It’s the Fringe Festival here in Amsterdam

Amsterdam Fringe

Amsterdam Fringe

It has been a good few days already here at the Fringe Festival in Amsterdamand there are several days still to go so get on down here if you can. If you are going to be in Amsterdam in the next few days then this is the place to be – at one of the Fringe venues in the city. The Fringe event still has several days to go with the final day this coming Sunday.

There is a massive amount going on with several events for example straight over from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Expect to see for example a number of:

  • Comedians
  • Artistic performers
  • Live Theatre
  • Food and drink events and meeting places
  • Art movies

The best place to check all events is via the main official Amsterdam Fringe festival site at http://www.amsterdamfringefestival.nl/fringe/en.aspx

Van Gogh museum – is it worth seeing?

I have a lot of friends and family from abroad who come to visit me here in Amsterdam and one thing that has become clear in recent years, is the attractions which everyone seems to really enjoy and others which they do not. Over that time what has become clear is that for the adults, the favourite attraction consistently averages out to be the Van

Amstel amsterdam

Amstel amsterdam

Gogh museum.

The Van Gogh museum is basically an art gallery and one of the very best in the world and there is such a good choice and large number of art, that there is something there for everyone. If there is one problem then it is that there is too much to see.

With middle aged men though I have to admit that the tour of the Amstel factory/museum always goes done well (excuse the pun) and with the kids they always seem to enjoy the canal boat ride and tours. What attractions and things to do in Amsterdam do you most prefer? Send us your comments!

The most beautiful legs of the Netherlands 2009

Cosmopolitan organized in cooperation with Gillette Venus Embrace, for the second time the “Best Legs in the Netherlands in 2009 ‘contest. 25 women compete for the title during a rousing finale on a professional catwalk. From the many submitted photos, the professional jury selected 25 beautiful ladies for the final battle in Hotel Arena in Amsterdam.

A lot of press was presented and of course the entire Cosmo editors. 

Best legs competition

Best legs competition

In the hall, the people stood ready for the show and were warmed up by the beats of ‘Judoka-turned-DJ’ Dennis van der Geest.
 
Nicolette van Dam presented the contest. And the five-strong jury consisted of Cosmo head editor Claudia Straatmans, Raquel Smolders of Gillette Venus Embrace, Renate Peters of the House of Orange Models discoverer of Yfke Sturm, the winner of the Most Beautiful Legs in the Netherlands in 2008 Sanae Chirar and actor Dirk Taat from Onderweg Naar Morgen. The presentation was held by Nicolette van Dam, and she asked where the jury looked at. Dirk told that he watched at the appearance, Renate Peters on the shape of the legs and Claudia on the total picture.
 
The ladies, dressed in brightly colored dresses of H&M, walked on the catwalk as if they were doing that for years. Swinging hips, a pose at the end of the catwalk and a lot of long and smooth legs made the camera’s flash.
 
Thereafter, the jury deliberated and was notified which Famous Dutch woman, by readers of Cosmopolitan, made the best move for a good cause. Kim Feenstra received the most votes for her commitment to the South African orphanage Mama Lumka. “Lumka Mama can use this very well” Kim said after receiving a check worth 1555 euro.
 
Elize was second and received an amount of 555 euros for the charity ‘Because I am girl’.
 
Head Chief Editor Claudia then announced the winner of the most beautiful legs, Ilse Danielle Martina. She has beautiful legs and by the jury she has a healthy dose of flair. She said that she was interested in a job at the Cosmo. Claudia’s response “Women like Ilse, who are fun and Fearless may always come!
The press continued to attack the winner Ilse, Dennis was still running good and everyone was drinking champagne in the beautiful garden of the Hotel Arena. Not too much, because tomorrow  was just another workday!

Join us at Amsterdam Culinary 2009

From the 18th  of June until the 21st of  June, the Museumplein in Amsterdam is dominated by Amsterdam Culinary 2009. During this event, several small restaurants are offering the best and most delicious dishes from their kitchen presented in a stand on the Museumplein.

