Going out
Going out
Going out in Amsterdam does not automatically mean standing in a club until six in the morning. It's just as much a concert on Wednesday, a movie late at night, a bar you hang out at or a club night you've had in your calendar for weeks. This page is the starting point if you want to choose where to go tonight - or this weekend.
Amsterdam Now Agenda
Amsterdam Now Going Out
Clubs: dancing without detours
For club nights where music takes center stage, there are a few fixed anchors. Shelter in North is strong in electronic music and long nights. The School (when open with programming) is known for sharp lineups and an audience that really comes for the music. Paradiso and Galaxy move between live and club night - depending on the night.
Choose here not just by name, but by lineup. In Amsterdam, the DJ or curator often makes the difference.
Amsterdam Now Best Clubs
Bars: from drinks to long evening
Not every night calls for a dance floor. Sometimes a bar works better: good sound, enough room to talk and a crowd that sticks around. There are plenty of places in West, De Pijp and downtown where the line between bar and club blurs as it gets later.
Think cocktail bars where it's all about technique and pace, as well as brown bars where the noise builds naturally. The best nights often arise without a rigid plan: one drink becomes three, and before you know it you're dancing anyway.
Amsterdam Now Best Rooftop Bars
Amsterdam Now Best Club Restaurants
Live music and concerts
Those who would rather listen than dance are in the right place at concert halls scattered throughout the city. The Concertgebouw is the regular venue for classical music. For indie, pop and international acts are Paradiso and Galaxy often the first check.
Smaller venues and temporary venues mean that almost every week there is something playing that is not on the charts but is worthwhile.
Amsterdam Now Agenda
Film and late screenings
A night out might as well be a movie you don't watch at home. Cinemas like Eye Film Museum combine film overlooking the IJ, while smaller movie houses in downtown and West program outside the mainstream.
Late-night screenings, premieres and film festivals make film part of the nightlife here - not just an afternoon activity.
Festivals and one-off nights
Some evenings are not routine, but moment. Amsterdam Dance Event turns the entire city into one big stage. During Pride Amsterdam parties, performances and club nights run interchangeably. And smaller initiatives - from queer collectives to niche parties - ensure that something outside the standard programming is almost always happening.
If you really want to know what's playing, check the calendar weekly instead of just following regular names.
How best to choose here
Going out in Amsterdam works best if you commit to one thing and leave the rest open. Buy that one ticket you're really going for, agree on one place, and then see what happens. The city is compact enough to switch gears if somewhere doesn't click.
This category brings together clubs, bars, concerts, film and festivals. From here you click through to what suits your evening.