☀️ Essentially Amsterdam Part 2 (now with events) for Friday 6 Nov: Bridgerton author book signing, food hall opens, ice rink awaits frost

Friday November 6, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: Bridgerton author Julia Quinn signs books at Scheltema, a new food hall with a hidden cheese restaurant opens in Noord, and an ice rink by the Poel in Amstelveen waits for frost.

Amstelveen's Poel ice rink is ready again, if the frost comes: Amstelveen has received the paperwork for the natural rink behind the town hall, run by volunteers from skating club De Poelster, with a hot drinks and snacks stall, for 14 December 2026 to 5 March 2027. Skating depends on frost: the Netherlands now averages about three ice days a year, down from about eleven sixty years ago.

Estate agents plan their own rival to Funda: Brokers unhappy with rising listing costs on Funda are setting up Homek, open only to certified agents in industry associations, who will share in its profits. It aims to launch in March 2027 at the earliest, once 1,000 agents have bought in or €1 million is raised. Its backers say €200,000 came in within 48 hours.

Local VVD wants Vondelpark-style fatbike ban in Westerpark: The party cites reports of women harassed by fatbike riders in the Westerpark, and notes counts in the Vondelpark fell from up to 101 to at most 14 after its ban. The West district board prefers to wait for national rules that could allow fatbike-free zones.

A Dutch cook brings Filipino home cooking to Amsterdam: Beate Duma has cooked Filipino food for 28 years and runs House of Pinoy Foods, the catering business she started with her late Filipino husband, Rheneir. His longganisa recipe is her best seller and often sells out before the end of the week. She refuses to adapt the dishes, from adobo to pancit and dinuguan, for non-Filipino tastes.

Science Park co-op named residential building of the year: Architectenweb Awards judges praised De Nieuwe Meent, built mostly of wood, for its mix of affordable homes, sustainability and shared facilities. Residents rent from the cooperative, run it together and share 45% of the space, including a large kitchen, laundry and roof terrace, and a corner café and bookshop is open to the neighbourhood.

KLM to cut 5,000 jobs, nearly 15% of workforce: The airline plans to shed the posts through voluntary departure schemes and by not replacing leavers, outsourcing ground handling at KLM Cityhopper and part of baggage handling, and digitising customer service. It says it needs a structural €1 billion more a year to invest in a new fleet after years of weak profits at parent Air France-KLM, while rising Schiphol fees and fuel prices add to its costs.

Dutch answer to US Darpa based at Amsterdam's Marineterrein: State Secretary Derk Boswijk launched the Netherlands Institute for Defence Technology on Thursday, with 350 million euros to fund risky projects by companies and universities. Its first challenge asks for systems to protect the North Sea from threats such as sabotage of subsea cables.

Food hall with hidden cheese restaurant opens in Noord: Kade Noord opens today in the former Storkhal on the IJ, with 300 seats and vendors including Bon Burger, Dime Slice and Tango Taco, plus Speak Cheesy, a cheese restaurant from the people behind the Kaasbar, hidden behind a secret door (booking required). The city has given the hall two and a half years, possibly longer, before the area is redeveloped.

Amsterdam wants its children playing outside more: Amsterdam has almost 2,000 playgrounds, yet children play outside less and less, blamed on screens, busier streets and big differences between play areas. Alderman Lian Heinhuis, whose portfolio includes outdoor play, says the city will look at making streets more child-friendly and planning for children in new districts from the start.

PUDU shows all six robot lines in Amsterdam: The Chinese firm used its European partner summit at the Van der Valk Amsterdam-Amstel to set out a plan to run one AI system across all its machines. The firm wants Europe to be among the first markets for the approach, and says its robots should support workers, not replace them.

UvA student tests Japanese dog-pee post in Zuidoost: Nanako Okusa, a 21-year-old exchange student, co-designed a post for dogs to relieve themselves on, shown at Dutch Design Week in October. A sponge-like material channels urine into soil inside the column, so dogs can smell it but people cannot. In a test in a park near Amsterdamse Poort, two local dogs used it again and again, though they also stopped at a lamppost nearby.

Film camera shop in Amsterdam-West seeks a successor: Foto den Boer, on Tweede Hugo de Grootstraat since 1950, now specialises in film, cameras and darkroom supplies; its owner says analogue photography is popular with 18 to 40 year olds. René Verburgt, 71, runs it with his wife and wants more free time, but no successor has come forward.

Sportpark Drieburg in Oost to get padel courts: Sports company Footy will develop and run a 3,915 square metre plot vacated by korfball club AW.DTV, with three five-a-side pitches, three padel courts, a children's outdoor course and a clubhouse with terrace. Roots after-school care will also open there. Building is expected to start in autumn 2027.

