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August in Amsterdam is typically mild but sunny, with the occasional bout of rain, much like the rest of the Dutch summer. As it's still peak tourist season, popular attractions, restaurants and cafes, and airports and train stations are more crowded than in off-peak months; most inconveniences can be avoided, however, if visitors allow extra time for travel, and avoid the wait with reservations (at restaurants) or advance tickets (at attractions) where possible.
Pros
- As one of Amsterdam's warmest months, it's an opportune time for days on the beach or on sun-kissed cafe terraces (but best not leave home without your umbrella, as the weather is capricious all year round)
- While the days continue to become shorter, the sun still rises rather early (before 7 a.m.) and sets late (after 8:30 p.m.)
- The new cultural season is preceded by a flurry of events even before summer festival calendar ends, which means two sources of memorable yearly events
Cons
- Visitors should still count on competition for the lowest airfares and best hotels and hostels, as peak tourist season lasts for one more month
- Expect crowds at the Anne Frank House and Museum Quarter attractions, or avoid them with online tickets and/or the I amsterdam card
- Amsterdam in summer, with its humid days and city-wide waterways, is an ideal environment for mosquitoes. Be prepared with insect repellent and an itch relief remedy
August Weather
- Average high: 72°F (22°C)
- Average low: 54°F (12°C)
- Average precipitation: 2.8 in (71 mm)
Yearly Festivals & Events in August
- Vondelpark Open-Air Theater
2011 Dates: June 5 - August 28
As summer winds down, don't miss the opportunity to catch up to three free performances -- from theater, dance, cabaret and stand-up comedy to music -- at the Vondelpark each week. - Zomer in the Tolhuistuin (Summer in the Tolhuis Garden)
2011 Dates: June 24 - August 28
The Tolhuistuin closes the summer with one last month of live performances (music, comedy and theater), art and dance workshops, children's activities, an open-air art market and more each weekend. Prices vary by event; some events are free. (Note that spoken word performances are in Dutch.) - Robeco Summer Concerts
July 1 - August 31
The summer concert series continues into its second and final month of classical and jazz performances and related events. - Hortus Festival
2011 Dates: July 20 - August 28
Period instruments in picturesque venues is the theme of the Hortus Festival: a concert series for music from 1850 to 1950, performed on restored or replica instruments, that travels between the Hortus Botanicus (Botantical Garden) in Amsterdam and its counterparts in Leiden, Utrecht and Haren. - Amsterdam Gay Pride
2011 Dates: July 30 - August 7
Amsterdam Pride ushers in August with a full schedule of both indoor and outdoor events: films, art exhibits, theatrical performances, literary and sports events, parties, and of course, the famous canal parade. - Pluk de Nacht Open Air Film Festival
2011 Dates: August 4 - 13
This free open-air film festival, established in 2003, promotes international films that haven't been released in the Netherlands or have reached only a small audience. - De Parade
2011 Dates: August 5 - 21
Amsterdam is the final stop on theater festival De Parade's tour of the Netherlands' four biggest cities, where it will unload its tents, pop-up restaurants and terraces and present more than 80 theater, music and dance performances. - Dance Valley
2011 Date: August 6
Each year, Dance Valley fills the Velsen valley in Spaarnwoude with the sound of music from artists in both the national and international club and DJ scenes. - White Party
2011 Date: August 6
Since 1984, white-clad dancers have descended on the White Party dance events worldwide in order to raise money for HIV/AIDS research; the Amsterdam edition has become one of the most popular LGBT dance events in Europe. - World Cinema Festival Amsterdam
2011 Dates: August 10 - 21
The World Cinema Festival introduces the year's best independent films from Latin America, Asia and Africa to a wider audience; each year offers a wide variety of international films, plus an in-depth look at the cinema of its "country in focus". - Grachtenfestival (Canal Festival)
2011 Dates: August 12 - 21
Like the Uitmarkt Cultural Festival, the Grachtenfestival (Canal Festival) ushers in a new (classical) music season in Amsterdam and the Netherlands, with performances and events -- many free -- amid the unique atmosphere of canal-side monuments and more. - Loveland
2011 Date: August 13
Hot on the heels of its cancer benefit tour, Loveland returns to Amsterdam for its yearly summer festival in the Sloterpark, where 20,000 attendees move to the music of internationally-renowned DJs on six dance floors. - LiteSide Festival
2011 Dates: August 19 - 21
The LiteSide Festival explores how eastern cultures contribute to contemporary western arts with three full days of live music, theater and dance performances, art exhibits, workshops, movies, debates and dance parties. - Hartjesdagen (Little Hearts Days)
2011 Dates: August 20 - 21
Folklore has it that the medieval "Little Hearts Day" was the only time plebeians could hunt deer in the woods around Haarlem, a sport normally reserved for noblemen; these days, men dress as women and women as men to see how the other half lives. The occasion is celebrated with two days of activities on the Zeedijk in Amsterdam Chinatown. - Uitmarkt
2011 Dates: August 26 - 28
When one door closes, another opens: the end of the summer coincides with the start of a new cultural season in Amsterdam, ushered in by the popular Uitmarkt Cultural Festival, held each year on Museumplein, Leidseplein and in the Vondelpark. - Mysteryland
2011 Date: August 27
The Mysteryland festival, a yearly event in nearby Haarlemmermeer, bills itself as more than "just" an excellent line-up of electronic dance music and live DJs -- it also offers innovative dance, music and theater, workshops, international eats and more.
