Amsterdam at its best in September with many festivals

Amsterdam, the capital city of Netherlands, is undoubtedly at its best during the month of September with many festivals/events taking place during this time of the year. The summer is on the wane with tourists’ inflow slowly thinning out. This is the perfect time to visit the city as it comes with several benefits as well. Just sample a few benefits that you can expect. You can look forward to book cheap flights to Amsterdam with peak season coming to an end. You can also expect hotels and hostels offering cheap rates than what you would usually expect during the peak summer months. And, above all, the month of September heralds in a new cultural season with many concerts, opera, dance and theater performances taking place throughout the city.

Before heading off to Amsterdam during September, here are some facts for you to consider. The city has less tourist crowds during the month. However, you need to be cautious at the same time when looking for cheap accommodations. Though there are some hotels where you may end up paying high price, but search cheap hotels thoroughly and you are sure to get them. The best way for a cheap hotel stay in Amsterdam is to book them in advance. You should also be aware of the fact that the weather during this month may be unpredictable. Though temperatures start becoming cool, you may sometime have to be prepared for a wet or dry, cold or hot weather.

With cultural scene hotting up in September, here are some of the famous festivals and events that you might expect while on a vacation to Amsterdam. These include Amsterdam Fringe Festival, Draaiorgelfestival, Dutch Theatre Festival, Amsterdam City Swim, Gaudeamus Music Week, Open Monumentendag, Wilhelmina Living Room Festival, Jordaan Festival, Discovery Festival and Annual Dutch Art Fair.

Let us know about some of these festivals and events in detail. This will provide an insight and help you know beforehand what all you can expect from these festivals.

Dutch Theatre Festival
The Dutch Theatre Festival will be held in the theaters in and around Leidseplein in the city starting from September 4 to 14, 2014. The top drama performances of the past season will be held for the last time at the festival, and which shouldn’t be missed in any case. The Dutch Theater Festival will showcase the past theater season’s best performances. The jury panel will be selecting 11 top highlights of the year. The performances will be staged at some of the leading theaters in the city including De Krakeling, Theater Bellevue and Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam. Some of the leading Dutch and Belgian theater artistes and performers will be competing for the theater awards.

Amsterdam Fringe Festival
The Amsterdam Fringe Festival will be taking place starting from September 4 to 14, 2014. It has been so named because it will be taking place in the fringes of Dutch Theatre Festival. The 10-day-long event will showcase live music, theater and dance performances by 80 theater groups at some 40 locations throughout the city of Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Fringe Festival, which is being held on the similar lines as that of other famous fringe festivals of Grahamstown, New York, Adelaide and Edinburgh, will be primarily focusing on the avant-garde drama productions of Amsterdam.

Draaiorgelfestival
The Draaiorgelfestival, also called Barrel Organ Festival, will be held on September 13, 2014 in the city. The “draaiorgels” or barrel organs are essentially a Dutch tradition, which has its own set of critics as well as enthusiasts. The Draaiorgelfestival is held on Dam Square every year on the second Saturday in the month of September. The diehard draaiorgel enthusiasts converge on the Dam Square with their embossed wooden pipes instruments. This is used to play music with the help of raised metal pins on a series of wooden barrels rotated by the players with the help of a crank. This festival is held to preserve this typical Dutch tradition.

Amsterdam City Swim 2014
The Amsterdam City Swim 2014 is being organized on September 7 as a charity event aimed at raising funds for the ALS, which is a motor neurone disease. Some 1,600 swimmers will be taking part in the swim through famous canals in Amsterdam such as the Keizersgracht and the Nieuwe Herengracht, along the the Royal Theatre Carre and the Het Scheepvaartmuseum.

Open Monumentendag
The Open Monumentendag or Open Monument Day is held on the second weekend of September every year. This year the 2-day-long event will be held from September 13 to 14, 2014. This event offers great opportunity to millions of tourists from different parts of the world to explore about 4,000 Dutch monuments and their historic premises. The monuments comprising heritage buildings, art galleries and national museums will be open for access to the people free of cost. This is a premier cultural event in the Netherlands attracting nearly 900,000 local and international tourists every day.