The city’s 750th anniversary will begin in exactly one year with an inaugural concert in the Ziggo Dome. Subsequently, more than two hundred activities are organized throughout the city throughout the year. From musicals and exhibitions to sporting events, neighborhood activities, story projects and photography. Mayor Femke Halsema hopes the anniversary year will go beyond a lot of drinks and a joyful atmosphere “from the boardroom to the neighbourhood”.
Halsema made the announcement this afternoon at the Amsterdam Theater, exactly one year before the start of “Amsterdam 750,” as the project is being called in its anniversary year.
The city is celebrating its birthday, albeit modestly. Because here and there today the 748th anniversary of Amsterdam is celebrated – in Keisergracht Church There will be a lecture and cake from Holtkamp – but many people are already looking forward to next year. Not that 749 years is a milestone. But on October 27, 2024, Amsterdam will begin the 750th anniversary of the city’s birth.
Opening ceremony
Mayor Halsema also announced this afternoon what this festive year will look like. It will open with a big concert in the Ziggo Dome. Amsterdam music, from tearjerkers to dance and gospel, is central to this evening of remembrance. Ticket sales begin in February, and 15,000 tickets are reserved for places of honor and for Amsterdam residents on a budget.
This beginning will be followed by a year full of diverse activities. Museums offer special exhibitions, two musicals are in the works telling typical Amsterdam stories, and events like the Marathon and SAIL have a large annual edition.
Initiatives
What the rest of the year will look like is partly up to the people of Amsterdam and the Weespers themselves. Institutions, associations and residents are given the opportunity to create something themselves under the theme “City Sidewalk”. You can apply for subsidy for this until September next year. More information and what is already being regulated is here To find.
Mayor Halsema emphasizes how “beauty and hopeful” she finds when she sees how cooperation is emerging within the city in the run-up to the anniversary. “Over the past year I have been touched by a wide range of Amsterdam residents and people from the region who want to work together to make 2025 more than just a celebration,” the city mayor said when announcing the program. “It’s impressive how many companies want to contribute to this.”
Program director
The director of the Christmas celebration program is Sitsi Bakker, who organized the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in 2021. Bakker has been preparing since December last year. His predecessor Lennart Puig was forced to leave the position of program director earlier in 2022 due to a violation of European rules while submitting Puig’s application and determining his salary. Mayor Halsema admitted at the time that it was “messy.”
The concert at the Ziggo Dome is in the hands of many well-known Amsterdam artists, Bakker says. “This is the Metropole Orchestra, ISH Dance Collective and Zo! Gospel Choir. The evening is produced by Live in Concert. It will be a very special evening.”
42 million euros
The celebration of its 750th anniversary will cost a total of 42 million euros. The city council is contributing 27 million euros in this regard. The remaining €15 million is still being sought, looking to the business community and government.