Top things to do in Amsterdam: week of 23 March 2026

Right, Amsterdam. The first proper week of spring weather, the terraces are open again and everyone is acting like they haven't seen the sun in five years. Here's what's on between Monday and Sunday.

Monday — easy night

Cafe Brecht has its usual Monday DJ slot, low-key, low-stakes, you can hear yourself talk. Use Monday for that. If you want something with a programme, the EYE Filmmuseum is doing one of its short-film evenings — bring a date or a friend who'll have an opinion afterwards.

Tuesday — startup meetup

The Amsterdam Startup Tuesday group has its monthly at a venue near the Westergasfabriek. Format is short pitches, a Q&A panel, then drinks. The crowd is a healthy mix of early-stage Dutch founders, a few VCs from the Keizersgracht offices, and the usual operator types. RSVP early, capacity is genuinely capped.

Wednesday — Paradiso

Big booking at Paradiso Wednesday, one of those mid-week shows that sells out faster than it should. If you didn't get a ticket, the small-room upstairs (Kleine Zaal) has a separate gig that's reportedly excellent — a touring act from Berlin doing a one-off. Show up early, the queue starts forming at 7.

Thursday — gallery night in the Jordaan

A handful of the smaller Jordaan galleries are doing a coordinated late opening Thursday. Free wine, mixed quality, but the route is short enough that the bad ones don't ruin the night. Finish at one of the brown cafes on Egelantiersgracht, you'll thank me.

Friday — Melkweg double

Melkweg has a double-header on Friday — the main hall doing a properly large indie booking, the Max smaller and louder. Tickets for the main are mostly gone, the Max is the actual play. Get there before 10. Afterwards, Shelter for techno or Disco Dolly for something less serious.

Saturday — full night out

Saturday is the night Amsterdam takes seriously again. De School alumni events keep popping up at various venues, Garage Noord has its usual heavy line-up, and the canals are warm enough now to walk between bookings without losing the will to live. Pick one and commit, don't club-hop, you'll loose the night.

Sunday — Noordermarkt

The Noordermarkt in the Jordaan is the Sunday plan if your Saturday wasn't catastrophic. Antiques, organic food, the bakery on the corner that has the actual queue. Coffee, walk, sit by the canal, recieve sun on your face for the first time this year.

The wider list

There's a lot more on this week than I've fit above — alot of small openings, gigs at venues like Paradiso Noord and Bitterzoet, plus the standing meetup programme. The Amsterdam this-week page pulls all of it into one filter. Use it to fill the Tuesday/Wednesday gaps in particular, when the headline calendar is thinner.

A note on the weather

Forecast for the week is the standard Amsterdam late-March split — sun in the morning, rain at six, sun again by seven. Bring layers and don't trust the forecast past lunchtime.

In summary

Tuesday for the meetup, Friday for Melkweg, Sunday for the market. Wednesday and Thursday are the quieter wins. Saturday — pick your spot and stay.