Essentially Amsterdam – Saturday, October 31, 2026

Saturday October 31, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: nine Halloween parties and outings fill the weekend with tickets from €5, Peek & Cloppenburg closes its Dam store after 110 years, and fire destroys 164 costumes for the Amsterdam Sinterklaas parade.

Amsterdam Halloween: nine parties and outings, tickets from €5: With 31 October falling on a Saturday, venues across the city are staging Halloween nights, from a kids’ costume ball at De Nieuwe Anita to Día de Muertos under the Hans Brinker Hostel. Paradiso runs a 2000s indie night until 05.00, and Skatecafe rewards the best costumes. For trick-or-treat neighbourhoods and more, see our Halloween in Amsterdam guide.

Dutch MPs back ban on AI in primary schools: A majority in the Dutch lower house, ten parties holding 88 of 150 seats, supports a Volt and CDA proposal to bar generative AI such as ChatGPT from primary school classrooms. State secretary Tielen opposes a ban for now, saying she needs more time for a digitalisation plan.

Peek & Cloppenburg closes Dam store after 110 years: The fashion department store will close its Dam branch for good at the end of February 2027, saying few local residents shop there and the building no longer meets technical standards. Staff may be moved to other branches, though forced layoffs are possible. Only three Dutch stores will remain.

Fire destroys 164 costumes for Amsterdam Sinterklaas parade: New suits were made in time after a July fire at a Nieuw-Vennep dry cleaner, but they lack Amsterdam touches such as the city’s crosses. At about €150 a suit, with insurance falling short, the foundation is crowdfunding and has slowed plans to grow from about 200 Pieten to 500.

Amsterdam population density falls for first time since 2007: Statistics Netherlands puts the city at 4,954 residents per square kilometre, up from 4,087 in 1995, despite a slight dip last year. Within the city the gap is wide: Fannius Scholtenbuurt counts 34,792 residents per square kilometre, while Waterrijk has just 1,728.

Former sewage silos on Zeeburgereiland become Rialto cinema: Three concrete silos that once stored waste from the island’s old sewage plant now house a five-screen film house, a gym and a grand café. The cinema opens in November as the first permanent cultural venue on Zeeburgereiland and IJburg, a short walk from the tram stop.

Amsterdam’s new Art Zoo puts visitors in cages: Taxidermists Jaap Sinke and Ferry van Tongeren have filled a 17th-century canal house, once home to the Biblical Museum, with hundreds of preserved animals posed for drama. Exhibits include a crocodile over the entrance and fake sea monsters made from rays by 16th-century sailors. All animals died naturally in zoos.

About fifty Amsterdam children waiting for foster families: A shortage of foster parents in the city means children are being placed elsewhere in the country, away from school, sport and family. Youth care organisation Levvel says the shortfall keeps growing. Weekend, holiday, long-term and short-term foster care are all badly needed.

Street doorbell in Bos en Lommer gets kids playing: Unveiled on Thursday on the Hertspieghelplein, the bell alerts parents who sign up via a QR code when children are playing there, so they can send their own outside. The three-month trial answers research showing 15% of Dutch children never play outdoors, double that in big cities.

Zuidas sleep-out raises over €108,000 for homeless people: 115 employees from 24 companies and organisations spent the night outdoors on the Zuidplein to draw attention to homelessness, easily beating a €75,000 target. The Sheltersuit Foundation will fund 359 Sheltersuits, waterproof coats with a zip-off sleeping bag, distributed through aid group HVO-Querido.

Long summer lifts Amsterdam ice cream maker’s sales: The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which owns Magnum, Cornetto and Ben & Jerry’s, saw third-quarter revenue rise more than 12% to 2.5 billion euros as volumes grew. It now expects 5.5% revenue growth for the full year, up from a forecast of 3 to 5%.

Former ING office site near Westerpark becomes 921 homes: The final phase of Westerpark West, between the Haarlemmertrekvaart canal and Haarlemmerweg, is finished after building began in 2019. The 15 buildings hold one- to three-bedroom homes for sale and rent, around largely car-free squares and courtyard gardens, and the old ING tower was reused rather than demolished.

Chess, a DJ and cheese prizes in Bos en Lommer: Acid Chess Club, founded in Melbourne in 2021, holds a monthly night at No Man’s Art Gallery where about 50 players are paired by skill and sociability while a DJ plays. A 16-player tournament closes the evening, and organisers are seeking a larger or permanent space.

