what’s on for kids
The big-day-out category: themed weekends at castles and maritime museums, neighbourhood festivals run out of a buurtgebouw, seasonal celebrations, model-making expos and the kind of all-ages event where the programme runs for six hours and you drift through the bits you fancy. They happen all over the country — in Amsterdam, at Muiderslot in Muiden, at the museum in Purmerend — and each listing names its town so the journey is never a surprise. Mixed ages are the norm, which makes this a good category when the children are years apart.
2 of 134 family events coming up
It splits fairly cleanly. Neighbourhood and community events run out of a buurtgebouw or a square are usually free and drop-in — you turn up, and the only cost is the pancake stall. Themed weekends at a castle or a museum are normally included with ordinary entry, so you pay to get in and the programme comes with it. Large outdoor festivals may ticket separately. The listing links to whichever applies.
All over the Netherlands, and that is deliberate. Amsterdam has its share, but some of the best family weekends in this category happen in towns such as Muiden and Purmerend. Every listing shows its town rather than filing everything under one city, and the map view is the fastest way to see how far something really is before you commit the morning to it.
Most are built for mixed ages, which is exactly why parents with a four-year-old and a nine-year-old end up here. A festival programme usually has a craft corner at one end and something with more edge at the other, so both children find their own thing. Where an event is aimed at a narrow band — toddlers only, or teenagers — the listing says so plainly.
48 events coming up
Theatre & Shows
Puppets, plays and films made for small audiences.
24 events coming up
Baby & Toddler
Sensory classes and groups for the under-fours.
20 events coming up
Music & Dance
Concerts, sound labs and dance for small bodies.
12 events coming up
Arts & Crafts
Making, painting and glueing — aprons on.
12 events coming up
Books & Storytelling
Storytime, voorlezen and book-shop mornings.
6 events coming up
Museums & Learning
Workshops, science and museum days for curious kids.
1 events coming up
Nature & Animals
Forests, city farms and being outdoors.
1 events coming up
Sports & Active
Football, rackets, trampolines — energy out.
Every town with something in this category has its own page. The number is what is listed there today.
