Sunday October 11, 2026
Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: Dumpy the cat brings calm to a sheltered housing home, Dutch museums give twenty colonial-era treasures back to Indonesia, and Emanuel Ax plays John Williams with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.
At a glance
🌦️ Weather: Hi 14°C / 57°F (1° cooler than yesterday) · Lo 11°C / 52°F · 82% chance of rain · wind W 30 km/h (16 knots)
🚲 Cycling: Wet from early morning, take the tram.
🌙 Sun & moon: Sunrise 07:58 · Sunset 18:54 · New Moon · Moonrise 09:04 · Golden hour 18:24 to 18:54
🌊 Outdoors: Air quality good (AQI 19) · grass pollen low
💶 Markets: AEX 1,131 (+0.9%) · S&P 500 7,812 (+0.6%) · €1 = $1.12 · $1 = €0.89
News
Amsterdam museums to return colonial-era objects to Indonesia: A diamond, a traditional sword and a handwritten Quran from two Amsterdam museums will go back to Indonesia. They are among twenty pieces the Dutch state is returning.
Nieuwe Kerk honours Curaçao writer Frank Martinus Arion: The Curaçao author, who died in 2015, receives a writer's stone in Amsterdam's Nieuwe Kerk on Curaçao's national day. His biographer says the Netherlands took too long to hear his message about its colonial past.
Dumpy the cat brings calm to sheltered housing: Every morning a cat named Dumpy waits at the window of a 24-hour sheltered housing facility. Its staff and residents care for her together and keep a shared calendar for her.
First Amsterdam Dance Event drew just 300 professionals in 1996: The people who ran the first ADE remember a modest conference in De Balie, decorated with disco balls and feathers. Last year the event drew 600,000 visitors.
Spicy Sumatran restaurant draws queues in De Baarsjes: Waroeng Padang Lapek opened on Witte de Withplein on 1 October, cooking dishes the way they are made in Padang. Its Hague branch, open since 2019, is rated highly by Gault & Millau.
City plans 15-night holiday rental cap in Helmersbuurt: Amsterdam wants to halve the number of nights Helmersbuurt residents can rent their homes to tourists, from 30 to 15 a year. People can comment on the plan until 8 November.
Cheap French bouillon restaurants take off in Amsterdam: Bouillon d'Amsterdam reportedly serves up to 800 guests a day, with steak frites at €16.90. A second branch has opened in Zuid, and the owners are looking at three more Dutch cities.
Family / Children
The Nutcracker in piano and live sand art, for ages seven and up: Part of the Pianoduo Festival, Scholtes & Janssens play Tchaikovsky while Clara and the Mouse King's story is drawn live in sand. 11 October, 't Zonnehuis.
Splendor Children's Concert, free for kids, with a pint-sized bassoon: Kids from four get in free to hear cimbalom, bass clarinet, percussion and bassoon, then try the instruments themselves afterwards. 11 October, 11:00, Splendor.
Free forest art hunt for curious kids in Amsterdamse Bos: Pick up a free kit at the Boswinkel, then follow creative prompts to explore the outdoor art route and make forest art. 11 October, Amsterdamse Bos.
The Mouse Mansion turns fifteen with a weekend of stories: Sam and Julia appear in an intimate theatre show, alongside stories, a creative workshop, bingo and a film with popcorn. 11 October, Het Muizenhuis.
Free autumn bingo through the Hortus gardens: Free cards are available in Dutch and English; families search the Hortus for buds, insects, unusual names and flowers, earning a shop stamp. 11 October, Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam.
Make cardboard puppets, then dance to live piano: Children and adults make articulated cardboard puppets, then dance with them to live piano music; Raquel Diniz guides the activity. 11 October, 11:00 (doors open at 10.45), Munganga Theater, Schinkelhavenstraat 27.
Jazzfestafette turns OBA Javaplein into a children’s music workshop: Children aged four to twelve can hear a musical story, try percussion and improvisation, then play along in a concert. 11 October, 15:00 - 17:00, OBA Javaplein.
Stedelijk Kids Festival, with Yayoi Kusama for children: Children get a festival at the Stedelijk built around Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist whose work fills rooms with dots and mirrors. 11 October, 10:00 - 18:00, Stedelijk Museum, Museumplein 10.
