Mercure's travel guides

In the summer months Amsterdam transforms into an outdoor city and the streets fill with festivals, music and dance, kicking off with the Queen's Day on April 30th. Festivals fill the calendar, including the prestigious Grachtenfestival (Canal Festival) of classical music in August. During National Museum Week in April there is free or discounted entry to the Netherlands' art museums, and on Open Monuments Day in September private historical buildings open their doors to the public. For cosy atmosphere, gift-shopping and markets a-plenty do brave the weather: you can't beat the days leading up to Christmas.

Koninginnedag

Throughout the city, Amsterdam
http://www.koninginnedagamsterdam.nl

Description:

Each year on 'Queen's Day,' Amsterdam and the rest of the country throw a party to celebrate the birthday (30 April) of the late Queen of the Netherlands, Juliana. In theory, anyway. The national celebration is essentially just a good excuse to have one big party, and folks take to the canals and streets to sell goods, hang out at cafés, play carnival games, watch parades, and just make merry. It can be quite a rambunctious affair. Bands perform throughout the day at various bars and on outdoor stages, sound systems are set up and there are loud parties on every street corner. Many celebrants wander about dressed in various shades of orange, a colour that pays tribute to the Dutch royal lineage, the House of Orange.
April 30, 2012

Bevrijdingsdag

Various locations
http://www.4en5mei.nl

Description:

The 1945 liberation of the Dutch from German occupation is celebrated each year on 5 May with a national holiday: parties and music festivals are held throughout the country. In Amsterdam, the reigning monarch, Queen Beatrix, attends an open-air classical music concert which takes place on a floating stage on the River Amstel, while an outdoor pop concert draws an enormous crowd on the Museumplein. The day before sees more sober reflection as the royal family attends a remembrance service honouring the fallen at the Nieuwe Kerk, followed by the laying of wreaths at the foot of the nearby National Monument. (A special service remembering persecuted gays and lesbians takes place at the Homomonument.) A two-minute silence is observed throughout the Netherlands at 8pm.
May 4 - May 5, 2012

De Parade

Martin Luther Kingpark
http://www.deparade.nl/

Description:

Don't miss this marvellously quirky travelling theatre festival which rolls into the city for just over two weeks, following spells in Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Amsterdam's Martin Luther King Park is transformed into a colourful tented fairground with a kitsch 'olde world' carnival vibe. It attracts some extraordinary talent and, although most of the shows are in Dutch, there are always international offerings. Or you could also simply head there for a drink or to dine at one of their makeshift restaurants or tree houses. For that extra experience take the Parade Boat there and back: it departs from a pontoon outside city hall.
August 2012