Note: Any dates listed below are valid for the 2008 / 2009 holiday season.
Unique Seasonal Entertainment:
- Performance of 'Nutcracker and Mouseking' by the Dutch National Ballet
December 9 - January 1
Only here could you see Tchaikovsky's fairy-tale Christmas ballet set in an Amsterdam canal house and featuring dancers ice-skating on frozen canals. Children and adults alike enjoy this favorite holiday tradition. (€ 22 - 61)
- Christmas Concerts at the Concertgebouw
(December 24, 25 and 26)
On Christmas Eve, enjoy a free classical concert of Christmas classics in the Great Hall of this award-winning 19th-century venue. On Christmas Day, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performs overtures by legends like Verdi and Strauss (from € 40). And on December 26, marvel at Don KosakenChor Russland, a Russian choir singing traditional festive music from the Russian-Orthodox liturgy, backed by the Moscow Festival Ensemble (from € 27.50).
- Winterparade
(December 18 - 31, except the 25th)
If you want something a little less traditional than the typical holiday celebration, head over to the Westergasfabriek complex in the Westerpark neighborhood of Amsterdam. The Winterparade (€ 35) showcases theater, music, dance, film, cartoons and comedy wrapped in a special Christmas package. And all the while you can eat, drink and be very merry at the many nearby restaurants and bars. Winterparade's last night promises to be quite the New Year's Eve bash (€ 55).
- Wereldkerstcircus at Theater Carré
(December 19 - January 4)
The Wereldkerstcircus (World Christmas Circus) performance has been an anticipated Christmas tradition in Amsterdam for more than two decades. International acts performing live music, awe-inspiring acrobatics, stallion dressage and other animal shows entertain visitors young and old in this grand 120-year-old theater. And yes, there are plenty of clowns, too! (€ 15 - 54)
Special Christmas Programs at Amsterdam Museums:
Check the full museum holiday opening hours page for details on which museums are open. These museums offer special programs during the Christmas season:- Christmas in the Bijbels Museum
(December 13 - January 6)
During the Christmas season, garlands of evergreens and sparkling decorations adorn the stately interiors of Amsterdam's Bijbels Museum (Biblical Museum), housed in three stunning canal houses. Enjoy a Christmas concert on December 25 (1:30 and 3 p.m.) or a Christmas sing-along for young children on December 26. Children can also watch the tafeltheater (table theater) presentations of the nativity story.
- 'Christmas in the Attic' at Museum Amstelkring
(December 15 - January 16)
The Museum Amstelkring, also known as Our Lord in the Attic, features an exhibition called Kerst op Solder (Christmas in the Attic), highlights of which include colorful Santon figurines from the South of France. The hidden church is decorated in grand Christmas splendor for visitors to enjoy.
