Amsterdam in December 2026: Light Festival, Winter Paradise and Key Exhibitions

Winter Events in Amsterdam

Amsterdam offers a packed schedule of events, exhibitions, and seasonal activities throughout December 2026. The 15th edition of the Amsterdam Light Festival runs from 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027. The event features 20 light installations illuminated daily in the evenings, which visitors can view up close on evening canal cruises.

Daily activities at the Amsterdam Winter Paradise, held at RAI Amsterdam, include an ice-skating experience, a fairground with a ferris wheel, live music, and winter snacks and drinks.

Museums and Major Exhibitions

Several major art exhibitions are open across the city during the month:

• MOCO Museum: Located on Museumplein, displaying Banksy: Laugh Now, which features works by the anonymous British street artist.

• STRAAT Museum: Situated in an 8,000m² warehouse at NDSM wharf, displaying around 180 site-specific street art pieces. The retrospective exhibition ART IS NOT A CRIME, Henry Chalfant: Capturing graffiti culture, NYC, 1977–1987 runs from 9 October 2026 to 13 March 2027.

• Rijksmuseum: Housing Rembrandt's Night Watch, alongside the landmark exhibition Willem de Kooning at work featuring roughly 120 drawings, paintings, and sculptures from 9 October 2026 to 17 January 2027.

• Van Gogh Museum: Hosting Whistler. Dandy and Disruptor from 16 October 2026 to 10 January 2027, a retrospective of 19th-century artist James McNeill Whistler organized with Tate Britain and Den Haag's Mesdag Collection.

• H’ART Museum: Showing Chez Matisse until 14 February 2027, an exhibition organized with the Centre Pompidou that features over 30 original Henri Matisse works.

• Stedelijk Museum: Presenting a retrospective on Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama running until 17 January 2027.

• Rembrandt House Museum: Hosting Experimentation from 25 September 2026 to 3 January 2027, exploring experimental art approaches from the 17th century to today.

• National Maritime Museum (Scheepvaartmuseum): Presenting Crimson Gilt, a visual art installation by Vincent Ruijters based on the East Indiaman Amsterdam, running until 21 March 2027.

• FOAM Photography Museum: Showing Nadav Kander's 4-decade solo retrospective The Edge of Things until 17 February 2027, and Hailun Ma's first major solo exhibition Hometown until 20 January 2027.

• Huis Marseille: Featuring early 20th-century Venice photographs by Baron de Meyer, minimalist photography by Andrzej Steinbach, and works by French-Algerian photographer Maya-Inés Touam until 7 February 2027.

Historic Sites and Digital Experiences

Visitors can tour the historic Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht canal, or join a 2-hour Anne Frank & Jewish Quarter walking tour. On Dam Square, the grand Royal Palace opens its Citizen’s Hall to the public. For digital storytelling, Rembrandt’s Amsterdam Experience on Rozengracht provides a video art presentation detailing the painter's life alongside a reconstruction of his studio.

【Attraction Tickets】Amsterdam Light Festival Canal Cruise 2026 | November – January Limited

Available 2026-11-26

HKD 107 Start

Book now