Essentially Amsterdam
Monday August 10, 2026
Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: temperatures rise as a fifth heatwave approaches, Thomas Beijer plays Satie at Het Concertgebouw, and line dancing becoming the latest new thing.
At a glance
☀️ Weather: Hi 24°C / 75°F (6° cooler than yesterday) · Lo 18°C / 64°F · 27% chance of rain · wind NW 19 km/h (10 knots)
🚲 Cycling: Great cycling weather all day.
🌙 Sun & moon: Sunrise 06:15 · Sunset 21:15 · Waning Crescent · Moonrise 02:27 · Golden hour 20:45–21:15
🌊 Outdoors: Water 22°C / 72°F (swimmable) · Air quality: fair (AQI 33) · Swimming discouraged at Amsterdamse Bos and Spaarnwoude; warnings at Het Twiske and Strand De Hoge Dijk. The other 6 Amsterdam spots are clear.
💶 Markets: AEX 1,111 (-0.1%) · S&P 500 7,758 (+3.6%) · €1 = $1.15 · $1 = €0.87
🏆 Dutch sport: In cycling, Demi Vollering secured her second Tour de France Femmes victory; in football, Ajax earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory over PEC Zwolle.
News
Nieuw-West sport park likely to become cricket grounds: A dedicated cricket park is on the cards for Amsterdam Nieuw-West, giving one of the city's fastest-growing sports a real home ground.
Fifth heatwave on the way with 35 degrees expected Thursday: Days after the fourth heatwave ended, the next one is already lining up. Temperatures climb through the week and could reach 35 degrees on Thursday.
Drought leaves houseboats resting on the bottom: Weeks of low water have left houseboats sitting skewed on lake and river beds, with jammed doors, strained hulls and a smell owners will not miss. Damage reports keep climbing.
The singing conductor of tram 24 turns a ride into a musical tour: A song for every stop: from the Amsterdamse grachten at Keizersgracht to Oh Roelof Hartplein, one conductor is serenading a packed line 24.
Found archive restores the story of a forgotten Amsterdam pianist: A box discovered in the Oudemanhuispoort gives pianist Coba Swaan her stage back, a window on the women's musical careers her era barely recorded.
American line dancing classes proving popular: Texas native Riley McGann is leading regular modern country line dancing classes at Boom Chicago. The sessions are drawing steady crowds of country music fans from around the city.
Family / Children
Summer surprise workshop at Jeugdland: The big adventure playground in Oost opens extra on holiday Mondays with a rotating make-play-and-explore workshop for kids from age 6. August 10, 14:00 - 16:00, Jeugdland.
MidzomerMokum free summer activities across the city: Free sport, music, theater, art and tech activities for ages 4 to 23 run daily across Amsterdam through August 16 - check the day's program and sign up where needed. Through August 16, various locations.
Free nature play at Het Woeste Westen: Rafts, streams, reeds and mud - the nature playground in Westerpark is free for kids up to 13, with play supervisors on site today from 13:00 to 18:00. August 10, Westerpark.
Music
Pianist Thomas Beijer plays Satie at Het Concertgebouw: Dutch pianist and composer Thomas Beijer performs a selection of Erik Satie's piano compositions in the Main Hall. August 10, 2026, 20:00, Het Concertgebouw. 📅
Grachtenfestival: Farid Sheek & Sepand Dadbeh: A unique musical performance by Farid Sheek and Sepand Dadbeh held in the intimate setting of the Mayor's Official Residence (Amtswoning) as part of the Grachtenfestival.
