Amsterdam Light Festival Van Gogh

One of the winter highlights of the beloved city of Amsterdam is the Amsterdam Light Festival. After a year away, the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary and this calls for something extra special! To mark the long awaited return of the display and to celebrate its past success; this year sees both famous and favourite artworks from the previous 10 years of festivals returning in all their former glory to light up the city. We at Starboard believe that the best way to see the Amsterdam Light Festival is from the canals themselves, where you can enjoy the art and an atmospheric cruise along the water at the same time.

Amsterdam light festival 2021


Every year people travel from all over the globe to take in this exceptional event! Both tourists and residents flock to see this incredible display of art. There is something for everyone: with modern, contemporary art which reflects the techniques of using light to art inspired by traditional Dutch artists and architecture. The festival lights up the canals of the city from the 2nd of December 2021 to the 23rd of January 2022, starting at 4:30 pm and finishing each evening at 11pm. The festival will even be on if you are celebrating New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam, finishing at the earlier time of 8:30pm.

Amsterdam Light Festival Van Gogh starry night

One of the highlights of the tour is a display inspired by the renowned Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh first displayed in 2019. Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853 and created some of the most recognisable artworks in history, often inspired by nature and his surroundings, his works continue to impact and influence people to this day. ‘The Starry Night’ created by Van Gogh in 1889 depicts an exquisite night sky over the hills of a village in the South of France. This incredible artwork by van Gogh, who is famous for both his life and his work, has been recreated by Ivana Jelić and Pavle Petrović using LED lights to depict the night skies which van Gogh himself would have seen.

Amsterdam Light Festival 2021

You and your friends can book a private Amsterdam Light Festival boat tour through the famous canals of Amsterdam with Starboard Boats. Our brand-new, heated boats guided by our friendly team of wonderful hosts and skippers, with drinks served aboard, provide the perfect atmosphere. With a Starboard Boats cruise you can take in the beautiful city at night and see the spectacular light artworks, including Starry Night, with the traditional architecture of Amsterdam as a stunning backdrop. In previous years, this has been one of the most popular tours run by Starboard Boats with a high demand and tickets often selling out each day. Due to this popularity, we recommend getting in touch with Starboard as soon as possible when planning your trip. The tours will depart daily from Sea Palace at 17:00, 18:15, 20:00 and 21:15. Each tour lasts 75 minutes. Tickets for our public ALF cruises only cost  €26,50 p.p for adults and €14 p.p for children, including the Amsterdam Light Festival fee. So get your Amsterdam light festival tickets to see the Amsterdam Light Festival and we will see you soon!