American-style trick-or-treating, face paint and a lemonade fountain for kids: Children say trick or treat at the door for candy from a cauldron, then dance to DJ Gibbo, and adults get in free. 31 October, 15:00 – 18:00, De Nieuwe Anita. FESTIVAL / FAIR

Mummies and Halloween symbols, a toddler tour through Ancient Egypt: Two- to four-year-olds and a parent go on a seek-and-find through the Egypt rooms, costumes welcome, then meet other families in the cafe. 31 October, 10:00 – 11:00, Allard Pierson. MUSEUM / EDUCATIONAL

Riddles, smells and drawing on a Rijksmuseum family tour: An hour in Dutch for families with children aged six to twelve, taking in the museum’s best-known works and meeting at the information desk. 31 October, Teekenschool. TOUR

Candy science for 7 to 14s in a Zaandam lab: Kids and an adult dissolve Skittles, build a licorice cube and brew a fizzing witch’s potion, or make edible slime instead. 31 October, 15:00, Hemlab. KIDS WORKSHOP

Pumpkin carving in costume at an Amstelveen pick-your-own garden: Kids hollow out and decorate a pumpkin, do some crafts, then show it to the head witch for a witch’s diploma. 31 October, 11:00 – 16:00, Pluktuin Amstelveen. KIDS WORKSHOP

London Calling at Paradiso, two days of indie and post-punk: Indie, alt and post-punk bands across both Paradiso halls, plus a Saturday stage at Barlaeus Gymnasium, with sensation Angine De Poitrine, Cutouts and Zoh Amba. 31 October, Fri 18:00; Sat 12:30 – 05:00, Paradiso. POP / ROCK

Wynton Marsalis’s Cello Concerto meets Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring: European premiere of a jazz-meets-classical concerto with cellist Alisa Weilerstein and the Netherlands Philharmonic under Hannu Lintu, closing with Le sacre. 31 October, 20:15, The Concertgebouw. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Electroclash and dance-punk for Indiesleaze Halloween Night: Courting, Welly and Getdown Services play live before Charlie Avalon’s DJ set mixes 2000s indie and nu-disco with Charli XCX, over-18s only. 31 October, 23:30 – 04:00, Paradiso. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Free lunchtime Beethoven, Webern and Haydn from the Aures Quartet: Formed at the Amsterdam conservatory, the quartet won first prize at this year’s Storioni Festival Competition and opens with Beethoven’s third Rasumovsky quartet. 31 October, 13:00, English Reformed Church. CLASSICAL

Ten years of Canto Ostinato on piano, marimbas and vibraphones: Ivo Janssen comes out of retirement to play with nine fingers alongside Mallet Collective, opposite where his concert boat once lay. 31 October, 20:15 (31 okt), 15:00 (1 nov), Oosterkerk. CLASSICAL

Cello Club Night, a whole ensemble of cellists: An ensemble concert of cellists, among them Chiara Trentin, Kalle de Bie, René van Munster, Anastasia Feruleva and Christopher Loy. 31 October, 21:00, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ. CLASSICAL

Gothic rock and dark-wave for Night at the Mausoleum Part II: Amsterdam goth trio Dear Omen share the bill with synth-punk Camy Huot and Rotterdam’s Baby Gargoyle, plus Ioana Iorgu and DJ Dragnet. 31 October, 21:00, OCCII. ELECTRONIC / DANCE

Scheherazade and two cello concertos, one a world premiere: Cellists Kian Soltani and Nicolas Altstaedt join the Radio Filharmonisch under Elena Schwarz, with Lutosławski’s concerto between Aftab Darvishi’s premiere and Scheherazade. 31 October, 14:15, The Concertgebouw. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Free Black Arts & Culture Day with gospel and dance: Part of Black Achievement Month, with the G-roots gospel choir, dancers from the theatre academy and a market of artists and entrepreneurs. 31 October, 13:00 – 17:00, De Hallen. FESTIVAL / FAIR

A hundred neighbours dance Thriller for Amstelkwartier’s Halloween: Kids and adults in costume gather by the old gasworks water tower, then children walk a spooky route past a Cave of Horror. 31 October, 19:00 – 20:30, Bella Vistapark, Amstelkwartier. FESTIVALS

