Autumn is a great time to be in Amsterdam. Strolling along a tree-lined canal as the leaves turn hundreds of different shades of golden brown and red is absolutely breathtaking and you can’t beat popping into a cosy brown café for a beer and some comfort food (nothing is better on a wet and windy day than some good old Dutch stodge!). But, perhaps the best reason to visit Amsterdam in autumn, is the fantastic array of arts events that take place in the city during the autumn months. In addition to the ever-popular Amsterdam light festival, the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum and several others host a Museum Night each year, where you can explore the museums by night and enjoy the works from a different perspective.
Amsterdam Night – Watch the city’s museums come to life
2nd November 2019
This year’s Museum Night will take place on 2nd November 2019 and all of Amsterdam’s major museums will open their doors for the event from 1900 – 0200. It’s not just the city’s museums that get involved, however, and there are multiple artsy after-parties where you can dance the rest of the night away. Although the Museum night’s most popular events take place at the city’s major museums, this year’s event will see many of the city’s smaller museums and cultural centres putting on a show for visitors.The Museum Night has fast grown to become one of the most popular annual arts events in the city, especially with young Amsterdammers – last year, the event was completely sold out with more than 30,000 people attending! It is worth noting, however, that tickets can only be bought online through iDEAL (a Dutch payment system) so if you don’t live here, it’s now time to take your Dutch friends out for a drink and get some brownie points!
Amsterdam Art Weekend
21-24th November 2019
Another highlight of the year’s art calendar is the Amsterdam Art Weekend. This event, which takes place towards the end of November each year, focusses on up-and-coming local artists, and sees their work exhibited across Amsterdam’s most cutting edge and contemporary art galleries. The Amsterdam Art Weekend 2019 will be the perfect opportunity to see the finest work of the city’s best young artists. In addition to over 100 exhibits, there will be a variety of performances, screenings and discussions taking place. For more info, you can take a look at their official website here.
Amsterdam Light Festival
28 November 2019 – 19 January 2020
The Amsterdam Light Festival is without a doubt our favourite cultural event in the city. You can find out more about the Amsterdam Light Festival, it’s 2019 route, how to get tickets and all the other information here!