IJburg has more artists than most people think. They have lived and worked there for years, but their studio doors don't just open. Two days a year that changes. At the third edition of the Atelier Route IJburg (May 30 and 31, 2026, from noon to 5 p.m.), over fifty professional artists will open their workplaces to anyone who wants to stop by. No buying a ticket, no signing up. Just walk in.
The starting point is cultural center Factor IJ on Pampuslaan. A retrospective exhibition of work by all participating artists hangs there, and you can pick up a free road map there before heading into the island. Two artists participating this year are José Fernanda, with a studio on Edward Wrightstraat, and Janine Vos de Mooij, visiting on Doggerstraat. They represent the breadth of what you'll encounter over the two days: the route covers five categories, namely sculpture, painting, photography, film and video, multidisciplinary work and applied art.
You can tell that this is the third edition by how the route is set up. The studios are not randomly grouped but distributed across the island, so that walking from studio to studio is a true neighborhood exploration. Along the route are catering outlets such as NAP, Bagels and Beans and Vleeschmeesters, which serve as resting points. So it's not a hurried checklist but a route you walk at your own pace. A warm day standing in a studio talking to the artist himself about how that ceramic work came about, or watching someone paint: that's what it's all about.
Over fifty professional artists open their workspace to anyone who wants to stop by, no ticket purchase, no sign up.
As a neighborhood, IJburg has been building its own cultural profile for years, and the Atelier Route fits right in. The island has a young population, plenty of space, and apparently enough artists to make it a full two days. Factor IJ acts as an anchor in this: a place to start, but also to return if you want to take a break halfway through the route. The third edition is the atelier route that proves that IJburg is more than new buildings and a streetcar.