Great summer outdoor electronic & house festival!!…read more This is just a one-day festival and I was seriously impressed by all the effort put into it considering the relative short time that the festival is on. 6 different stages (some covered, most not), with non-stop music, of course! some really good DJ as far I can tell (not an expert in electronic music!!). A large food area with many food trucks: burgers, pizza, greek vegan pita (that what my choice, super tasty!!), ... and much more. Regular drinks. And many decorative constructions all over the park! such a nice atmosphere. Happy people dancing all over, this is really the Dutch festival spirit!! :)

This festival was very special for me as an expat here 1 year and still discovering the city. This…read morefestival is a neighbourhood festival and really cosy or 'knus'. It's a very Dutch event I really recommend it. For this weekend, some of the neighbours at Wilhelminastraat open their doors to showcase their local talent - be it theatre, singing, live music or poetry. There is a show on the hour over three hours on the Friday night when I went and there is a street BBQ and live music perfect for meeting your friends at the beginning, between and at the end of the performances for the closing party. I lived that they had different food between the acts too - I didn't want to eat a huge BBQ plate for example but they had satay chicken, soup and very good burgers on offer later in the evening. The first event I went to was in someone's lovely but cosy living room. I think there were at most 20 chairs available. This was two young parents who got back into music when they started their family. The father was the pianist and singer and he and his wife swapped seats depending on if she was playing accordion or he was playing guitar instead of the piano. The songs were very personal and the acoustics were good. He was singing one song about the aspirations for his boys and I could hear the older brother asking his baby brother to "shh" at the back of the home. When we left we all had an enthusiastic "Ciao!" from this cute little boy too. The second event I saw was a group called Funambulism. There was a lot of talent here but we were asked to not say too much about what we saw and the future for these guys! I'll just say remember the name ;) This was in a larger space with more seating. A very talented vocalist and poet, violinist and two guitarists including an incredible bassist. This was intimate but more polished than the previous artists. These guys had CDs for sale, I even bought one and had a chat with the band afterwards while they signed it for me. This was for me like seeing a starting out band that you know will get bigger and I love the buzz of seeing that talent in a smaller setting. The third and last show I saw was in a hairdressers and was a complete band with cello, trumpet, 2 violinists, accordion and more. This was pretty much a hotbox as so packed but I was in charge of keeping the door open at the end to cool us down on this hot summer night. People walking passed on the street stopped to look and listen the music at this crammed party. These guys did some covers of songs like Monster and some European classics like Natalia. The street party was buzzing and the artists that performed were out drinking and listening to the stage at the end. You could tell these were neighbours doing this from the heart and people like me wanting to ride the coat-tails of that a bit for a different night out. The organiser of the event was a sweetie, talking and smiling with everyone. This event stuck with me for the corner brown cafe and the special, very Dutch, atmosphere that wasn't commercial and had a lot of heart. I will definitely be back for this one but hope that by next year my Dutch is better and I will bring my bike so I can cycle between shows wine in hand like a true local.

PACHA - the Ibiza party legend at a festival in Amsterdam. I was in straight away. The line-up…read moreincluded The Magician, Martin Solveig, Franky Rizardo, Claptone, Sander Kleinenberg, Todd Terry and Pep&Rash to name a few. The festival ran 12:00-23:00 so you could really make a day of it. There were hammocks where you could lay back and ease yourself into the day or do the opposite and party until your feet hurt and you had to have a lie down. There was a market selling hippy/festival, clothing including furry bodywarmers which I very almost bought as it was on sale but I decided to dance more to warm up instead. No hammock for me, I was here to dance! The four stages meant that there was enough variety that you could dip in and out if you weren't feeling the tunes on the main stage or just wanted to mix it up a bit. This was a well organised festival with tokens on sale for transactions to speed up payment and have queues shorter and make it easier for bar staff and influenced party goers. They had a good range of spirits and mixers on sale, beer, water and a very impressive Toro wine stall. This had a proper selection of wine including a fantastic celeste red which one of my friends and I were super impressed with. The pizza was good and they had a range of organic and other food options including the surinamese food which smelt great but had a longer line. Being a seasoned festival goer, I was impressed with the atmosphere at this festival. There wasn't any trouble that I saw but security and staff weren't heavy-handed either. After being to many festivals across Europe, Australia and NZ I was impressed with this particularly at an outdoor dance event. Not overcrowded, friendly and well done. It was also at a great location as next to Bijmer Arena so easy to get to and from after the event. Martin Solveig was the highlight of my night this time but there were some great dance moments at the other stages. I'll be back of more next year.

