Essentially Amsterdam – Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Wednesday November 11, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: a direct ski train links Amsterdam to the French Alps, Bonnie “Prince” Billy plays Carré, and three friends bring Southern European sharing dishes to Kinkerstraat.

Judge upholds permit for Amsterdam’s TikTok-famous fries shop: Neighbours took the city to court over the 2024 extension, saying tourist queues blocked the street and left litter. The judge found the area draws crowds anyway, as other venues there have queues too. A new permit for Fabel Friet carries stricter conditions.

IDFA adds extra screenings of Elizabeth Holmes documentary: Tickets for You Can See Everything, in which Nathan Fielder moves in with the convicted Theranos founder, went so fast that the Amsterdam festival scheduled two more showings, which also sold out quickly. The three-hour film opens in cinemas in January, with many holding previews in December.

Bears replace Bijenkorf’s climbing Pieten after 63 years: For 63 years, climbing Pieten hung from the ropes inside de Bijenkorf at Sinterklaas. This season the department store is swapping them for its mascot Bob de Beer in a Piet suit. Bob has been linked to the store since 1988. The Pieten were also changed in 2015, turning gold amid the Zwarte Piet debate.

Food Film Fest screens two films in Amsterdam: The festival, running until 10 December, shows Eat More Trees at Cinema de Vlugt on 15 November at 17:00, about pioneers using trees to build a more sustainable food system. Land voor het Leven, following four farms trying other farming methods, screens on 6 December. Tickets cost €13.

Databricks puts $500 million into Amsterdam AI lab: The US AI company is moving this week into 11 of the 23 floors of The Rock tower on the Zuidas, where its workforce of about 500 should eventually grow to 1,000. It also plans to train 40,000 people in AI skills over three years, including University of Amsterdam students.

Japanese sugar refinery bacterium turns up on Night Watch: Micropia microbiologists and Rijksmuseum restorers took samples from about sixty spots on Rembrandt’s painting over six months. The bacterium, first identified in 2013, turned up where the varnish had been removed, alongside common skin bacteria. Cultures from the painting are on show at Artis’s microbe museum until the end of May.

Direct ski train links Amsterdam to French Alps: Eurostar Snow leaves Amsterdam Centraal at 05.24 every Saturday from 19 December 2026 to 3 April 2027, reaching Bourg-Saint-Maurice at 14.41 with stops including Moûtiers and Aime-la-Plagne. Fares start at €65, you can bring your skis on board, and you have to reserve.

Sint-Maarten lantern walks across Amsterdam this evening: Today is Sint-Maarten, when children carry lanterns door to door singing for sweets. An Indische Buurt light parade starts and ends at Ambonplein from 18.45, street band Toeters & Bellen plays along a Vondelpark lantern walk from 18.00, and a ranger leads an hour-long walk through the dark Amsterdamse Bos at 18.30 for €3.

The Braise Brothers (Kinkerstraat, Oud-West): Three friends serve Southern European sharing dishes you rarely find in Amsterdam, like a mini francesinha and suckling pig, with records spinning upstairs at weekends.

Café Cress: Menu changes every two weeks with daily three-course set, plus own wine imports focused on cool-climate Rieslings, on Johan van Hasseltkade.

Noah: Open-fire grill serves traditional Armenian and Georgian meat and plant-based dishes in the Lieven area, open Tuesday to Sunday.

 

Daily markets open today: Dappermarkt, Markt Bos en Lommerweg and Markt Buikslotermeerplein. See all markets open today

Handmade lanterns and glowing parade animals at Super Sint Maarten: Lanterns and Pretvormer’s illuminated parade animals loop through the Indische Buurt to live percussion and fanfares, ending in a final show. 11 November, 18:30 – 19:50, Ambonplein. FESTIVALS

Teen musical theatre inside a converted truck trailer at Westergas: Two outsider teenagers meet in detention in STIK, a raw musical play with drum-machine beats for ages 12 and up. 11 November, 19:30, Theater De Krakeling. FAMILY SHOW

Little Explorers Playdate for babies and their mums on Kinkerstraat: Children up to two explore, move and play while their mothers meet, and Sint Maarten costumes are welcome but optional. 11 November, 10:30 – 11:30, The Science Camp. KIDS WORKSHOP

Playful first dance steps for toddlers in Noord: From 18 months with a parent, or two and a half with friends, toddlers learn dance basics through play with Sanne Fokkens. 4 November, 09:15 – 10:00, Huis van de Wijk de Banne (Theaterzaal). CLASS

Al Jacobi’s gesture-glove hip hop, pay what you want, with Dylan Wayne: Poetry, electronics and hip hop played with MiMU gloves, part of a 100-concerts-in-100-days tour, with Dylan Wayne opening on a loop station. 11 November, 19:00 – 22:00 (doors 19:00, sh, KZ – Kompaszaal. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Overmono’s Pure Devotion World Tour, with Blawan opening: The Welsh brothers Tom and Ed Russell bring a new live show around their second album, drawing on breakbeat, techno and garage. 11 November, 19:00 – 22:30, Gashouder. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Mozart’s Mass in C minor with Pygmalion and Raphaël Pichon: Four soloists including soprano Sabine Devieilhe, plus shorter works by Bruckner, Mendelssohn and Schubert, no interval, and drinks included in the ticket. 11 November, 20:15, The Concertgebouw. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

An evening of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s spare Kentucky folk at Carré: The Kentucky songwriter behind I See a Darkness plays spare, country-tinged folk under his stage name. The show starts at 20:00. 11 November, 20:00 – 22:30, Koninklijk Theater Carré. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Vernacular: Jlin’s polyrhythms meet Third Coast Percussion: Chicago’s Grammy-winning percussion quartet plays alongside Jlin’s electronics, including Perspective, a 2023 Pulitzer finalist written for this collaboration. 11 November, 20:30 – 22:15, Bimhuis. ELECTRONIC / DANCE

