathon are being sold on Facebook and Marktplaats for far more than the original price. The organiser warns that many of them may not be valid.

KLM’s New York flight reached Amsterdam in 5 hours 43 minutes: KLM flight KL642 completed the journey on 8 October, arriving at Schiphol after 5 hours and 43 minutes. That was 1 hour and 37 minutes faster than its scheduled duration.

Henry Chalfant’s New York graffiti photos come to Amsterdam: STRAAT Museum has opened a retrospective of the American photographer’s subway graffiti archive from 1977 to 1987. It also shows how his 1984 Amsterdam exhibition helped spread graffiti across Europe.

Jaap Eden Ice Rink Opens for Public Skating: The outdoor 400-metre rink is open for public skating through March, with weekly lessons for adults and young people. 12 October, Jaap Edenbaan. SPORTS (ACTIVE)

Olmenhorst Harvest Festival: Free Picking and Market: Free entry covers a harvest weekend with apple and pear picking, food stalls, live music, a craft market and children’s activities. 12 October, 10:00, Landgoed de Olmenhorst. FESTIVAL / FAIR

The Best Gift Ever: A Rijksmuseum Family Tour: Families with children aged four to seven follow Izzy and Ot through a Dutch-language museum story about finding a gift. 12 October, 11:00, Rijksmuseum. TOUR

IFIKZ Maker Labs Explore Paper Crafts: At three studios in a former cardboard factory, visitors aged seven and up try paper crafts, from origami to wearable designs. 12 October, 13:00 – 16:00, Maakgemeenschap De Hoop. KIDS WORKSHOP

A Shared Autumn Artwork Grows at ARTIS: Visitors paint sections of a shared autumn canvas, adding leaves, twigs, moss and other natural materials as it grows. 12 October, 11:00, Gorillahuis, ARTIS-Park. KIDS WORKSHOP

Blocks & Boxes: Theatre for Children from Age Two: A theatrical play for children from age two turns a neatly ordered block box into shifting colours and floating, glowing shapes. 12 October, 11:00, Meervaart. FAMILY SHOW

Khalid’s It’s Always Summer Somewhere Tour: Khalid’s It’s Always Summer Somewhere tour includes support from Jae Stephens, who starts before the singer’s 20:30 set. 12 October, AFAS Live. POP / ROCK

Fat Freddy’s Drop Plays Its Debut Album Live: The New Zealand band plays its debut album, blending reggae, dub, soul, techno and jazz, with DJ Logg Cabin supporting. 12 October, 19:30, Paradiso. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Folk-Rock Songs from David Duchovny, with Inge Lamboo: Known for The X-Files, Duchovny performs folk-rock songs, with Inge Lamboo opening before his set. 12 October, 19:30 doors, 20:00 Inge Lamboo, Melkweg. SINGER-SONGWRITER

Froukje’s New Album Gets a Live Release Show: Froukje marks her second album, Kijk Je Naar Mij?, with a live show; she wrote it herself and produced most of it. 12 October, 20:00, Melkweg. POP / ROCK

Intouchables in Concert: Film and Orchestra Live: The full film plays on a large screen while Noordpool Orkest performs Ludovico Einaudi’s score live, with Dutch subtitles. 12 October, 20:00, The Concertgebouw. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Dominique Fils-Aimé Blends Jazz, Soul and Blues: Montreal singer-songwriter Dominique Fils-Aimé blends jazz, soul and blues; We Are Public members can reserve limited free places. 12 October, 19:30, Melkweg (ANN / Annie). JAZZ / BLUES

Amsterdam Pop Prize Semi-Finals for Local Bands: Six Amsterdam bands each get 20 minutes to present themselves in this competition’s semi-finals, across varied musical styles. 12 October, 19:30, Paradiso. POP / ROCK

Everybody Networks Here: Grow & Connect #18: This event combines a practical workshop on making a meaningful choice with two rounds of structured networking, before and after. 12 October, 17:00, Zoku Amsterdam. NETWORKING

Noordermarkt’s Antiques and Handmade Goods Market: Antiques, second-hand clothes and handmade goods share this long-running square market, which has met by the Noorderkerk for over 400 years. 12 October, Noordermarkt. FOOD / MARKETS

Seventeenth-Century Details on a Royal Palace Tour: A 90-minute guided route traces the former town hall’s seventeenth-century details, including painted ceilings, marble reliefs and royal rooms. 12 October, 13:00 – 14:30, Koninklijk Paleis. TOUR

DISCO: Tracks, Fashion and an Interactive Remix: Hundreds of disco tracks, videos, art, fashion and design fill this exhibition, which also lets visitors make their own remix. 12 October, Wereldmuseum. ART / MUSEUMS

Whisper of the Heart with English Subtitles: Shizuku, a bookish Tokyo schoolgirl, searches for her talent after meeting a mysterious cat; the Japanese film has English subtitles. 12 October, 19:00, Filmtheater de Uitkijk. FILM

Funny Vidi Vici’s English Monday Stand-Up Night: Eight comedians mix tested sets with new material in this English-language show, where the audience sees ideas tried out. 12 October, 19:45, Two Chefs Taproom. COMEDY

Kusama: Infinity Follows an Artist’s Road to Recognition: Heather Lenz’s documentary follows Yayoi Kusama from a difficult childhood in Japan through sexism and delayed recognition to international fame. 12 October, 10:10 – 11:30, 12:10 – 13:30,, LAB111. FILM

House of Halloween: Dark Stories and Live Actors: Live actors and twisted characters tell dark Amsterdam stories across eight interactive shows, with an 18-plus after-hours tour on selected nights. 12 October, The Amsterdam Dungeon. THEATER

Signature Sound Bath with Bowls, Gong and Drums: Most participants lie on mats as Agata shapes a sound bath from singing bowls, gong, chimes, drums and her voice. 12 October, 18:15 – 19:15, Bosboom Toussaintstraat 62. CLASS

Free Borsa Vino & Olio: Italian Wine and Olive Oil Trade Fair: A free, registration-only trade fair brings 25 Italian producers to present wines and extra-virgin olive oils to industry professionals. 12 October, 09:30 – 18:00, Felix Meritis. TASTING

Boro Mending and Sashiko Stitching, with a Take-Home Kit: Kim van de Veerdonk teaches Japanese boro mending and sashiko embroidery; participants take home a kit with needles, yarn and fabric. 12 October, 10:00 – 13:00, Vrije Academie (Huis Vasari). WORKSHOP

Noorderpark’s Free Beginner Skateboard Lessons: For ages six to 17, these free beginner lessons provide boards and pads, though the first lesson series is already full. 12 October, 15:00, Noorderpark. SPORTS (ACTIVE)

Zumba for All Levels at De VerbroederIJ: Everyone can dance and build fitness at their own pace in this free class; advance registration is required. 12 October, 11:00, De VerbroederIJ. SPORTS

IVN Guides Lead a Monthly Nature Walk near Amstelveen: IVN Amstelveen nature guides lead an informative group walk in a nature area, with the monthly starting point published on their website. 12 October, 10:00 – 10:00, Wisselende locaties binnen Amstelveen. TOUR

Learn to Philosophize Through the Work of Eleven Thinkers: This in-person training explores the thinking methods of eleven philosophers, from Socrates and Plato to Arendt, Rand and Foucault. 12 October, 09:30, The School Of Life Amsterdam. CLASS

CAMARAT: New venue where all food is cooked over an open fire, with an open kitchen where you can watch it happen.

Café-Bar Vita Lente: Café-bar serving coffee, vermouth, and wine alongside dishes from the grill.

Blik: Blik is a restaurant opening in Amsterdam.

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