Remember back in the day when we had drive-in cinemas? You would roll up in your car, tune your…read moreradio to the movie channel, get cosy in your car or spread a picnic, and enjoy the movies while eating, drinking, relaxing, or even cuddling? Sadly, drive-ins are no longer a thing and those that remain are rapidly shutting down. But, this is Amsterdam. We don't do cars, we do bikes, and why not have an open-air movie festival where you bike-in, park your omafiets, and get cosy watching a movie, a short, and then dancing to some live tunes? That's Pluk de Nacht for you. Organized every August, this is why God gave the Dutch their summers. It's such great joy to come to the Westerdok directly from work with a little picnic. If you don't want to carry stuff, there is always a lot of food and drinks on sale, all vegetarian friendly! The movies tend to be awesome indies from all over the world and in every language conceivable. Most of all, it's just fun to catch up with friends and make it a nice outing. I look forward to Pluk de Nacht every year and it never disappoints. Here's to more Amsterdam awesomesauce.

I think this is a great initiative. Art house films, films we should see but often skip over, shown…read morefor free, outdoors at a time of year that should be warm. Food and drink are available and a bit as overpriced, as you'd expect. And even if you think it's a bit overpriced (many people bring their own food and drink), it is cheaper than going to a normal cinema. The free ticket more than compensates for the slight premium added to the other prices. And it feels so special! Sitting outside, watching the stars overhead, or the NDSM ferry passing by, it all adds up to a wonderful experience. In a regular cinema you don't talk to other parties, but here that happens and that is so nice. It feels a bit like a mass picnic. If you go, please support them. It's okay to bring some of your own stuff with you, but let's not kill the goose for the golden egg. Buy a beer. Buy a Cuban pulled port sandwich (they're good!), buy something.

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.

Wat een teleurstelling dat Milkshake festival!!! Bijna 90 euro voor een kaart en wat krijg je?…read moreSuper slechte muziek een handje vol entertainers en weinig bezoekers. Oh ja en drank en eten zijn ook mega duur. Vroeger klaar te het festival uit elkaar van entertainment en energie. Er is echt hé-le-maal niets van over..

It was a huge disappointment. The vibe seems to be…read moredeclining every year, with this year hitting the bottom. The quality of the programming has never been high, but it just seems to be getting worse. I don't even want to mention the terrible f.. up with Banks Sorry, dear Milkshake, but you won't be seeing me again.

3 stars for the sheer scale of this event. It is massive - probably unprecedented. And hilarious…read more The whole city lights up for a week with dance music of every ear-crushing variety, hosted in any venue that can put up speakers and free up a dance floor. Meanwhile, employers, policemen, and bouncers around the city turn a blind eye to the buffet of substances being carted around and consumed by the entire city. It's cool in concept - but huge minus points for the execution. For one thing it's almost impossible to pick an event if you're not familiar with the DJs, since you're essentially simply given a gigantic list of names and venues and left to flail around on your own. But my biggest problem with it is that (at least at the events I went to), they charged something like 2eur per glass of water!!! While also strictly policing bathrooms lest someone dare take a water-holding container near the sink. This is not only a rip-off, it's downright dangerous and flagrantly stupid. For this reason I won't be repeating the experience next year. If you're looking for a good dancing time - go to Awakenings or wait until festival season kicks off in early spring.

Much to my enjoyment, there was yet another event happening right outside my door. Well, a hundred…read moremeters or so down to the south of me right on the Prinsengracht canal. Much of the year the canal near the Pulitzer Hotel is a serene strip of water with picturesque boats slowly gliding by. During the latter part of August is the Grachtenfestival. The area in front of the Pulitzer Hotel is closed off and a very large pontoon barge is assembled to hold a massive stage that various musical performances will be held on. The barge reaches all the way to either side of the canal and is probably about 30 meters or more deep. Suffice it to say large enough to hold an entire orchestra. The infrastructure is massive inclusive of all the necessary stage lights, spot lights, sound devices necessary to put on a major concert. The area in front of the stage where the canal is still visible is filled with boats full of festival goers who will enjoy the performances from their boats. These people will spend at least one night on the canal holding their spot up until the concerts are over. Prior to the concerts, a veritable party happens on the canal among all the boats moored there. The shore is also filled with festival goers and a festive atmosphere dominates with all the support people buzzing around directing traffic and people. The music starts later in the day so prior to that people mill about jockeying for better spaces from which to watch the show. The musical performances delight and enthrall the mass of people and command their attention with solid musical performances. If you've ever spent any time in Amsterdam you know how frequently it rains. Yes, it rained. People were prepared with umbrellas. Still, it rained. Regardless, the show went on. What a concert! It was magical with the lighting, the music and the weather all in sync unfolding a truly memorable show. In addition to this performance on the Prinsengracht canal there were other performances of varying sizes in other locations. One of which was a duet, a cellist and violinist, performing atop a houseboat located in a smaller canal a short distance to the south. It was a great weekend full of music and performances to remember.

F A B Amsterdam at its best (same as Pride and Koningsdag)…read moreDifficult to get close and impossible to get near on a boat unless you go in the morning But don't let that put you off - the concert is A-MAY-ZING!!

Always interesting to check this out when it is in town. It always amazes me at how many rides…read morethat can fit into a relatively small area.