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The audience is ready for the show in the Amsterdamse Bostheater.
Image from Koen Smilde

Art and culture in Amstelveen

Updated 20 June 2024 at 08:02
Just a short ride from Amsterdam, Amstelveen offers much when it comes to art and culture. From the open-air theatres in the Amsterdam Forest to the Museum Cobra, you can enjoy music, exhibitions and exciting shows just a step away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Bostheater

Amsterdamse Bostheater
Image from Jaap Vork

Concealed between the trees in the middle of the Amsterdamse Bos, the Bostheater puts on a wide array of film screenings, concerts and open-air performances. Watch the sunset during the performance, with the last scene always played under the starry sky. The agenda also encompasses youth performances and the Boslab Theater Festival - a location theatre festival by a new generation of theatre makers, along with the Cinetree Forest Film Festival in the summer months.

Schouwburg Amstelveen

With two theatre stages and a cinema, Schouwburg Amstelveen is one of the largest regional theatres in the Netherlands. The programme offers a range of cabaret, music, dance, music and drama performances to delight all ages.

Museum Cobra

Installation view of Kosmogonie: Zinsou – een Afrikaanse kunstcollectie Cosmogony: Zinsou -- an African art colleciton contemporary art exhibition in October 2022
Image from peter tijhuis

Museum Cobra is a must-see for modern art lovers, with changing exhibitions featuring the great names of the mid-20th-century CoBrA movement, such as Karel Appel, Constant, Corneille and Jan Sierhuis. There are also major temporary exhibitions of work by individual artists and their contemporaries from related movements, as well as temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art.

Museum Jan

Museum JAN exhibition in Amstelveen
Image from Eddy Wenting

Besides the Museum Cobra, Amstelveen has another impressive museum on offer. Right on Amsterdam’s doorstep, find Museum JAN (formerly Jan van der Togt), which specialises in glass art and Dutch design. Over the years, it has assembled a rich collection of modern work by the masters in this field, as well as other sculptures and paintings. The museum also mounts a wide variety of changing exhibitions.

P60

p60 gig venue Amstelveen interior and exterior
Image from Dion Plasmeijer

To catch everything from gigs by smaller touring bands to ABBA tribute nights, keep an eye on what’s on at P60 in Amstelveen. The concert hall boasts superb acoustics and an intimate vibe, making it an ideal spot to discover new artists and up-and-coming local talent. The venue also hosts various club nights focussing on techno, electro and indie genres.