NS warns rail competition could mean more transfers: The Cabinet decides early next year what happens when NS's concession ends at the end of 2033: open access, tendering or another direct award. NS says it is not against competition but wants the government to keep a big role in allocating track capacity, and union FNV opposes market forces on the railway. Operators' body the Federation of Mobility Companies wants more competition, and regulator ACM proposes tendering part of NS's services.

Picnic boss says supermarkets wanted to trip up Picnic: In a podcast interview, Michiel Muller, who has taken on Shell, ANWB and now Albert Heijn, says large firms try to push newcomers out and wants more room for innovative companies. He also says Picnic is not allowed to sell German cola, even when it is 50 cents cheaper.

Ice skating on Museumplein with the Rijksmuseum in view: Gloves are compulsory, 't Wak serves hot chocolate beside the rink, and the first world speed skating championship was held here in 1893. 6 November, Schaatsbaan Museumplein. OUTDOOR / ACTIVE

From the Royal Game of Ur to Tetris, a playable games exhibition: Visitors play along as the pop-up, called Speel!, traces how games such as Mahjong changed rules and names along trade and migration routes. 6 November, Wereldmuseum. MUSEUM / EDUCATIONAL

Free English stories and songs for toddlers in Olympisch Kwartier: Children up to four hear a book read, then move on to music, movement and crafts, with no registration and no screens. 6 November, 10:00, OBA Olympisch Kwartier - Leeszaal. STORY / READING

A Sinterklaas children's film about missing presents and a lost staff: In this Dutch family film from De Club van Sinterklaas, the Pieten search for vanished presents and the Sint's missing staff. 6 November, Vue. FILM

Guus Meeuwis with his full band in Zuidoost: A seated or standing evening with his band that runs until about eleven, and the hall takes card payments only, no cash. 6 November, AFAS Live. SINGER-SONGWRITER

Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd on his Same Difference tour: Almost ten years after a show here where Drake turned up, he's back with songs from his second album. 6 November, 19:00, Melkweg. HIP-HOP / R&B

Cello, art-pop and soul from Kelsey Lu in Noord: The North Carolina singer and cellist, whose 2019 debut Blood was praised by critics, mixes classical roots with R&B and electronics. 6 November, 20:30, Tolhuistuin. SINGER-SONGWRITER

Watch the Milky Way across the dome to Einaudi's In a Time Lapse: Violin and piano play live while the dome fills with star fields shot by a Korean astrophotographer in earth's darkest places. 6 November, ARTIS-Planetarium. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Forty years after Younger Days, The Fatal Flowers close their tour: The Amsterdam guitar band, with its 1990-era lineup plus JB and Jazz Meijers, plays electric and acoustic sets and songs from a new EP. 6 November, 19:00 - 20:30, Paradiso. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Tambora, Colombia's Afro-descendant river music, from Latin Grammy nominee Martina Camargo: She comes from a line of Magdalena River musicians and poets, and her 2009 album has fed remixes past 500 million streams. 6 November, 20:00, Munganga Theater. WORLD / FOLK

Bach at breakfast and a Cello Club Night at Cello Biennale Amsterdam: Recitals, concerts and a market of cello and bow makers fill both halls on the IJ, and the National Cello Competition is free. 6 November, Bimhuis. FESTIVALS

Amsterdam Hub Collab & Connect, a free monthly mixer with no pitches: Entrepreneurs, professionals and anyone who likes meeting people share drinks and conversation, with no speakers or formal sessions to sit through. 6 November, 19:00 - 23:59, Cafe Meis. NETWORKING

Sustainable fabrics and sourcing at the 4th Amsterdam Textile Show: A trade fair for buyers, boutique owners and industry people, with global manufacturers and designers showing fabrics and new ideas in clothing. 6 November, 10:00 - 17:00, World Fashion Centre. CONFERENCE

A show called Today from veteran singer and clown Herman van Veen: Songs and clowning from the Dutch veteran whom many know as the man behind the cartoon duck Alfred J. Kwak. 6 November, 20:00, Koninklijk Theater Carré. SINGER-SONGWRITER

Free Bridgerton book signing with Julia Quinn, registration required: The Bridgerton author signs on the ground floor, up to three books each, and one of them may be a copy brought from home. 6 November, 17:00, Scheltema, tweede verdieping. STORY / READING

Black-and-white text works in Adam Pendleton's Some Wild Kind of Language: A large show of the American artist's paintings, prints and installations, put together from words, language and fragments of protest history. 6 November, Stedelijk Museum. ART / MUSEUMS