Damaris is the newest child in Amsterdam's family of open air festivals. Damaris is probably the…read morename of the main organizer's girlfriend's mum. Or maybe not. Anyone who knows more please update me. Two things before you continue reading. 1) If you don't live in noord, don't come by bike. If you still think it's a good idea, don't park it in front of Pontstation, unless you want to pick it up again some other day. The organizers will generously block the area while you're on the festival ground, to steer the masses heading towards the ferries to Centraal Station. 2) Plan enough waiting time for your way to the ferry. You'll wait together with hundreds and you'll not know if you'll be on the next ferry or one later. Damaris is like a cross section of the family. There are stages with electronic music artists and dj's, the main and tent stage with live acts, in front of Noorderlicht there was a small folk band playing quiet tones while on the other side the Viese Meid stage entered the genitals-display-competition with Milkshake festival. Consider that if you want to bring your children and they don't know about the birds and the bees yet. The organizers were lucky that the weather was perfect, a hot and sunny summer day. But I'm sure they had been prepared for rain as well and stockpiled plastic rain ponchos that they would have sold to the visitors for 1 munt per piece. I wonder why they don't also sell suncream samples, cheap sun hats, disposable fans and the like. Hey Damaris marketing guys, get creative! Produce branded gadgets and make the visitors pay for them. The line-up was impressive, especially the one of the main stage. A lot of big names of the Dutch music scene were playing, like Jacqueline Govaert or Caro Emerald. Kensington was next to hit the stage and I found out that I actually know their famous song "Home Again". (For everyone who also thinks "Where do I know this song from?" - it was used in Jack Wolfskin tv spots.) The band connected well with the audience and incited many people to sit on their friends' shoulders. Later Jett Rebel appeared on stage in a gospel-ish outfit and made it funky. Hallelujah! Like + Relatively cheap ticket prices because it was the first edition. + You cannot return bought munten but you can buy single ones (not sets of 4 or 5 like at many other festivals). + The price for one munt was €2,50, which is OK. But consider that they might increase the rate after a successful first edition. Dislike - I didn't like the food. For me there was not enough variety, many of the stalls offered fried stuff. And because the waiting lines in front of my few favourite stalls were just too long, I went for nachos from Cantina Mexicana. The guacamole and salsa mexicana were more than bland. Actually the round nachos from the horeca wholesale were the tastiest ingredient. - There was no water to wash hands after going to the toilet, only disinfectant dispensers. At least there was a girl walking around to fill up toilet paper. - Being trapped in noord and no ferry timetables or information about extra ferries.

Where there is food there will be me…read more Sws ben ik wel van de foodtrucks en van variatie in mn eten. Food&drinks story of my life. Foodfestival in de Rai is top! Alleen hebben ze het een beetje aangepast door nu entree te vragen als je na 18:00uur komt. Waarschijnlijk door de drukte die er vorig jaar was. My all time favourite is de AMAZING burger van The Beef Chief ! Het is gewoon puuuurfect!!! En als toetje de cocos ballen/bollen van Madame Cocos en vooral die witte chocolade!!!! Aub probeer die!!!!! Kort samengevat: het is er leuk gezellig en zeker de moeite waard om van alles wat te proeven. En vooral heel belangrijk: het is overdekt dus het maakt niet uit of het koud buiten is of dat het regent. Ga er vooral heen met meerdere mensen want dan kan je van alles een beetje proeven en zit je niet zo snel vol. BUT... DONT SHARE the burger van The Beef Chief. 4sterren omdat sommige dingen best wel overpriced zijn en omdat ze met muntjes werken heb je het niet zo snel in de gaten dat je toch best wat betaald voor een gerecht.

