Things to Do in Amsterdam in Fall: Events in September, October and November 2026

Planning a fall trip to Amsterdam? From electronic music and documentary film to major art exhibitions, design markets and events taking over the canals, autumn is one of the busiest times on the city’s cultural calendar. The days may be getting shorter, but Amsterdam doesn’t exactly slow down. Whether you’re planning an autumn city break or simply looking for the best things to do in Amsterdam this fall, here’s what we’d put on the calendar for 2026.

The Best Things to Do in Amsterdam in Fall

Amsterdam in autumn has a little bit of everything. September brings open doors and new exhibitions, October fills the city with runners, rowers, designers and DJs, and November is made for late-night museums and settling into a cinema for one of the world’s biggest documentary festivals. Here are some of the best Amsterdam events and cultural highlights happening this September, October and November.

Events in Amsterdam in September 2026

September marks the start of Amsterdam’s fall cultural calendar, with major exhibitions opening and historic buildings welcoming visitors for Open Monumentendag. It’s also the time to start enjoying the first signs of changing foliage around the city and art exhibitions like the new Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum.

Yayoi Kusama at the Stedelijk Museum

11 September 2026–17 January 2027 | Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Dots, mirrored spaces, monumental installations and more than seven decades of work come together in a major Yayoi Kusama retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum. The exhibition spans painting, sculpture, installation, drawing, fashion, collage and performance, tracing Kusama’s work from her early career through the pieces that made her one of contemporary art’s most recognizable figures. Opening on 11 September and running through January 2027, be sure to add the retrospective exhibition to your Museumplein itinerary.

Open Monument Day (Open Monumentendag)

12–13 September 2026 | Locations across Amsterdam & the Netherlands

Ever wondered what’s behind some of Amsterdam’s more mysterious doors? Open Monument Day (Monumenten Dag) gives you the chance to find out. For one weekend, monuments and historic buildings around the city open their doors to visitors, including places that normally aren’t accessible to the public. As one of the participating municipalities in the national event, Amsterdam will open access to canal houses with remarkable interiors to historic banks, hotels and more modern landmarks, alongside talks, performances and other cultural programming throughout the weekend.

Events in Amsterdam in October 2026

October is one of Amsterdam’s busiest months, with the city filling up for major cultural, design and sporting events. From ADE and the Amsterdam Marathon to design fairs and exhibitions, there’s plenty happening across the city throughout the month.

CABINET Amsterdam

3–4 October 2026 | Centrale Markthal

Vintage furniture, contemporary art, fashion, records, books and plenty of unusual objects come together for a weekend at CABINET Amsterdam. The design market takes over Amsterdam’s monumental Centrale Markthal, filling it with carefully selected stands selling everything from design classics to curiosities you probably weren’t planning on taking home. There’s also coffee, local wine, food and live music between the stalls, so you can make an afternoon of it.

Chez Matisse – Masterpieces from Centre Pompidou

3 October 2026–14 February 2027 | H’ART Museum

This fall, H’ART Museum turns its attention to Henri Matisse. Created in collaboration with Centre Pompidou, the Chez Matisse exhibition brings more than 80 works to Amsterdam. Alongside Matisse’s paintings and other works, the exhibition places him in conversation with artists including Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. It’s only the third major retrospective of Matisse’s work ever presented in the Netherlands, making it one of Amsterdam’s standout exhibitions this autumn. The H’ART Museum is just around the corner from Zoku Amsterdam, making it the perfect home base to visit the exhibition and explore Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Marathon 2026

18 October 2026

Prefer moving through Amsterdam on two feet? The TCS Amsterdam Marathon 2026 returns on Sunday 18 October, with a route that starts and finishes inside the Olympic Stadium, and takes runners past some of the city’s most recognizable sights in between. The course passes beneath the Rijksmuseum, follows part of the Amstel and cuts through Vondelpark before returning to the stadium. Even if 42.2 kilometers isn’t on your agenda, finding a place along the route to cheer everyone on is considerably easier.

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) 2026

21–25 October 2026 | Venues across Amsterdam

For five days every October, Amsterdam becomes one enormous electronic music venue. Amsterdam Dance Event brings together DJs, artists, producers, labels and music fans for hundreds of events spread across clubs, cultural spaces and unexpected venues throughout the city. And 2026 is a particularly big one: ADE celebrates its 30th anniversary from 21–25 October. Whether you’re here for the industry conference, a warehouse party or one very late night that turns into morning, there’s no missing ADE when it arrives in Amsterdam.

Events in Amsterdam in November 2026

November shifts the focus indoors, with late-night museum events, documentary film and major design and art highlights across the city. Towards the end of the month, Amsterdam Light Festival also brings the canals to life after dark.

Museum Night Amsterdam (Museumnacht)

7 November 2026 | Museums across Amsterdam

One night. More than 70 museums. Until 2 in the morning. Museumnacht turns Amsterdam’s museums and cultural institutions into late-night venues, with exhibitions joined by performances, music, workshops and one-off programming. Rather than trying to see everything, pick a few spots and make a route through the city. The organizers even create suggested museum routes to make narrowing down the options slightly easier.

Design Icons Amsterdam

8 November 2026 | De Kromhouthal

If vintage interiors are more your thing, head across the IJ for Design Icons Amsterdam. Around 75 professional dealers from across Europe come together at De Kromhouthal with furniture and interior pieces dating from the 1930s through the 1980s. Expect recognizable names like Eames and Mies van der Rohe alongside lesser-known finds, Italian design and industrial pieces. The setting is worth seeing too: De Kromhouthal is a former marine engine factory on Amsterdam Noord’s waterfront.

IDFA – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

12–22 November 2026 | Cinemas and venues across Amsterdam

When November arrives, Amsterdam turns its attention to documentary film. IDFA brings filmmakers, artists, audiences and industry professionals from around the world together for 11 days of documentaries, new media, filmmaker talks and events. It’s one of the world’s leading documentary festivals, but you certainly don’t need to work in film to take part. Pick something from the program, find a cinema you’ve never been to and let someone else tell the story for a couple of hours.

Amsterdam Light Festival 2026

26 November 2026–17 January 2027 | Amsterdam canals

Just as the darkest part of the year arrives, Amsterdam’s canals start glowing. Amsterdam Light Festival returns for its 15th edition, turning the city’s waterways into an open-air exhibition of light art by local and international artists. For the anniversary edition, the festival is introducing a brand-new route alongside special events and additional programming. You can explore the artworks from the water on a canal cruise or follow the route on foot, making it an easy way to see Amsterdam from a completely different perspective after dark. The festival starts on 26 November, so it’s a particularly good reason to stretch a late-fall trip into the beginning of Amsterdam’s winter season.

WHERE TO STAY DURING FALL IN AMSTERDAM

Zoku Amsterdam is centrally located in the Plantage neighborhood. With public transport including a metro and tram stop within 5 minutes and within walking distance to the city center.

Our Lofts are designed for both living and working, with plenty of space to settle in whether you’re visiting Amsterdam for a weekend or adding a few extra days onto a work trip.

Head upstairs and you’ll find our Social Spaces, The Living Kitchen, coworking areas and rooftop terrace. Grab breakfast before heading into the city, get some work done between plans or come back for dinner and drinks once you’ve had enough of the autumn weather.

And when ADE or Museumnacht turns a normal evening into a considerably later one? Your Loft is waiting upstairs.

Book Your Stay at Zoku Amsterdam