Wednesday August 19, 2026
Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: a sprinkling ban moving a youth hockey tournament, a Benjamin Herman jazz session at Sociëteit de Kring, and a Science Bar Talk on how AI works at Oedipus Craft Space.
At a glance
🌦️ Weather: Hi 21°C / 70°F (about the same as yesterday) · Lo 17°C / 63°F · 47% chance of rain · wind SW 18 km/h (10 knots)
🚲 Cycling: Dry until about 07:00, wet after that.
🌙 Sun & moon: Sunrise 06:29 · Sunset 20:57 · First Quarter · Moonrise 15:06 · Golden hour 20:27 to 20:57
🌊 Outdoors: Air quality fair (AQI 23) · grass pollen low
💶 Markets: AEX 1,115 (-0.3%) · S&P 500 7,692 (-0.7%) · €1 = $1.16 · $1 = €0.86
Sprinkling ban moves youth hockey tournament out of Amsterdam: The World Hockey Youth Tournament has been relocated to Utrecht because club Xenios cannot water its artificial pitches. Visiting teams from around the world will now play in Houten where irrigation remains permitted.
Court rejects eviction of Amstelveen estate squatters: A preliminary relief judge in Amsterdam has rejected an eviction claim brought by property owner Lars-Erik Magnusson. The ruling allows the group to temporarily remain at the Amsteldijk Noord villa despite the squatting ban.
Rijksmuseum receives rare seventeenth-century drawing book: The Van Eeghen family donated a volume containing 30 drawings, including works by forgotten artist Rombout Uylenburgh. Researchers will now study the collection to identify who created the remaining Biblical sheets.
Campaign honours community heroes in Oost and IJburg: Winkelcentrum IJburg and Winkelcentrum Oostpoort are inviting residents to nominate local volunteers, caregivers and helpful neighbours. Up to 100 selected pairs will receive gift boxes with vouchers for shared local experiences.
Campaigners urge city to halt new data centre: Over 500 residents have signed a petition against a massive Equinix facility planned for Science Park. Officials say revoking the permit risks legal penalties, but conditions require residual heat to warm local homes.
Food bank volunteer marks five years in Amsterdam: Marina initially signed up while searching for paid work during her thesis studies. She now handles early morning driving and packing shifts each week with no plans to stop.
Police receive 140 tips to identify nursing home patient: Detectives launched an appeal with video footage to identify an English-speaking man who suffered brain damage three years ago. The cold case team is now reviewing the incoming information to establish his identity.
KLM cuts night arrival flights at Schiphol: The airline is drastically scaling back night arrivals despite recent drops in local noise disturbance. Key details remain unclear, including affected routes, flight numbers, and the implementation date.
Amsterdam weighs zero-emission rules for building machinery: Municipal officials are considering new environmental proposals to require heavy construction equipment to be completely emission-free by 2030. Industry groups have raised concerns about the high costs for smaller contractors.
Loose dog interrupts KLM landing at Schiphol: A flight from Edinburgh aborted its approach on Friday afternoon after an animal was spotted near the Polderbaan. The plane landed safely ten minutes later once the dog was secured outside the fence.
Jordaan antique dealer closes shop after 27 years: Owners Michiel Wildschut and Baukje Stamm are ending their physical storefront on Eerste Looiersdwarsstraat due to shifting customer tastes and shrinking living spaces. The business will relocate operations to France.
Childrens sports day and games before the match at Wagener Stadion: A dedicated children's day with sporting challenges and games across the stadium grounds before the women's match at six. 19 August, 11:00 - 18:00, Wagener Stadion. 📅
Dutch picture book storytime for young children at OBA Reigersbos: Picture books read aloud in Dutch for children aged five and up in the neighbourhood library. 19 August, 15:00 - 16:00, OBA Reigersbos. 📅
Pop art creative workshop for all ages at Museum Cobra: A walk-in creative workshop tied to the Andy Warhol and Cobra textile exhibitions running across the museum. 19 August, Museum Cobra. 📅
Hands on bamboo building and weaving workshop at Wereldmuseum Amsterdam: A hands-on maker space where visitors can build and weave using bamboo over the course of the season. 19 August, Wereldmuseum Amsterdam (voorheen Het Tropenmuseum). 📅
Groote Museum exhibition explores humanity and our deep connection to water: An exhibition in the Groote Museum exploring how human origins and all living things connect to water. 19 August, ARTIS. 📅
Coral craft workshop for children inside the Groote Museum at ARTIS: A hands-on craft session where visitors build colourful coral to add to the museum's shared fantasy aquarium. 19 August, ARTIS. 📅
Playable video game history and science exhibition opens at NEMO: A playable gaming exhibition charting video game history, science and culture with classic setups and modern consoles. 19 August, NEMO Science Museum. 📅
Saxophonist Benjamin Herman leads a weekly jazz session at Sociëteit de Kring: Saxophonist Benjamin Herman opens the weekly session with his band before welcoming young players up to jam. 19 August, 21:00, Sociëteit de Kring. 📅
Pop rock band Lorena and The Tide launch their album at Paradiso: The Zaanstad pop-rock outfit launch their self-produced album Wildfire, driven by tight guitar riffs and Paramore-leaning melodies. 19 August, 21:00. 📅
Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra performs Mahler and Beethoven at The Concertgebouw: Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts, joined by soprano Emily Pogorelc for Mahler's Rückert-Lieder alongside Beethoven and Bohdana Frolyak's Gloria. 19 August, 20:00, The Concertgebouw. 📅
