A few times a year, Amsterdam’s canals come to life as the site of some of the city’s best festivals. On Queen’s Day, Gay Pride and this week, for the Grachtenfestival. From August 11 until August 19, head down to the canals to enjoy some classical music by the water.
A quintet on the canal (Photo credit: cerfon)
It is the 15th year of the Grachtenfestival, which quickly became a must-do on Amsterdam’s cultural calendar. From its humble beginnings as a three day festival with 38 programmes, the festival has grown into a ten day happening with over 230 activities. This year’s theme is Love, and approximately 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the historic center of our city to enjoy it.
The festival is held both indoors and outdoors; on floating canal-side pontoons, on boats, in Golden Age historic houses and many other locations. Ticket prices are affordable and many open-air concerts are free for all to enjoy. The program, while focused on classical music, is a varied mix of music styles, theater productions and workshops. The festival is traditionally a platform to give young musicians a chance to shine, and this year will be no exception.
Amsterdammers gather on the canals (Photo credit: loufrances)
Check out the full agenda to make sure you catch all the best shows – one highlight to look forward to is the grand finale on Sunday 19 August when the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw will be performing an instrumental rendition of Leonard Bernstein’s classic West Side Story.
Whether you were planning on being in Amsterdam anyway or looking for a good trip for next weekend, the Grachtenfestival promises to give you a unique experience of some of the world’s most beautiful canals. Walk along the canals and soak in the great atmosphere or hop on a canal cruise to get really close to the action. It promises to be an unforgettable event.
One of many floating pontoons (Photo credit: cerfon)
© 2012, Amsterdam City Tours Blog. All rights reserved. On republishing any part of this post, you must provide a link back to this original post
VN:F [1.9.18_1163]please wait...Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)VN:F [1.9.18_1163]