Flamenco, crafts and tapas for children discovering Spain: A monthly family afternoon for ages four to ten, with a flamenco show, singing and crafts, taught in English, Dutch, French and Spanish. 11 October, 15:00 - 18:00, Taalhuis Amsterdam.
Cinekid turns 40 with a week of children's films: The children's film festival fills the autumn holiday with films, workshops, premieres and a red-carpet morning, with Pathé Amsterdam Noord as its heart until 16 October. 11 October, Pathé Amsterdam-Noord.
Music
BRIGHT FOLK folds Mongolian melodies into contemporary jazz: Mongolian-born pianist Shuteen Erdenebaatar leads a quartet with bassist Nils Kugelmann, drawing on folk melodies and her classical and jazz background. 11 October, 20:30 - 22:20, Bimhuis.
Nós 3 no Samba, a circle of Brazilian song: Lilian Vieira, Ana Beck and Viviani Godoy sing together, accompanied by cavaquinho, percussion and seven-string guitar in the samba tradition. 11 October, 16:00, Munganga Theater, Schinkelhavenstraat 27.
Mozart, Bach and Fauré in a Sunday morning orchestra concert: The Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and National Youth Choir perform Mozart, Hildegard von Bingen, Bach, Pergolesi and Fauré, with a boy soprano. 11 October, 11:00, Het Concertgebouw.
Emanuel Ax joins the Concertgebouw Orchestra for John Williams: Thomas Søndergård conducts a programme pairing Williams’s Piano Concerto, written for Ax, with Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini and Dvořák’s Sixth. 11 October, 14:15, Het Concertgebouw.
Pete Murray’s solo acoustic set revisits See the Su’n: The Australian singer-songwriter performs alone rather than with a band, centring the set on his 20-year-old album See the Su’n. 11 October, 20:30, 't Zonnehuis.
WU LYF return with a new album and DJ Bottom: Manchester indie band WU LYF returns with its second album, A Wave That Will Never Break, alongside DJ Bottom. 11 October, 19:30, Tolhuistuin.
De Kift mixes punk, pop, theatre and brass-band sounds: The long-running Dutch group sets texts drawn from world literature against a blend of punk, pop, theatre and fanfare. 11 October, 20:30, Melkweg.
The Strokes at the Ziggo Dome: The New York band led by Julian Casablancas, whose 2001 debut Is This It set off the early-2000s garage rock revival. 11 October, 19:30, Ziggo Dome.
Events: Watch
Pure Markt’s food, drink and creative stalls fill Amstelpark: The monthly market brings together food, drink and creative traders; Amstelpark also has a city farm, mini golf and a large playground. 11 October, 11:00, Amstelpark.
ADM Festival: Still Rolling Sunday spans music, theatre and circus: Children up to twelve enter free, and Sunday spreads music, theatre, circus and spectacle across multiple stages, with a dedicated kids’ space. 11 October, 13:00 - 23:00, Het Groene Veld.
Amsterdam School architecture on a two-and-a-half-hour bus tour: The route follows varied examples of Amsterdam School architecture across the city, starting at Museum Het Schip. 11 October, 13:15, Museum Het Schip.
A Page of Madness with Wanderwelle’s live score: The collective performs a newly composed soundtrack live to Teinosuke Kinugasa’s 1926 silent film about a cleaner in a psychiatric institution. 11 October, 17:00, Eye Filmmuseum.
Free second-hand finds and homemade goods at Flevopoort: Stalls offer used clothes, books, CDs, DVDs, household items and handmade goods, with coffee and tea available to visitors. 11 October, 11:00, Flevopoort.
Medieval tattoos, pilgrims and a star on a painted wrist: UvA art historian Wendelien van Welie-Vink starts from a tattoo in an Amsterdam Museum group portrait and looks at medieval travel and protective signs. 11 October, 15:30, Ramses Shaffy Huis.
Expat Cinema shows The Beloved, with English subtitles and drinks: Rodrigo Sorogoyen's father and daughter drama starring Javier Bardem played in competition at Cannes, and drinks with host Karolina follow. 11 October, 17:00 - 19:00, Rialto VU Griffioen.
Is This It?, a basement pop quiz that can run fully in English: DJs Mr & Mevr Koot run it, teams sign up at the bar from 15:00, and the winning team's bar tab is free. 11 October, 15:30, De Nieuwe Anita.