Donnie Darko at 25, a late Imagine Film Festival screening: Richard Kelly's 2001 film with Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone and Patrick Swayze, shown in its anniversary version with Dutch subtitles. 6 November, 21:30, LAB111. FILM

Free Diwali Festival in Amstelveen, with Bollywood, dance and stand-up: Classical Indian dance, Bollywood songs, street food stalls and comedians on expat and Dutch life, then a DJ playing Hindi film music. 6 November, 15:00 - 23:00, ANNA Amstelveen. FESTIVALS

Tarot meets boy bands in Destiny's Manchild: The Reunion Tour: Six man-children and a tarot reader channel the mystical arts in a comedy show that promises to send you off with your destiny. 6 November, Mike's Badhuistheater. COMEDY

Algeria's Roman cities, Timgad to Tipasa, in a PAN Amsterdam talk: An informal session from Museum van Loon and Imagine IC on the fair's daily talk stage, open to all PAN visitors. 6 November, 15:00, RAI Amsterdam. TALKS / IDEAS

Paint your own plate, cup or bowl on the Oudeschans: You decorate with underglaze, brush-on glazes and ceramic pencils, no experience needed, and the firing, tea and something sweet are included. 6 November, 19:30, Amsterdam House of Arts & Crafts. WORKSHOP

One handmade pot in two hours, for beginners aged 12 and up: After wedging the clay you hand-build a bowl, mug, plate or vase, which is fired and ready to collect about three weeks later. 6 November, 17:30 - 19:30, Atelier Kleie. WORKSHOP

DIY bike kitchen at De Ceuvel, free repair help in Noord: A mechanic from De Standaard teaches you to repair and look after your own bike, with basic tools and reused parts for a donation. 6 November, 12:00, De Ceuvel. WORKSHOP

Free volunteering in De Bretten and Beatrixpark for National Nature Work Days: This is Amsterdam's share of the national Natuurwerkdagen, with jobs in green spaces across the city and you choose your task when you sign up. 6 November, 09:00 - 14:00, De Bretten. VOLUNTEERING

Dome greenhouse, food forest and hugelbeds at Green Ass Garden: Unusual vegetables grow from seed alongside medicinal herbs and dye plants, and the group meets near the dome or by the Machinegebouw. 6 November, 13:00, Het Groene Veld. VOLUNTEERING

Clay Stories, a free Friday series of clay and conversation in Noord: Artist Anita Kluge guides beginners through their own clay pieces and Socratic discussion, in Dutch with English translation, ending in an exhibition. 6 November, Framer Framed Noord. WORKSHOP

•  Café Dapper (Dapperstraat): Breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks in Amsterdam-Oost using market produce and sustainably caught fish and oysters, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

•  Lucky Duck (Voetboogstraat): Thai, Chinese and Japanese cuisine served family-style in the city centre, with an open kitchen, robata grill and crafted cocktails.

•  Kade Noord (Noord): A new food hall in the old Storkhal on the IJ, opening 6 November, with burgers, pizza, tacos and a cheese bar behind a secret door.

 

De Tuinen Van yard sale: De Tuinen Van, 17:00 - 21:00.

Daily markets open today: Minervamarkt (Minervaplein), Nieuwmarkt and Van der Pekmarkt (Van der Pekstraat). See all markets open today

Parttime Retail Assistant Hoofddorp: Primark, Hoofddorp, EUR 8.69 - 16.39 an hour - Help Primark customers with their shopping, keep the store organised, serve at the tills and process deliveries.

Financial Accountant: TicketSwap, Amsterdam, EUR 60,800 - 84,100 a year - Own month-end close, reporting and process improvements with TicketSwap’s Financial Accounting & Operations team.

Senior Domein Architect: Transavia, Hoofddorp, EUR 4,800 - 10,000 a month - Translate business vision into target architecture and roadmaps, and govern architecture standards for the C&P domain with the IT team serving the Netherlands and France.

People Partner Bean to Bar: Tony's Chocolonely, Amsterdam, EUR 76,000 - 96,000 a year - Partner with Operations, the Factory, Super Store and Tony’s Open Chain leaders to shape people strategies, coach teams and handle employee relations.

More international jobs in Amsterdam: see the full list or get them in your inbox every day.

Looking ahead: Museum Night 2026 (from Sat 7 November), Food Phreaks: Biodiversity of the Kitchen (from Sat 7 November) and Make It Yourself Festival & Sustainable Home Market (Sun 8 November). See the week ahead →

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