Public countdown & fireworks - Museum Square
The official New Year's Eve Countdown on Museum Square is the collective highlight of the evening. Under the starry sky, the square turns into a sea of light, with lasers, eco-fireworks and a live show ending in a collective countdown on giant screens. Families gather early for the pre-show, later in the evening it grows into a dancing square full of music and confetti.
The big squares - Dam Square, Nieuwmarkt & Rembrandt Square
Those who prefer to roam the city freely will find party on every street corner. Dam Square, Nieuwmarkt and Rembrandt Square are the traditional hot spots where the crowds spontaneously count down. Café doors stay open late into the night, fireworks light up the canals and the atmosphere is pure Amsterdam: chaotic, warm and full of stories that you only half remember the next day.
Paradiso - New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve under one roof
At Paradiso, choice trumps all: from 80s/90s classics to Amsterdam BeatClub and wave-pop, all within the same monumental building. One ticket hops you from venue to venue, each time a new soundtrack and different audience. The atmosphere is slightly nostalgic but energetic - a typical Paradiso blend of freedom, dance and unexpected encounters.
Q-Factory - the indoor festival feel
In East, Q-Factory turns into a multi-day mini-festival during New Year's Eve. The halls fill with eclectic, urban, Latin, house and pop, while outside food trucks and winter bars follow the rhythm of the night. The crowd is diverse, the energy infectious - and for many Amsterdammers, this is where the year literally begins.
Homeport - New Year's Dance
On the grounds of Thuishaven, the festival tent is transformed into a heated dance oasis. Well-known DJs spin house and trance, lights move in misty waves above the audience. Outside, fire crackles, inside it's all about letting loose - a New Year's Eve party that feels like a summer day in January.
H7 Warehouse - firmly into the new year
Those who love the rawer side of electronic music will find their niche at H7 Warehouse. In the harbor area, the industrial shed is transformed into a night city with lasers, projections and thick bass. The production is grand, the atmosphere intense: a marathon party for those who prefer to dance into the new year on their sneakers.
PONG - NYE Spectacle
PONG, normally already a creative playground, unpacks during New Year's Eve with a huge indoor spectacle. Think urban and Afro-house, live acts, glitter, games and a touch of chaos. With a capacity of over a thousand visitors and VIP areas, this is one of the more playful parties in town - a place where you can dance and laugh at the same time.
Whether standing among strangers on Museumplein or getting lost with friends in a warehouse full of beats, Amsterdam knows better than anyone how to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. The city pulses, smiles and toasts - and every chime sounds like a promise.