Buy My Darlings: free photography, collage and artists’ editions: Free admission brings more than forty artists selling prints, photobooks and works that extend photography into collage and mixed media. 11 October, 10:00 - 18:00, NDSM Fuse.
Cabaret brings Sally Bowles to 1930s Berlin: Chantal Janzen plays Sally Bowles in Daria Bukvić’s production, set in the Kit Kat Club as rising fascism presses in. 11 October, 20:00, DeLaMar Theater.
Front Door & Garage Sale, free to wander all over Centrumeiland: In its third edition, neighbours put used things and homemade treats outside to sell, swap or give away, with window posters marking the route. 11 October, 11:00 - 14:00, Centrumeiland.
Events: Do
Make a Hanfu hairstick with flowers, beads and chains: Beginners assemble a decorated hairstick using up to 25 components, learning floral weaving, chain-making and thread wrapping; materials and tools are provided. 11 October, 13:00 - 16:00, OBA CC Amstel (Maakplaats Room, 1st Floor).
Haydn on Sunday rehearses and performs a symphony in one morning: Professional musicians and advanced amateurs rehearse Haydn’s Symphony No. 48 on the day, then perform it without prior rehearsals; entry is free. 11 October, 12:00 - 12:30, Café Belcampo.
Behind the scenes at Dutch National Opera and Ballet: A Dutch-language guide takes visitors through workshops and studios, including the largest stage in Europe and areas usually closed to the public. 11 October, Nationale Opera & Ballet.
Buildings by Women cycle tour through the Eastern Docklands: The two-hour ride visits projects in the Eastern Docklands and highlights women designers; participants bring their own bicycle. 11 October, 11:00 - 13:00, Borneo Architecture Centre.
An offline morning of reading, drawing and conversation at Café Brecht: Phones are locked away while people spend solo time reading or drawing, then connect in a group; one purchase is required. 11 October, 08:30, Café Brecht.
Paint your own plate, cup or bowl by the Oudeschans: Two relaxed hours with underglaze, brush-on glazes and ceramic pencils, no experience needed, with firing, tea and something sweet included. 11 October, 13:00, Amsterdam House of Arts & Crafts.
Free goods route lets Baarsjes neighbours pass things on: Residents leave unwanted items outside for others to take; everything is free, and rain moves the route by a week. 11 October, 11:00 - 14:00, Jan Maijenbuurt (Bos en Lommer).
The Lost-Wax Ring Workshop models a custom silver ring: Participants shape a custom ring in jeweller’s wax, with tools, materials and refreshments provided; casting and silver finishing are charged separately. 11 October, 14:30, Treehouse NDSM.
Play chess in the Vondelbunker: The Bunker Chess Club meets in the old shelter under the Vondelpark, with boards out for players of every level. 11 October, 14:30, Vondelbunker.
Good to know
New on Dutch streaming: Is It Cake? Halloween (Netflix), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (HBO Max), Brothers (Apple TV), The Power of One (Prime Video)
New on the big screen: Always Lalisa arrives at Pathé Arena and Vue Amsterdam, and Truly Naked is now showing at Cinema The Pulse and Kriterion. Showtimes here.
Overheard on Reddit: A post asked about a mysterious sky light; replies suggested it was likely a planet or star.
Today's supermarket deals: L'OR Espresso deep lungo capsules from Albert Heijn, All Pale Ales from Jumbo.
Did you know? FEBO, the snack-wall chain, started in Amsterdam as a bakery before becoming famous for vending-machine krokets.
46 years ago today: On October 11th, 1980, the Oostlijn metro extension through Nieuwmarkt opened, including the new Nieuwmarkt station.
In case you missed it
Looking ahead – next week
The bigger things coming up in Amsterdam over the next seven days.
• Children's Book Week · Wednesday 30 September to Sunday 11 October, Across Amsterdam
• IJ-Hallen Flea Market · Saturday 10 October to Sunday 11 October, NDSM-werf
• 24 Hours Amsterdam-Zuid · Saturday 10 October to Sunday 11 October, Amsterdam-Zuid
• Autumn at Westergas · Saturday 10 October to Sunday 18 October, Cultuurpark Westergas
• TCS Amsterdam Marathon · Saturday 17 October to Sunday 18 October, Olympisch Stadion Amsterdam
• Bitcoin Amsterdam 2026 · Thursday 5 November to Friday 6 November, Sugar Factory
Have a great Sunday.
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