Ensemble Fuse plays a genre-crossing classical set at The Concertgebouw: A newly configured lineup takes the stage with a genre-crossing set moving between Bach, Ravel, Bartók and Thelonious Monk. 19 August, 20:00, The Concertgebouw. 📅
Join an open singing rehearsal with The Space Choir at Tolhuistuin: Open singing rehearsals in the IJzaal for all experience levels, operating on a pay-what-you-can model. 19 August, 20:00, Tolhuistuin. 📅
Researchers explain how artificial intelligence works over drinks in Noord: Two local researchers discuss machine thinking, comparing current AI capabilities to the human brain over drinks in Noord. 19 August, 19:30, Oedipus Craft Space. 📅
Indian stand up comedian Zarna Garg performs at Boom Chicago: The New York-based Indian stand-up comedian brings her sharp observational style and latest solo hour to the stage. 19 August, 20:30, Boom Chicago. 📅
Live English stand up comedy open mic at Cafe de Knoop: An English-language open mic night where established comics and newcomers try out fresh material in an intimate brown cafe. 19 August, 20:00, Prinsenstraat 5. 📅
Guided behind the scenes tour explores the regional historical archives: A guided tour through the usually closed regional repository, showing how centuries of local documents and photos are preserved. 19 August, 10:30 - 10:30. 📅
Premiere of documentary series De Witte Man at Felix Meritis: Documentary maker Qian van Binsbergen premieres her three-part series examining power, masculinity, and race in changing societies. 19 August, 20:00, Felix Meritis. 📅
Learn the basics of vintage swing in a beginner Lindy Hop course: A beginner class covering the basic footwork and social rhythms of vintage swing dance. 19 August, 19:00, swingphilosophy.com. 📅
Morning coffee and neighborhood conversation on Steigereiland Noord: Fresh coffee and morning conversation outdoors at Groene Gemeenschap for local residents to catch up with neighbours. 19 August, 08:30, Hallo IJburg. 📅
A playful portrait drawing workshop at Oosterparkhuis: A morning workshop sketching faces using playful, unconventional drawing exercises designed to bypass your usual habits. 19 August, 10:00, Oosterparkhuis. 📅
Young adults explore vulnerability together at De VerbroederIJ: Young adults aged 18 to 35 meet to explore why vulnerability feels uncomfortable and share perspectives together. 19 August, 19:30, De VerbroederIJ. 📅
English Vinyasa flow yoga session with Fabio at De VerbroederIJ: Fabio leads an English-language weekly Vinyasa flow session focused on movement, breathing, and relaxation in Noord. 19 August, 11:00, De VerbroederIJ. 📅
Architectural walking tour explores the historic street urinals of Amsterdam: Documentary photographer Renzo Gerritsen leads an evening architectural walk exploring the design, history, and survival of Amsterdam's street urinals. 19 August, 19:00 - 21:00, Amsterdam Centraal Station. 📅
Free interval running session for all levels in Vondelpark: One forty-minute lap of the park combining easy jogging with three or four short interval workout stops. 19 August, 18:30, Vondelpaviljoen. 📅
A fireside conversation on women's health at The Social Hub: An intimate fireside discussion focusing on women's physical and mental health in the context of the workplace. 19 August, 19:00, The Social Hub Amsterdam City. 📅
Technical talks for software engineers and founders building with AI: Technical discussions covering the latest developer tools, APIs and retrieval systems, aimed at software engineers and founders. 19 August, 18:00, Location provided after booking. 📅
Professional coaches connect over drinks at Werkplaats in Volkshotel: Two informal hours for life, executive and career practitioners to compare notes and talk shop over drinks. 19 August, 18:00, Werkplaats @ Volkshotel. 📅
An informal rooftop meetup for tech and AI professionals: A rooftop gathering without formal talks or slides, set up to connect people working around artificial intelligence. 19 August, 16:00, Amsterdam. 📅
Orchid House: A spot next to Oosterpark open from coffee to dinner, serving Mediterranean dishes with a Latin American twist.
The Predetarian Amsterdam: A sandwich shop in De Pijp serving sandwiches filled with game as a statement against factory farming.
Roux Amsterdam: A Westerstraat kitchen built around ingredients from local partners like Het Kaasatelier, Oesterij, and Jamoneria by Rick.
Good to know
New on Dutch streaming: Fight Club (Prime Video), Gate 24: The Border (Netflix), Baylen Out Loud (HBO Max), Bridesmaids (Disney+)
New on the big screen: Red Rue Express opens Monday at 4 cinemas, Contracorriente returns Monday to EYE, and Histoires Parallèles opens Sunday at Cinecenter. Showtimes here.
Overheard on Reddit: A post shares archival footage of singing nuns on SALTO TV broadcast in 1996 around Dam Square and the Oudezijds area.
Today’s supermarket deals: Dr. Oetker Big Americans Texas pizza (2 for €5.99) from Albert Heijn, Lay's Max, Hamka's, Doritos, Bugles, Cheetos (2 for €4.50) from Jumbo
Did you know? Johan Cruyff grew up in Betondorp, just minutes from Ajax’s old De Meer stadium.
114 years ago today: On August 19th, 1912, the Third Ambachtsschool opened on Timorplein, training Indische Buurt pupils in practical trades.
Adoptable pet of the day: Meet Flipper, a 5-year-old European Shorthair at Dierenopvang Amsterdam. Take a look →In tomorrow’s edition: A performance by Rauwslinger at De Roode Bioscoop, a concert by Rens en Jaïr & Karafaan at NEMO Science Museum, and live jazz with the Maarten Voortman trio at Contra.
Have a great Wednesday, and keep a rain jacket handy.
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