☀️ Essentially Amsterdam for Tuesday, August 18: Schiphol taxi drivers weigh a strike, Wilco at Paradiso, acrobats in the Bos

Tuesday August 18, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: Schiphol taxi drivers weigh a strike, Wilco play Paradiso, and four acrobats work a seven metre tower in the Bos.

Schiphol taxi drivers say new rules have cut their income: Drivers without a Schiphol contract say the airport's changed dispatching rules have made it much harder to get enough fares. A strike planned for last week was called off, and they are weighing whether to stop work after all.

NS is adding 169 extra carriages for the September rush: The railway will lengthen trains from next month to absorb the annual return of students and commuters, which reliably makes September the busiest month on the Dutch network. Extra staff are in place too, which has not always been the case.

Schools start the year with new core targets for Dutch and maths: The first rewrite since 2006 became law this month, and it lands as schools in the north go back. There are fewer targets for Dutch but each is described far more concretely, which is meant to give teachers something firmer than the vague 2006 version.

Amsterdam has a full time heat coordinator, and this was her busiest summer yet: Eline Coolen works at the GGD keeping vulnerable residents safe through tropical days, in one of the very few Dutch municipalities to fund the role full time. The budget is small enough that fifteen fans reached a neighbourhood team by metro on a coffee cart.

The Bosbaan is ready for the world rowing championships: A year of dredging and repairs has the course in the Amsterdamse Bos ready for a championship starting on Monday, with 40,000 spectators expected. The restored boathouse stays with the city rowing clubs afterwards.

Adyen took 41 million euros from the Innovation Box tax break last year: Research into annual reports puts the Amsterdam payments firm alongside Organon at 71 million and Wolters Kluwer at 27 million among the scheme’s biggest beneficiaries. The criticism that most of the benefit reaches very few companies is not new. Business News

Dozens of Dutch companies are getting import tariff money back from the US: The United States is repaying millions of dollars in improperly collected import tariffs, and Dutch exporters are among those in line. The money arrives as a credit on tariffs already written off rather than as trading income. Business News

ING says the era of cheap money is over for good: Ten year government borrowing costs in the US and Europe are back at levels normal before 2008, with the American ten year around 4.7%. The bank argues that is a structural change rather than a phase, and it reprices mortgages and corporate debt with it. Business News

Summer holidays at Het Scheepvaartmuseum: The maritime museum runs its summer programme all day, indoors and out, with water yoga, an art playground and a family search route alongside the permanent ships. Free with museum entry. August 18, 10:00-17:00, Het Scheepvaartmuseum. 📅 Museum / Educational

The Makery at NEMO: build something with your hands: NEMO's workshop space runs three hands-on workshops all day, and this week adds an AI challenge several times a day. Making things that work rather than watching a screen. August 18, 10:00-17:30, NEMO Science Museum, Oosterdok 2. 📅 Kids Workshop

English storytelling at the OBA: The library's multilingual series runs an English language session for young children, free and without booking. Worth knowing about if the Dutch sessions are a stretch at home. August 18, 10:00 - 10:45, OBA Roelof Hartplein. 📅 Story / Reading

TUMO open day at OBA Next Lab: The free tech and design school for teenagers holds an open evening in Kraaiennest, for parents and kids to see how the programme works before it starts. August 18, 17:30 - 19:30, OBA Next Lab Kraaiennest. 📅 Open Day

Celebrating The Beatles at the Concertgebouw: Roel van Velzen, Daria van den Bercken, and Ruben Hein bring together rock, classical, and jazz piano to explore the band's musical influences, backed by drums, guitar, and bass. In the Main Hall. August 18, 20:00, The Concertgebouw. 📅

Kings Return: a cappella at the Concertgebouw: A four-piece vocal group performing a cappella arrangements that span gospel, Schubert, Simon & Garfunkel, and Michael Jackson. In the Recital Hall. August 18, 20:00, The Concertgebouw. 📅

Wilco and Hovvdy at Paradiso: The Chicago band have been making unhurried, awkward, beautiful records for thirty years, and they are in the main hall with indie pop duo Hovvdy opening. August 18, Doors: 19:00, Support: 20:00, Main programme: 21:00, Paradiso. 📅

VINOCIO: jazz, hip hop and soul at Bar Contra: A small room, a mixed bill and a wine list, which is a more forgiving way into live jazz than a concert hall. Runs to half past ten. August 18, 20:00, Bar Contra, Amsterdam. 📅

SOULJAMZ at Bourbon Street: Live soul and funk in the Leidseplein basement that has been doing this for decades. Plays from 23:00 until 03:00. August 18, 23:00, Bourbon Street. 📅

Uitkijkers: acrobatics seven metres up in the forest: Four acrobats work a seven metre climbing tower in the open air, in a circus piece built for families rather than for specialists. It opens Bosfest, the Bostheater’s festival week. August 18, 18:20, Bostheater, Amsterdamse Bos. 📅 Theatre

Open-air cinema: Frida in the H'ART Museum courtyard: Julie Taymor's film about Frida Kahlo, shown outdoors in the museum's courtyard on the Amstel. Bring a layer, the evenings have turned. August 18, 20:00, H'ART Museum, Amsterdam. 📅 Film

Zarna Garg at Boom Chicago: The New York comedian built her act on immigrant family life and has two specials behind her, performing in English at the Rozengracht. August 18, 20:30, Boom Chicago. 📅 Comedy

Muziekquiz at De Kring: The artists' society opens its music quiz to the public, which is a rare chance to get inside the building without knowing a member. August 18, 20:30 - 23:00, De Kring. 📅 Social Activity

Films with a View: The Last Viking at Pllek: Open-air cinema on the NDSM beach with the IJ behind the screen. Doors at 20:30, and the film starts at sunset. August 18, 21:30, Pllek, NDSM Wharf. 📅 Film

Mindful qigong on the beach at De VerbroederIJ: Slow movement in the morning air on the VerbroederIJ's own stretch of sand in Noord. Free, though they ask you to reserve. August 18, 10:15 - 11:00, De VerbroederIJ. 📅 Class

Oost Danst: a free dance lesson in the Flevopark: An outdoor dance class in the park, part of a summer series that asks nothing but showing up. August 18, 15:15 - 16:45, Parknest Flevopark. 📅 Dance

Community dinner at Resto van Harte: A neighbourhood dinner where the point is eating with people you have not met, 8 euros a seat, reserved by phone. August 18, 17:30, Podium Genieten, Oranje Vrijstaatplein 2. 📅 Community Dinner

Breathwork and meditation on Zeeburgereiland: An hour of guided breathwork and meditation in the pavilion at Zuiderzeeweg, a few euros at the door. August 18, 19:00 - 20:00, Paviljoen C, Zeeburgereiland. 📅 Class

Trampoline dodgeball at VROG: An hour of dodgeball on trampolines near Waterlooplein, organised as a social night rather than a league. August 18, 19:00 - 20:00, VROG, Mr. Visserplein 7. 📅 Games / Hobbies

Tech and business pitching and networking night: Founders pitch, everyone else drinks and listens, on the water at IJdok. August 18, 18:00 - 21:00, IJdok 4. 📅 Networking

Pitch and Pizza: a low key startup pitch night: Deliberately informal, with pizza doing the work that a formal agenda usually does badly. August 18, 17:30 - 20:30, Amsterdam. 📅 Pitch / Demo

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