Jordaan & the West
This living-room venue expanded for noise rockers has a great café (pub). In the back, behind the bookcase-concealed door, the main room has a stage and…
Must-see entertainment in The Netherlands
Delft
Live jazz plays every Sunday at this bruin café (traditional Dutch pub), which has a dark indoor space and a summer-only beer garden. There are jam…
Jordaan & the West
Comedy acts perform every night of the week at this dockside venue. Open mic nights in English take place on Wednesday; shows in Dutch typically take…
Middelburg
Occupying the wonderful early-17th-century Kloveniersdoelen, a Flemish-style building built as a military academy, this excellent cinema screens cult…
Groningen
To see the next big rock act, head to this club where four concerts and a movie night are held every week. U2 played to 30-odd people in the early 1980s,…
Amsterdam
On the IJ riverbank, Bimhuis is the Netherlands' most important jazz venue. Its stylish digs are at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ and it draws international…
Rotterdam
Named after a louche pre-WW2 dance hall that once entertained sailors in this area, this pocket-sized theatre stages cabaret, music and theatre acts. On…
Rotterdam
Music here has a try-anything, do-anything vibe. Media mash-ups, queer nights, film screenings, performance art and experimental music are some of the…
Haarlem
Fronted by a striking glass facade, Haarlem's premier concert venue presents a diverse program of classical music (such as the Netherlands' chamber…
North Holland
The centre for Alkmaar's highbrow entertainment, De Vest runs the gamut from traditional plays and puppet shows to avant-garde dance. In summer…
Leiden
On Fridays and Saturdays, live rock in this bar can expand to an impromptu stage in the alley, with crowds trailing up to the main street. On other nights…
Southern Canal Ring
This is an intimate, atmospheric bruin café–style venue for serious jazz and (occasionally) blues. There are live gigs nightly. Doors open at 9pm, but…
Amsterdam
This wonderfully eclectic harbourside cultural centre hosts storytelling sessions in English and Dutch, Iranian rock bands, hip-swinging Latin American…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
De Brakke Grond sponsors a fantastic array of music, experimental video, modern dance and exciting young theatre at its nifty performance hall in the…
Jordaan & the West
Classical concerts, especially Bach, take place in the Noorderkerk most Saturday afternoons; check the agenda and book online. Most performances last…
Rotterdam
A smooth bar, a dependable live-rock venue, an agreeable restaurant and a popular meeting place. The musical program features new local talent,…
Nijmegen
In eye-catching digs by the train and bus station, this long-running concert venue stages an eclectic program, from electronica and house to indie rock…
Overijssel
Live music Saturday and sometimes Friday nights spans the genre range from bluegrass to Limp Bizkit cover bands. Otherwise, it's late-night opening and…
Leeuwarden
The stage in the city to catch upcoming Frisian and Dutch bands, with concerts kicking off most Fridays at 8pm. Find it in Leeuwarden's former prison.
Amsterdam
The Vondelpark's marvellous open-air theatre hosts free concerts in summer, with a laid-back, festival feel. The program includes world music, dance,…
Jordaan & the West
This is the freewheeling, fun-loving altar of Amsterdam's tiny blues scene. Music ranges from funk and soul to Texas blues and rockabilly. The cover…
Jordaan & the West
Pacific is home to live music, DJ sets and plenty of rock-and-roll spirit to go along with the potent drinks and hearty food. The sprawling terrace is…
Rotterdam
Live acts perform most nights at this decades-old jazz cafe, and can include anything from cool jazz to blues-tinged sets, funk and Latin. The whisky…
Middelburg
Entered through a broad arch, this wide-ranging venue hosts everything from jazz to rock, blues and open-mic nights. Check the online agenda to find out…
Haarlem
Haarlem's top music and dance club attracts bands with banging tunes, from country to punk. Events in this cavernous venue usually start around 10pm.
Groningen
De Oosterpoort is the place to catch big-name musical acts passing through town. Jazz and classical concerts are the mainstay of its monthly program.
Groningen
Restored to its original grandeur, this circa 1929 art deco–style venue stages a varied program of classical music, dance and children's theatre.
Leiden
Live jazz takes to the stage at this intimate wine bar at least four nights a week; check the agenda to see what's coming up. Concerts are free.
Haarlem
Bands play jazz and rhythm and blues on Café Stiels' back stage almost every night of the week from 10pm.
Utrecht
This art-deco complex houses intimate cinemas that screen art-house and independent films.
Amsterdam
This high-tech complex (formerly Amsterdam ArenA) with a retractable roof is the home of four-time European champions Ajax, the Netherlands' most famous…
Western Canal Ring
Amsterdam's centre for arts, culture and science is renowned for staging innovative modern theatre, music and dance, as well as talks on politics,…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
It might be stretching it to describe a live sex show as 'classy', but this theatre is clean and comfortable and always packed with couples and hen…
Rotterdam
In a handsome building where stoking and other ship-related trades were once taught, this hybrid restaurant, bar and club hosts regular live comedy gigs…
Amsterdam
A unique performance space for organ music, with four big organs in a lovely restored church on the edge of the Vondelpark. Around 80 events take place…
Southern Canal Ring
This grunge-fest is buried in a basement. Metalheads rejoice: there are live hard rock and metal gigs Thursday to Saturday, and DJs spin the same the rest…
Amsterdam
This large, open-air amphitheatre stages plays from Shakespeare to The Gruffalo in Dutch, as well as regular gigs. It's close to Schipol airport, and so…
Maastricht
An 1880 former ceramics factory has been converted into a 150-seat theatre that's home to the experimental Toneelgroep troop and also hosts occasional…