Twenty years of Razorlight’s second album, with The K’s opening: Johnny Borrell’s London band mark the five-times-platinum record that carried America to number one in the UK. 11 November, 19:30 – 21:00, Melkweg. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Warriors of Light and Capital, live from Lyapis Trubetskoy: The show is standing throughout, with only a handful of bar stools, and doors open an hour before the band starts. 11 November, 19:00, Poppodium P60. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Three hours of public speaking basics with Great Communicators: An in-person workshop on the basics of authentic, clear delivery, including how to turn stress into focus and land a message. 11 November, 14:00 – 17:00, Great Communicators. WORKSHOP / TRAINING

For teachers: knowledge as the key to deeper reading: Teachers bring texts from their own method and spend two sessions building pupils’ knowledge, leaving with a step-by-step reading plan. 11 November, 14:30 – 16:45, De Brink. WORKSHOP / TRAINING

Women’s Corporate Network’s free afternoon on media and marketing careers: Student organisation stations and mingling come first, then a panel of working professionals takes audience questions. You need to sign up. 11 November, 16:30 – 19:00, VOX-POP. NETWORKING

The Big Geek Quiz at SideQuest Bar: QuizChris hosts an English-language general geek pub quiz, with teams of up to six tackling questions across geek culture. 11 November, 19:00 – 21:30, SideQuest Bar, Ceintuurbaan 226H, Amsterdam.

Lecture Lounge in English: who started natural wine, anyway?: Sommelier Megan Golightly traces natural wine from Georgia and the Caucasus to Beaujolais, untangling organic, biodynamic and natural, then takes questions. 11 November, 19:00 – 21:30, De Hallen. TALKS / IDEAS

Bright New World: interwar art beside today’s at Het Schip: A dark, oppressive first room opens onto a dream world where Amsterdam School drawings, stained glass and models hang beside contemporary work. 11 November, Museum Het Schip. ART / MUSEUMS

Three women, three eras: Eline Arbo stages The Hours: Spoken in Dutch, with English surtitles on 12 and 14 November, it follows Woolf and two later women bound by Mrs Dalloway. 6 November, 20:00 – 21:50, Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, Rabozaal. THEATER

A 1:3000 model of Haven-Stad, the city’s planned expansion: A multimedia installation lays out plans for the new district inside the A10 ring, with six subareas shown in 1:1000 models. 11 November, 13:00 – 17:00, Architectuurcentrum Amsterdam. ART / MUSEUMS

Brando’s On the Waterfront, restored in 4K, at a morning screening: Winner of eight Oscars, Kazan’s 1954 dockside drama follows ex-boxer Terry Malloy as a priest urges him to testify against the union. 11 November, 10:00 – 11:48, LAB111. FILM

Roll orecchiette, then eat it with Sicilian sauces: Up to twelve people shape two short pastas by hand and machine, with a drink, Sicilian appetisers and a digital recipe. 11 November, 18:00 – 21:00, La Bottega by Chiara’s Food. WORKSHOP

Free Dutch conversation workshops and language cafe in the Jordaan: Two conversation rounds for A1+ learners and up, not total beginners, while native speakers who help out get a free drink. 11 November, 19:15 – 21:30, Koentact Dutch Language School. CLASS

Dancing to live music, free, at Podium Genieten in Oost: Part of a weekly Wednesday series, this hour is about moving together and meeting neighbours, and everyone is welcome regardless of experience. 21 October, 19:00 – 20:00, Podium Genieten. CLASS

Members-only Wednesday clothing swap at the clubhouse, 20 spots: A members-only, women-only clothing swap at The Swap Club’s De Clercqstraat clubhouse: bring up to ten good-condition pieces, earn points, and shop autumn finds with drinks included. 11 November, 18:00 – 20:00, The Swap Clubhouse.

A free weekly jam in Transvaal, own instrument optional: Each session centres on rhythms and sounds, played on whatever you bring along or on an instrument lent by the organisers. 30 September, 15:30 – 17:00, Boost Transvaal. WORKSHOP

Wasteless Wednesday supper club at the Dokhuis: Chefs and volunteers cook surplus produce saved from the bin into a multi-course vegan meal, and you pay what you feel. 11 November, 19:00 – 21:00, Plantake Doklaan 8. VOLUNTEERING

Blitz chess by Bar Blitz in the De Ceuvel café: Twenty players are paired with opponents of similar strength for ten five-minute games. You need to sign up in advance. 11 November, 20:00, De Ceuvel. GAMES / HOBBIES

Senior Firmware Program Manager: Loop Earplugs, Amsterdam, EUR 78,000 – 95,000 a year – Lead end-to-end firmware delivery across the connected-product portfolio, coordinating engineering, product and cross-functional teams from planning through launch.

Investment Implementation Officer: Athora Netherlands, Amsterdam, EUR 4,335 – 5,780 a month – Manage and develop pension investment products and lifecycles in the Fund Management team, overseeing implementations, investment processes and reporting.

Founding Partner Director: Lleverage, Amsterdam, EUR 75,000 – 110,000 a year – Build and scale the partnerships channel for AI agents that automate business workflows, sourcing, training and activating partners in the Netherlands and internationally.

Sales Engineer: ThreatFabric, Amsterdam, EUR 90,000 – 110,000 a year – Lead demos, technical discussions, and integrations for ThreatFabric’s fraud-prevention solutions as part of the Sales team.

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

Looking ahead: IDFA: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (from Thu 12 November), Het Grote Songfestivalfeest 2026: 25 Eurovision acts in one night (Fri 13 November) and Het Amsterdamse Winterterras (from Fri 13 November). See the week ahead →

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