1

Well, there's lots of trade fairs or conferences on in nearby Amsterdam. Pick from:-

International Conference on Engineering Systems Modeling, Simulation and Analysis
International Conference on Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering
International Conference on Mathematical, Statistical and Computational Sciences
International Conference on Healthcare Quality
International Conference on Nuclear Energy Science and Technology
ICEST: International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology
International Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education
International Conference on Urban, Regional Planning and Transportation
International Conference on Geographic Information Systems
International Conference on Sustainable Urban Transport and Environment
International Conference on e-Commerce, e-Business and e-Service
International Conference on e-Education and e-Learning
International Conference on Psychology and Psychological Sciences
International Conference on Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.

In addition, Ratko Mladic's war crimes trial starts that day in the nearby Hague, so that'll generate accom demands for various journalists.

Apart from that I can't think of anything.

2

#1 You're suggesting that Haarlem has no openings in hostels because of multiple conferences in *Amsterdam*? People are choosing to book a hostel in Haarlem instead of one of the many hostels still available in Amsterdam? So, people show up for just the Monday, book a room for the night, and return home the next morning? No one shows up for the Sunday portion?

And a trial in Hague? That's odd, I had no problem finding an available hostel in Den Haag.

I'll assume your answer was less than genuine.

3

Hey, I tried - Haarlem and Amsterdam are very close to one another, so it's feasible. 'snot my fault the hostels are booked, sorry. I did also have a perusal of the Amsterdam Arena website, but nobody's got a gig there at that time, so I didn't mention it, the soccer/football season will be over too, so that's not the cause either, nor are the national team playing at that time (they play Bulgaria later that month). I couldn't find any music festivals at that time either (bit too early in the year for that).

Try the http://www.stayokay.nl hostel chain. No doubt the Haarlem one is booked out, but maybe the ones in Amsterdam may shed some fruit.

(Addendum; just found out the Royal Smilde Olympia's Tour 2012 is on in the immediate area around Haarlem for a few days - that's cycling - it's one of the races on the UCI world tour). Maybe that's causing it. :/

4

There are plenty of beds in Amsterdam, and Heelmskerk has space too...Just tried!

5

#3 I'll apologize. I thought your original post was sarcasm. I do appreciate you trying. I was hoping it was a local event (music festival, football, parade, etc) that I'd stumbled across that wasn't in popular guidebooks and could take a day trip to experience. It could very well be the cycling event. Thanks for your time.