Uitmarkt - One of Amsterdam's Best Summer Festivals

2010 Dates of Uitmarkt: August 27 - 29

The last weekend in August means one thing in Amsterdam: Uitmarkt! Literally "out market" (as in "let's go out to see a show"), the weekend-long festival offers myriad previews from the upcoming arts and cultural calendar. If you're in Amsterdam on this weekend, you're in for one of the city's favorite and most vibrant festivals. And almost all the performances are free!

What's to See at Uitmarkt?
With roughly 500 scheduled performances, what's not to see? Musical acts include classical, jazz, hip-hop, gospel, world, DJ and funk (to name a few). Enjoy ballet companies or modern-dance duets. Or be entertained by cabaret and comedy acts. The variety of Uitmarkt performances is reflective of the rich cultural season Amsterdam puts on each year.

"Uitmarkt Junior" is a special program of performances and workshops just for kids. For literary buffs, there's an open-air book market along the Amstel. And shows tagged with "ReMix" cater to the coolness of teens and young adults.

Where Is Uitmarkt?
Held on the Museumplein for several years, in the old city center in 2006, out on the Oostelik Havengebied (Eastern Harbor Area) of Amsterdam for two years and then back to the city center in 2009, the 2010 festival will be centered around popular square Leidseplein and the two nearby green spaces Vondelpark and Museumplein. Event spaces include huge, outdoor stages and more than two dozen other indoor and outdoor venues.

Pick up an official Uitmarkt program guide at the Uitburo ticket office on Leidseplein or at various information points around the venues (the Uitmarkt website usually provides information only in Dutch, but the August issue of Time Out Amsterdam typically includes an English-language guide to performance highlights.