July & August 2025

Whether you're soaking up the summer season in Amsterdam or returning after time away, the city offers countless invitations to reconnect - with others, with art, with wonder. These six handpicked festivals invite you to slow down, stay curious, and experience community through music, movement, storytelling, and celebration. Let the long, sunlit days and soft evenings guide you into a deeper connection.

1. Kwaku Summer Festival

📍 Nelson Mandela Park 🗓 12 July – 3 August 2025 🌐 kwakufestival.nl

Rooted in the Afro-Surinamese community and blossoming into a four-week celebration of culture and connection, Kwaku invites you into a vibrant village of sound, flavor, and rhythm. Explore open-air music stages alive with Afrobeat, salsa, and R&B. Wander through local art markets, share meals from global street food stalls, and witness Sunday themes like Pink Sunday and Kids’ Day that center joy, pride, and togetherness.

It’s not just a festival - it’s a living expression of community, where strangers become friends and every rhythm tells a story.

2. De Parade Theatre Festival

📍 Martin Luther King Park 🗓 25 July – 10 August 2025 🌐 deparade.nl

Step into a whimsical world where creativity blooms under circus tents and fairy-lit skies. De Parade transforms the park into a traveling theatre dreamscape, offering dozens of short performances daily - think indie plays, cabaret, dance, and even silent magic. Bring your curiosity (and maybe a picnic blanket) and let the spontaneity of the night guide you.

Perfect for the culturally curious, De Parade invites expats and locals alike to play, witness, and wonder together.

3. Pride Amsterdam

🗓 26 July – 3 August 2025 🎉 Canal Parade: 2 August 2025, 12:00–18:00 🌐 pride.amsterdam

With over 300 inclusive events across the city, Pride Amsterdam is more than a party - it’s a radiant affirmation of love, freedom, and belonging. From drag shows to film screenings, from queer art to the world-famous Canal Parade, this festival pulses with joy and solidarity.

Whether you're dancing in the street, waving from a bridge, or simply walking beside someone who's found their people here, Pride is a celebration of the many ways we love and live.

4. Pluk de Nacht – Open Air Film Festival

📍 Het Stenen Hoofd, IJ waterfront 🗓 20–30 August 2025 🌐 plukdenacht.nl

Settle into a beach chair by the water and experience film as a communal ritual under the stars. Pluk de Nacht (“Seize the Night”) curates a surprising mix of indie films, shorts, and animations that rarely reach mainstream cinemas. It’s free, it’s adventurous, and it often includes pop-up art, cozy campfires, and conversation with filmmakers and fellow wanderers.

Bring a blanket, bring a friend, and let the skyline be your cinema.

5. Grachtenfestival

📍 Various canal locations 🗓 15–24 August 2025 🌐 grachtenfestival.nl

For ten days each August, music drifts through the city’s historic canals, turning boats, bridges, and quaysides into concert halls. Grachtenfestival celebrates its 25th year with over 150 performances of classical, jazz, and contemporary works from emerging and established artists.

It’s the kind of beauty you stumble into: a cello solo beneath a bridge, a jazz trio on a boat. Let it remind you that culture isn’t just in concert halls - it’s in the heart of the city, waiting to be felt.

6. SAIL Amsterdam

📍 IJ waterfront 🗓 20–24 August 2025 🌐 sail.nl

Only once every five years does the IJ fill with towering tall ships, historic vessels, and modern maritime wonders. SAIL Amsterdam is a celebration of seafaring heritage and international connection. With ship parades, deck tours, live music, and fireworks, it’s as festive as it is awe-inspiring.

Mingle with sailors, explore century-old boats, and feel the world arriving by water. It's a rare chance to reflect on journeys - past, present, and personal.

💬 Stay Connected Check each festival’s official site for the latest on lineups, tickets, and any last-minute changes. And remember: some of the best moments can’t be scheduled - they unfold in the in-between spaces, when we show up open to surprise.