New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam: Clubbing, Dining, Fireworks and More

Fancy spending an unforgettable New Year’s Eve with family and friends? Then take a leaf out of Nikkie’s book and spend it in Amsterdam – undoubtedly one of the best European cities for seeing in the New Year. Whether it’s a family dinner around Museumplein and then watching the city’s spectacular – and free – electric fireworks and laser lights display at midnight, or dancing until you drop in one of the city’s legendary clubs, there’s plenty on offer for celebrating New Year in Amsterdam. Of course, the city fills up with visitors over New Year, so remember to book your hotel room well in advance.

The Dutch like to celebrate with family and friends, traditionally tucking into sugary oliebollen (deep-fried dough balls sometimes stuffed with raisins, fruit or chocolate) and appelflappen (apple fritters) early on New Year’s Eve. These snacks add ballast in preparation for a night of lively festivities, and you’ll find numerous stalls selling them across the city from October onwards. Expect queues to be long on New Year’s Eve!

If Amsterdammers are not celebrating at home, most head into town early as all forms of public transport stop running on New Year’s Eve at 8pm. Night buses and some metro lines resume at 1:30am on 1 January. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are therefore much in high demand and come at a hefty price, sometimes charging three times the rate of normal fares – so if you want to keep your holiday budget in check, head into the city centre before 8pm.

Alternatively, book a central hotel such as the wallet-friendly ibis Styles Amsterdam Central Station or cool TRIBE Amsterdam City. When you’re celebrating New Year in Amsterdam in style, lay your head at luxurious Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam.

The most popular areas to be for New Year in Amsterdam are Leidseplein (where famous clubs like Melkweg and Paradiso are found), Dam Square, Rembrandtplein and Nieuwmarkt. Crowds start to build up around 9:30pm and you’ll be in good company all night long, with the beer flowing, sing-songs and countdowns leading up to midnight.

Many trendy clubs in the Dutch capital ring in the New Year with special events, so if you’re in the mood for a long night of partying, check out the websites of famous clubbing venues like the eight listed here and book tickets well in advance. Entry prices start at around €50 if pre-bought, or €65 on the door.

• Melkweg Amsterdam (Lijnbaansgracht 234a)
• Paradiso (Weteringschans 6)
• Jimmy Woo (Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 18)
• Chin Chin Club (Rozengracht 133)
• Escape Amsterdam (Rembrandtplein 11)
• Club NYX (Reguliersdwarsstraat 42)
• Panama Amsterdam (Oostelijke Handelskade 4)
• Pong – House of Ping (Jan van Galenstraat 315)

Some of these clubs – such as Chin Chin – open for festive multi-course dinners before the dance floor starts resounding to the beat of electronic music, making New Year in Amsterdam a night to remember always. With its quirky mix of table tennis and disco music, Pong – House of Ping also promises a special New Year in Amsterdam as it morphs into a party hotspot for more than a thousand revellers. The table tennis will have to wait, however, as on New Year’s Eve clubbers prefer to let off steam on the dance floor.
If you’d like to experience more than one club over New Year in Amsterdam, book a pub crawl – usually with free shots involved to help you slip into party mode. Most of these guided tours meet in Dam Square around 7pm, visit several bars and offer VIP entrance into the clubs at just after midnight. You can then party on until the wee hours of the morning; it’ll cost you about €100 for the evening.

New Year in Amsterdam is also the perfect excuse to explore nightlife districts like Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein independently. Simply hop from bar to bar and enjoy Beerenburg – the Dutch version of Jägermeister – or the popular juniper-based jenever, the Dutch precursor to gin. Always enjoy these traditional drinks in moderation and plan the journey back to your hotel beforehand.

If a delicious fine-dining supper is part and parcel of a perfect New Year’s Eve celebration for you, Amsterdam certainly won’t disappoint. Many hotels like INK Hotel Amsterdam - MGallery Collection offer fine-dining menus in their restaurants on New Year’s Eve. You can also treat family or friends to a 4-course extravaganza at upscale Auberge cuisine Française in Albert Cuypstraat (about €100 per person), or indulge in a New Year’s Eve menu of seasonal fish and seafood at Amsterdam-Zuid’s Visaandeschelde, where a “dine and party” package will set you back upwards of €150 per person.

North of the IJ river, Amsterdam’s A’DAM Tower offers up the revolving Restaurant Moon with 360-degree panoramic views over the city accompanied by top-notch food; despite the price tag of roughly €300, it’s in high demand for New Year in Amsterdam and requires booking way in advance. On the floor above Moon, you’ll find Madam Sky Bar and Nightclub, where you can dance the festive night away.

These long-standing stalwarts are among the best restaurants in Amsterdam, promising unforgettable culinary experiences for celebrating New Year. For something more budget-friendly, New Year’s Eve takes a more down-to-earth turn at cosy Barça tapas bar (expect to pay about €60) in the funky neighbourhood of De Pijp.

Most tour operators continue to run Amsterdam canal cruises during the winter months, although services are less frequent and the action shifts to covered, heated boats instead of open-topped sloepen. A variety of excursions are available on New Year’s Eve, ranging from early evening and sunset trips accompanied by Champagne and oliebollen to romantic dinner cruises or late-night floating parties with DJs and disco beats. Prices start at about €50.

Whether you were clubbing until late or early to bed after an exquisite fine-dining experience, New Year’s Day on the streets of Amsterdam is noticeably quiet. Here’s how to enjoy the first day of a new year in Amsterdam.

1. On New Year’s Day, early risers can look forward to Amsterdam’s many famous museums, which reopen on 1 January and are often less crowded than usual – a rare treat for art lovers. Whether it’s a trip to see The Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum, getting up close to Van Gogh’s masterpieces at the Van Gogh Museum, or following the harrowing trail of the Holocaust at the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam’s museums are always, always worth a visit.
2. Party-goers usually sleep in, enjoy a late breakfast or brunch, and then blow away any cobwebs with a walk in the crisp air – perhaps around the Vondelpark lakes or among the trees in Amsterdamse Bos.
3. One of the best things to do in Amsterdam on New Year’s Day is to make a leisurely exploration of the bridges and waterways of the – for once uncrowded – 17th-century Canal Ring, for Amsterdam in winter loses none of its summer charm. Just wrap up warm and pop into a cosy Jordaan brown café for a comforting mug of hot chocolate en route.
4. Classical music fans should grab tickets in advance for the traditional New Year’s Day concert by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble at The Concertgebouw, held at 1:30pm; it’s also televised if you haven’t roused yourself from your hotel room by that time!
5. Are your kids still bursting with energy, even after your New Year’s Eve celebration? Then spend New Year’s Day discovering the entertaining and sporting attractions of the annual Amsterdam Winter Festival – there’s ice skating in front of the Rijksmuseum in Museumplein and a Ferris wheel at RAI Amsterdam, both open on New Year’s Day.
6. If you’d like to kick off the year with a new challenge, join the cast of thousands catching the train from Amsterdam Centraal to Zandvoort aan Zee for the traditional New Year’s Day swim in the North Sea – if you’re brave enough! At least when you get out of the icy water, your New Year’s Eve hangover will have vanished into thin air. But don’t worry if you’re not quite that hardy, as you’re very welcome to watch proceedings from the promenade as a bemused spectator.

Here’s what you need to know if you're in Amsterdam for the nightlife – and if you’re with the kids, here are some family-friendly things to do in the city.