Free summer festival in the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre

There are many things you can do and see in Amsterdam for free.

Among the best things on offer: high-quality performances at the Vondelpark’s Open Air Theatre.

From 1 June through 24 August 2008 the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre will once again present a varied musical and theatrical programme.

In this 31st season of the festival, classical music will take place every Thursday evening, dance every Friday evening, children’s performance and jazz every Saturday afternoon and a various forms of music on Sunday afternoons. Every Saturday evening visitors can enjoy live cabaret.

Every evening under the name, ‘In de Voorhoede’ (‘in the vanguard’), students of all disciplines from the Amsterdam art academy, Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, will present a half-hour opening act.

The Open Air Theatre is a unique podium located in the historic Vondelpark, in the centre of Amsterdam. What Hyde Park is to London, and Central Park to New York, Vondelpark is to Amsterdam.

For many years, locals and visitors alike have enjoyed performances here. On a gorgeous summers day or evening, it is not uncommon to have over 2,000 at the theatre. The Open Air Theatre was founded in 1974.

On a sour note, the City of Amsterdam must curtail its budget because — like politicians everywhere — the Council has wasted money, in this case on a new branch of the metro. To no one’s surprise except those who forced the project on us, the new Noord-Zuid line is many years late, and has a cost overrun of millions of Euros.

Some of the belt tightening must come from the arts sector, and the Amsterdam art council (Amsterdamse Kunstraad) has issued a negative advice regarding the Open Air Theatre. Go figure.

Anyway, for the time being performances at the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre can still be enjoyed free of charge.

The theatre’s website is only available in Dutch, but visit it for the program (programma) anyway so you can at least know the time each performance starts.
- Source: Includes information provided by the Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Bureau

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