Opera, ballet and gala dress for Le Petit Halloween Gala: A three-course dinner with live orchestra, opera and ballet, then DJs and a Tuftuf afterparty, dress code A Night at the Theater. 31 October, 20:30, TOBACCO Theater. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Heaven, earth and hell stages at Das Hellfest: Halloween cabaret spread through the building, with Piet van Eeghen in the attic, a dark club in the cellar and DJs from 23:00. 31 October, 19:30 opening; hoofdprogramma, Theater De Richel. FESTIVALS

The Séance, a late magic and comedy show in English: Deshawn Mason uses a deck of cards and the audience to summon characters, mixing mentalism, improv and cabaret for an hour. 31 October, 22:15, Boom Chicago. THEATER

Rubberhead at Imagine Film Festival, the life and monsters of Steve Johnson: A screening in the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, which bills itself as the largest Dutch festival for fantasy, horror and sci-fi. 31 October, 16:30, LAB111. FILM

Dark Arts, a Halloween night down in the Vondelbunker: A Halloween night under the Dark Arts name, held in the Vondelbunker, the old shelter beneath a Vondelpark bridge. 31 October, 21:00, Vondelbunker. SOCIAL / DRINKS

Carve your own pumpkin lantern, free, at De Versmarkt: All ages carve a pumpkin to take home as a lantern while the usual stalls sell bread, nuts, savoury bites and sweet treats. 31 October, all day, Amstel1. WORKSHOP

The Ugliest Dinner Party in the World, masked and multi-sensory: In a boutique hotel, an hour of sound and senses, then Chef Yacinth Pos’s multi-course dinner and drinks, guests in black and masks. 31 October, 18:00, boutique hotel in the heart of Amsterdam. SOCIAL / DRINKS

Walk the city’s architecture with the Van Eesteren Museum: A guided architecture walk put together by two organisations working jointly, the Van Eesteren Museum and the Hartwig Art Foundation. 31 October, 14:00, Hartwig Proxy. TOUR

Free Konpa & Kizomba Discovery, Halloween edition at The 5th: Beginner-friendly Kizomba workshops, a speed connection and stand-up from Benjamin fill the free afternoon, no partner or dance shoes needed. 31 October, 16:00 – 20:00, The 5th. CLASS

Poetics of Form, hands-on jewellery making up at NDSM: A jewellery-making workshop called Poetics of Form, held at Treehouse NDSM on the old shipyard grounds in Amsterdam Noord. 31 October, 15:00, Treehouse NDSM. WORKSHOP

•  Moon: Dinner with live vinyl in the revolving restaurant at the top of the A’DAM Toren.

•  Veneur: French cooking over open fire with seasonal produce on Weteringschans.

•  EDTN Sandwiches & Coffee: Sourdough sandwiches with fillings from beef tenderloin to pastrami, plus coffee and fresh juices on Kinkerstraat.

 

Daily markets open today: Versmarkt Amstel1 (Stopera), Markt Plein 40-45, ZuiderMRKT (Jacob Obrechtstraat), Nieuwmarkt, Waterlooplein Market (Waterlooplein), Markt Ganzenhoef Bijlmer, Dappermarkt, Albert Cuyp (De Pijp), Ten Kate (Oud-West), Lindengracht (Jordaan), REURING markt (Joris Ivensplein), Noordermarkt, Stadionpleinmarkt (Stadionplein), Markt Buikslotermeerplein (Buikslotermeerplein), Markt Bos en Lommerweg (Bos en Lommerweg) and Van der Pekmarkt (Van der Pekstraat).

Safety Coordinator: Bunge, Amsterdam – You will coordinate safety, occupational health and environmental standards at Bunge’s Amsterdam plant, promoting a proactive safety culture and preventing incidents.

Business Unit Manager Reizen & Gezondheid (Schiphol-Rijk 36 – 40 uur): KLM, Schiphol – Lead the Travel & Health business unit at KLM Health Services, connecting medical experts and teams and managing projects, processes and budgets.

Customer Support Data Analyst: Fairphone, Amsterdam – Track support metrics, analyze service trends, and build actionable dashboards for Fairphone’s Customer Support team; you need at least four years of data analysis experience.

Product Manager – Payment Fraud, Flights: Booking.com, Amsterdam – Own the vision, roadmap, and fraud controls for Booking.com’s Flights payment fraud products, working with machine learning, engineering, and operations teams.

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

Looking ahead: Sunday Market (Sun 1 November), PAN Amsterdam (from Sun 1 November) and Divali Festival of Lights (Sun 1 November). See the week ahead →

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