Even though Amsterdam is not generally considered one of the world’s major cultural centers, the quality and quantity of music, dance and film on offer here are quite high. The reason for this can be the government’s long-term subsidy to the arts. With its exclusively youthful population, the city is at the cutting edge in many ways, though its strengths lie in the graphic arts and new media rather than the performing arts.



It can be said that there is something lacking in the Dutch performance, maybe it is their lack of daring nature or it can even be something to do with the stable and homogeneous nature of Dutch society, and its high standard of living. If one spends any time in Amsterdam one is bound to come across plenty of fringe and mainstream events, many of them spontaneous and entertaining. Amsterdam has a bevy of places which buzz a wide range of affordable entertainment and one will never find oneself at a loss for something to do.

As far as live music goes, Amsterdam is a regular halt for many major artists, and something of a testing ground for current rock bands. Until recently, Dutch rock and pop was almost uniformly dismal, but mercifully times have changed, and Dutch groups nowadays can lay claim to both quality and originality.

The Dutch folk music tradition in Amsterdam is virtually vanished, although interest has been revived of late by the new duo, Acda and de Munnik. There are still one or two touring folk singers who perform traditional smartlappen.

Aside from summer Sundays in the Vondelpark, Amsterdam doesn’t have many outdoor music festivals. The biggest events are the Drum Rhythm and Racism Beat. The festivals, usually held in May and August respectively, which are multi-venue extravaganzas attracting world-class acts, and for classical music. Aside from summer Sundays in the Vondelpark, Amsterdam doesn't have many outdoor music festivals; the biggest events are the Drum Rhythm and Racism Beat It festivals, usually held in May and August respectively, which are multi-venue extravaganzas attracting world-class acts, and for classical music, the Grachtenfestival in the last week of August. Of the festivals outside the city, the most famous is the Pink Pop Festival in June, down in the south at the Draf en Renbaan in Landgraaf, near Maastricht. The Grachtenfestival held in the last week of August is another popular festival.

For jazz fans, Amsterdam can be a luxury. Since the 1940s and 1950s, when American jazz musicians began moving to Europe to escape discrimination back home, the city has had a soft spot for jazz. Chet Baker lived and died in Amsterdam, and he and any number of legendary jazzbos could once be found jamming in the events.

With the construction of the brand-new 50,000-seat Amsterdam ArenA out in the southeastern suburbs of the city, Amsterdam finally got the stadium rock venue it has desired for years. Another music concert hall is the Heineken Music Hall which is a simple but acoustically impressive black box, close to the ArenA, while the three dedicated music venues in Amsterdam city centre - the Paradiso, the Melkweg and the Arena are all much smaller, and supply a constantly changing seven-days-a-week program of music to suit all tastes. One can have a lovely time enjoying and relaxing with the music.