Music Venues in Amsterdam

With its liberal attitude towards sex, drugs, and rock & roll, Amsterdam is able to attract the world’s greatest musicians and artists to play in its abundance of amazing music venues, concert halls, hole-in-the-wall music dives and everything in between.

Seeing a show at music venues in Amsterdam is no different than most major cities as the venues range from gigantic to miniscule, dank to pristine, and more. The best talent comes through the city every year, playing at big-time venues like Amsterdam Arena and Heineken Music Hall just southeast of the city proper, or Paradiso and Melkweg in Leidseplein. Bimhuis, meanwhile, is the city’s biggest classical concert venue and jazz hall and is one of the city’s best architectural masterpieces.

On any given night, one can witness the biggest stars in Top 40, reggae, rock, hip-hop, or basically any other type of music in the dozens of venues spread throughout town.

There’s also no shortage of Amsterdam music venues that provide for more intimate shows. Smaller joints like Bourbon Street Blues Club or Jazz Café Alto play host to countless blues and jazz shows, while folk singers and rock-star wannabes test out their talents at smaller spots like Mulligan’s Irish Music Bar or the Waterhole.