Besides culinary enjoyment, the event will also have a cultural enjoyment. The Amsterdam Culinary event offers a unique opportunity to taste the specialties of the Amsterdam kitchens. The Museum is easily accessible and is

Amsterdam food festival

Amsterdam food festival

surrounded by many restaurants and it is the place for your culinary encounter with Amsterdam!

Location – The Museumplein, with the pond as the center of the event, is an ideal location for Amsterdam Culinary 2009. The attractive square is easily accessible by car and public transport. When you arrive by car, you can park in the garage at Museumplein in front of the concert building.

The entrance is free and you can visit the event on Thursday and Friday from 16:00 until 23:30 and on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 until 23:30.

Spinning marathon on the roof of the WTC in Amsterdam

On Saturday the 16th of May the spinning marathon takes place on the 27st floor of the WTC. The organization  ‘To give up is not an option’ (Opgeven is geen optie), founded by a team of employees of the municipality of Amsterdam, donates the benefits to research on cancer.

This spinning marathon is organized to raise funds for the cycling event Alpe d’HuZes, which is participated in June by

Running in Amsterdam

Running in Amsterdam

“To give up is not an option ‘ The benefits of this event is entirely appropriate for research into cancer. Alderman Carolien Gehrels (Sports) is also one of the spinners.

The event start at 14.00 and ends at 18.00. On this day, you can rent an indoor spinning bike for €25 per hour, from one to four hours. But when you prefer to enjoy the amazing view from the roof of the WTC building, you can rent an outdoor spinning bike for €75 per hour, from one to four hours. You can always donate more, all the money goes to the charity.

Amsterdam attraction ideas: Madame Tussauds

Madame Tussauds is a worldwide concern and well known because of its wax figures of a lot of celebrities. The museum has a colorful history and entertains visitors for already more than 200 year. Madame Tussauds is an

Madame Tussards Amsterdam

Madame Tussards Amsterdam

international company and is known worldwide. There is an international website where you can find all the places where the museums Madame Tussauds are situated. One of this places is Amsterdam.

In 1971, the Madame Tussauds museum in Amsterdam opened its doors in the Kalverstraat and was the second establishment after the first one in England since 1871. In 1991, The museum is moved to the recent location on the Dam in the centre of Amsterdam. In 2002, the establishment in Amsterdam was renovated with a total cost of four million euro. Since 2007, the Madame Tussauds museum in Amsterdam is a part of the international attraction group Merlin Entertainments.

The wax figures are made in Londen and the costs for one figure are about 85000 euros.

Madame Tussauds is opened every day from 10.00 until 17.30 hour. In the summer holiday, the museum is open until 20.30. The entrée fee is 21 euro for adults, 16 euro for kids (from 5 years until 15 years old).

The museum is easily to reach by a 10 minutes’ walk from the Amsterdam Central Station, by tram line 1, 2, 5, 17 and 20, stop Magna Plaza/Dam of by tram line 4, 9, 16, 20, 24 and 25, stop Bijenkorf/Dam.

Open Garden Days – (in Dutch De open tuin dagen)

Amsterdam garden show

Amsterdam garden show

The open garden days (in Dutch De open tuin dagen) are organized by Canal Musea and will be held in the heart of Amsterdam. It is an annual event that is held every 3rd weekend of June. During this event, owners of canal houses will open their garden to the public. 25 Gardens that have never been opened before. Behind the stately facades and canals, one of the best kept secrets of Amsterdam is hidden. If you take a look behind these impressive walls and facades, it feels like you are in an green oasis of peace. Each year, different people from

Amsterdam are joining this events and opening their gardens for the public. This year is the 20th edition of Open Garden Days. The profit that will be made during this event will be donated to charity which mainly is for restoration of the public gardens. The only way to reach these gardens is through the house. This also gives and makes it a special experience people won’t forget. This event last for 3 days, Friday the 19th, Saturday the 20th and Sunday 21st of June.