Ton Felices and Víctor Carrasco play Voedselpark: Bring a blanket for a free outdoor jazz performance set in the greenery of Voedselpark in Nieuw-West as part of Grachtenfestival. August 10, 15:00 - 16:00, Voedselpark Amsterdam. 📅
Quinten van Brummen plays afternoon show at Westerkerk: Musician Quinten van Brummen performs a classical lunchtime concert inside the Westerkerk in the city center. August 10, 13:00 - 13:45, Westerkerk. 📅
Emma and Katja Naegele perform duo classical concert: Sisters Emma and Katja Naegele present an intimate concert for violin and cello, playing pieces by Bach, Glière, and Händel/Halvorssen. August 10, 14:00 - 15:00, De Ark, Amsterdam-Noord. 📅
Events: Watch
Amsterdam Canal Festival brings concerts to city waterways: The annual festival returns with music, theater, and art performances set along the city's historic canals and waterfront spaces. August 7, 2026 – August 16, 2026, Amsterdam canals. 📅 Festivals
Eye(s) Open: New Perspectives on Colonial Film Heritage: An evocative exhibition featuring ten newly commissioned works by eleven artists interacting with Eye's collection of 2,000 colonial-era films from Indonesia and Suriname. Art / Museums
Events: Do
Free outdoor workout sessions start along De Boelelaan: Vrije Universiteit and the city are hosting eight weeks of free outdoor group workout sessions on the temporary sports field next to the Kunstbrug. August 10, 2026 – October 2, 2026, De Boelelaan green strip, next to the Kunstbrug. 📅 Sports (Active)
Around the Table: Communal Lunch with Artist Anita Kluge: Join artist Anita Kluge for a warm, conversational communal lunch at Framer Framed in Amsterdam North. 📅 Tasting
Two-Week Intensive Dutch Summer Course: Boost your everyday Dutch vocabulary and speaking confidence in a cozy, interactive setting near the city center. Perfect for expats and new arrivals aiming to cross language barriers quickly. 📅 Class
Dutch Language Café at OBA Olympisch Kwartier: Practice your conversational Dutch (levels A1 to B1) and meet other residents in a friendly, informal setting. Entry is free and no registration is required. 📅 Class
OBA hosts free Dutch language walk-in hour: Drop by for practical tips on learning Dutch, discovering helpful study materials, and finding free language courses available across Amsterdam. August 10, 14:00 - 16:00, OBA Oosterdok. 📅 Class
Work / Business
Heineken profits rise despite lower European beer sales: Amsterdam-based brewer Heineken reported profit growth driven by strong sales across Asia and Africa. The higher demand in those regions helped balance out declining sales volumes in Europe and the Americas. Business News
Extreme Heat Could Wipe Out Dutch Economic Growth This Year: A new report by Triodos Bank warns that extreme summer heatwaves could fully cancel out projected economic growth in the Netherlands and the wider EU this year, highlighting the rising financial toll of climate change. Business News
Openings & Closings
Eurosoft Waterlooplein: The coffee, bakery and lunch spot behind Euro Pizza and Restaurant Europa adds a second location on Waterlooplein. Bar / Café
Copain Amsterdam: Anyone who's ever attended an event where Copain Amsterdam catered the food knows it left them wanting more. Good news: in early 2025, they opened their own restaurant in North Amsterdam. And it's been a huge success since its launch, and with good reason. Restaurant
V&A Bar Bistro: Chances are you've dined at Venus & Adonis on Prinsengracht before. After a short break, you're doing it again, but this time in the renovated V&A Bar Bistro AmsterdamFor their tenth anniversary, the owners felt it was time for a new direction. It's an experience you'll definitely want to try, believe us. Bar / Café
Loop51: Who thinks that? Loop51 Another new listening bar is wrong. Sure, you can listen to live vinyl, but while dancing is out of the question at listening bars, this one gets the crowd moving. The concept is simple: brunch is served during the day while enjoying vinyl, and in the evenings, the dance floor is opened on various nights. Bar / Café
Good to know
New on Dutch streaming: House of the Dragon S3 (HBO Max), Futurama S14 (Disney+), Sugar S2 (Apple TV+), The Four Seasons (Netflix) 🎬📺
New on the big screen: A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge returns Sunday 16 August to EYE, Caravaggio to EYE, and Kleinkinderen van de Oost to Cinema The Pulse. Showtimes here.
Overheard on Reddit: A post explaining Amsterdam's bridge cooling practice, where canal water is sprayed on movable bridges to stop heat-expansion from jamming them, turned into dry commentary when the author watched two cyclists wipe out on the wet surface within 40 minutes.
Today’s supermarket deals:  Frisse Reus liquid detergent (€11.99, was €39.99) from Albert Heijn, Doritos chips (2 for €2.99) from Jumbo.
Did you know? Amsterdam’s “birth certificate” is not a grand founding charter but a 1275 toll exemption for people living near the dam in the Amstel.
78 years ago today: On August 10th, 1948, Fanny Blankers-Koen returned from the London Olympics and was honored with an Amsterdam celebration she had not wanted.
Adoptable pet of the dayAdoptable pet of the day: Meet Jinka en Jani, a 1-year-old cat at De Poezenboot. Take a look →
In tomorrow’s edition: Grachtenfestival brings a neighborhood courtyard concert and a garden concert in the Indische Buurt, a boat excursion sails to Vuurtoreneiland from Lloydplein, and Summer Theater Week for children begins on IJburg.
Stay cool out there today, and enjoy your Monday.
Essentially Amsterdam
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