Good location and organisation. Mrs. Jan V. and myself were fortunate to be invited to an opening…read moreparty. It is a joy to walk around and see so many different food trucks. A festival such as this is of course great to sample a few things here and there. We tasted: a hot dog consisting of a merguez sausage on a pretzel role, a steak sandwich, pork taco's, croquettas, and a chicken kabob. The only downside is that things are fairly pricey. Think 3,75 for a taco.

It's the day of orange when revelers wear something orange to celebrate and partake in the revelry…read more It's a birthday party for the King! Where is the party? Everywhere!! It's celebrated in the streets, in private homes, on the canals, in most bars and restaurants and in parks. It's also a citywide garage sale. There are plenty of great things including clothes, toys, electronics and lots lots more at great prices. You just have to find them. There is some great stuff to find. Most of all it's lots and lots of people having a good time celebrating the King's birthday. It doesn't get better than this. People from all over flock to the city to partake in the festivities which includes music in the streets, bars, canals and clubs. There are also food vendors everywhere should you get hungry while you walk around. You can also have a beer, wine or soda from one of the many vendors or just go into any restaurant and join in the fun. If you're lucky you'll be invited to cruise the canal among boats filled to the brim with people celebrating, singing, dancing and enjoying the moment that is Kings day. It lasts from very early in the day to very early the following morning. If you love parties this is one not to miss.

There is no exaggeration when I say that this is one of the BEST city-wide parties out there. The…read morecenter of Amsterdam is mostly void of trams, cars, and even bikes (though you will still see a few around) and the streets are filled with musical performances, DJs, food stalls, and merchandise. One really interesting about King's Day is the flea market that is held. Well, it's not so much a flea market since it's everywhere and not exactly organized. People can sell almost anything they want! If this interests you, take cash! (And take it out of the ATM the day before) If you want a beer, it's easy to get on the street on in a cafe. If you want food, you can find stalls everywhere with all kinds of food from all kinds of cuisines. Part of the fun is figuring out what you want to eat. But I'm a poffertjes fan myself...though the churros looked yummy! There was even a carnival on Dam Square! It's amazing what they can fit in that space. It was 7 euros for an adult to go up the Ferris Wheel and worth every penny! I think it went around 3 times, but we had the entire carriage to ourselves and the view above the city was AMAZING! The best thing, by far, is just sitting canal side with a drink and snack and watching the party boats float by with the music blaring. It was so much fun to just watch and dance along. It really is a city-wide party. My advice: Take cash out the day before. Wear Orange! And wear shoes you can walk in.

Het Hoofdgerecht at het Stenen Hoofd, what a great name/place match. I was really looking forward…read moreto that, it sounded so exciting. After paying €7,50 entry fee (I went spontaneously, pre sales had been €5 for the first day), I was quite disappointed by how small it was. The place is cute and cozy, with a beautiful view over het Ij. But not all food stalls were that amazing and there were only about 15 of them. And, even though it's so small, you had to buy munten. It's gezellig to come here to enjoy dinner and live music together with friends. But I think it's too expensive for what it is at the moment. Especially if you have to pay €10/€13 entrance on Friday and Saturday.

Float thru an Amsterdam canal at night, drinking a beer and looking at light art?…read more Duh. FIVE STARS!

This festival takes place during the winter holiday season. I had really high expectations as it…read morehas been quite popular for a few years. I was told that there is a free boat tour where people line up in cues to get a ride, you can walk it along the canal edge, or you can do what we did and purchase a ticket online from "Those Dam Boat Guys". Personally, the later is great and well worth it. Our boat was small and gave us an intimate experience because the boat captain told us a little about the artistic lights and were could ask questions or slow down to take pictures. The lights are illuminated after dark which during the winter is quite early in the evening. Some of the lights were small displays and some were pretty magnificent. The whole festival takes less that 2 hours to view and it really is something to see both as a tourist or a local resident. I do suggest that the best viewing is when it is not a rainy evening so that you don't have an obstructed view from the boat.