A ticket for all three Open Garden days is € 15,-. This priced is included a boat trip, on the canals, along all the participating gardens. The ticket has a short description and a city map.

The Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam.

The Heineken Brewery is a museum in Amsterdam and this brewery is listed in the European Route of Industrial Heritage and can also be used  for meetings and events. The brewery is built in 1867 and was used for the beer production of the famous Dutch Heineken beer until 1988. After the beer production moved to Zoeterwoude, the brewery is completely renovated since 1991 and got the name Heineken Experience in 2001.  The Heineken

Heineken museum in Amsterdam

Heineken museum in Amsterdam

experience is meant as a tourist attraction and a meeting center for companies.

The museum offers guided tours, interactive exhibits and two bars. You receive two glasses of Heineken, which are included in the entry fee. The Heineken Experience tells you everything about the history, the different generations of the family Heineken and especially  the world most famous beer.
 
Five meeting rooms varied from 60m2 until 450m2 are situated on the top of this building. The capacity of the Heineken Experience is a maximum of 650 people per event. The 450m2 meeting room has a large balcony that gives you an amazing view over the centre of Amsterdam.

It is easy to reach the Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam from the central station or the RAI Congress Centre with public transport, or you can park your car on the public parking of the Heineken Experience with a capacity of 250 cars. You can also arrive with the boat right in front of the museum at the Heineken Experience landing stage.

Dancing the night away in Amsterdam

The Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is Europe’s largest music conference for electronic music and the biggest club festival in the world. The event yearly has got more than 700 artists and DJs in 40 clubs in Amsterdam with over

Amsterdam dancing

Amsterdam dancing

90,000 visitors and 2,000 music professionals from 42 countries. The Amsterdam Dance Event 2009 takes place from 21st of October till the 24st of October. Amsterdam Dance Event is organized by the Amsterdam Dance Event Foundation.

This event offers professionals the opportunity to meet international business partners en perform for an international audience with new music and new trends. The event takes place  in the centre of Amsterdam at the historic canal side Felix Meritis building and the luxury Dylan hotel .

Buma Culture is the initiator of the Amsterdam Dance Event. This foundation is responsible for the promotion and support of the Dutch music industry. Buma also defends the rights of the Dutch music industry and protects the copyrights.  Buma or Buma Stemra initiates, contributes to and sponsors a couple of Dutch and abroad projects.

For all the people who like the electronic music industry it is a must to be on this huge event in Amsterdam on the 21st of October until the 24st of October.

5 Cinemas in Amsterdam

When you have your holiday in Amsterdam and you would like to visit a cinema in Amsterdam? There are thirteen cinemas in Amsterdam. This is a top 5 of this cinemas in Amsterdam.

1. Cinema De Uitkijk – Cinema De Uitkijk is a small movie house situated on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. This cinema has one cinema room. The price for a ticket is 8 euro.

2. Kriterion – The cinema Kriterion on the Roetersstraat in Amsterdam is run by students. This cinema is open from 12.00am until 12.00pm. The prices range from 6,50 euro until 8 euro.

3. Pathé De Munt – Pathé De Munt in Amsterdam is a cinema with 2415 seats spread over 13 cinema rooms. This cinema is open from Monday until Friday from 11.45am and on Saturday, Sunday and in the holidays from 10.00am. The prices for a ticket range from 5 euro for a movie in the morning till 9,50 euro for a normal ticket.

4. Studio K – Since 2007, two cinema rooms, a theater, a stage and a bar / restaurant with terrace are located on the Timorplein. The price for a ticket is around 7,50 euro. This cinema is open on Sunday until Thursday from 11.00am until 01.00am and on Friday and Saturday from 11.00am until 03.00/04.00am. You can lunch here every day from 11.00 am until 04.00pm. The restaurant is open from Monday until Sunday from 06.00pm until 10.00pm

5. The Movies – The oldest in use cinema is Haarlemmerdijk and has four cinema rooms. The Movies is an arthouse cinema with night movies, children’s matinees and a restaurant. The prices range from 6,50 euro until 9,50 euro.