Have yourself a merry little Christmas Break

The Christmas Break is around the corner and that means we can forget about studying for a week or two and have some fun! Besides eating Christmas food with family and friends, there are a lot of other ways to spend your time during the holiday. We have listed some of them for you.

Amsterdam Light Festival

Every year, artists from all over the world design an artwork for the Amsterdam Light Festival, to help enlighten our capital city in the dark and cold winter days. From November 29 until January 20, you are able to walk through the city and see a spectacle of light in the theme ‘the medium is the message’. If you want to take a special moment to appreciate these beautiful artworks, you can go on a canal cruise, specially made to show you the lights in the most memorable way, this takes 75 minutes.

Christmas Markets

There are several Christmas Markets in Amsterdam, such as the Amsterdamsche Kerstmarkt in the Kromhouthal, Amsterdam Winter Paradise in RAI and the Funky Xmas Market in the Westergasfabriek, where artists and designers sell handmade products. However, since it’s the holidays, you might have a little more time to go outside of Amsterdam. Be sure to visit the Royal Christmas Fair in The Hague or the Christmas Market in Alkmaar, where they have over 60 wooden Christmas houses with lights, warmth and happiness to enjoy you.

Lastly, there is one very special Christmas Market, which you can find in Leiden until December 25. This is the one and only floating Christmas Market in the Netherlands, with over 100 (!) Christmas houses and live music. There is no better way to get into the Christmas spirit than during Leiden’s Christmas wonder week!

Ice Skating at Museumplein

As every year, the ice rink ‘Ice Village’ is back. On this ice rink, you can enjoy a pretty view whilst burning off those Christmas calories. Of course, you will be gaining them afterwards with some nice hot chocolate or glühwein from one of the Christmas market stands. For the adventurous among you, there are games and activities on the ice. For those who would rather have fun off-ice, there are music parties every Sunday or skating lessons to get used to gliding and sliding.

New year’s in Amsterdam

For new years, there are also a lot of things to do in Amsterdam. Eat your delicious oliebollen and drink sparkling champagne while you walk through the canals and look at the fireworks. If you are lucky, you can still get a ticket for the Amsterdam Lookout to see the city come to life with golden fireworks.

If you are more of a partygoer yourself, we have some cool parties that you can attend. For those who like Latin music: go to Fiesta Macumba in the Q-Factory. Girls Love DJ’s is throwing a party in Amsterdam AIR and for techno, you can go to Vlla for Ratatouille New Years Eve.

And finally, to cool down and get rid of your hangover real quick, go to this year’s new year’s dip! This year will be the 60th new year’s dip in Zandvoort aan Zee! Strip down and run into the cold cold sea to start your year fresh like a baby.

Whatever you do these holidays, we can only hope that you have a good time and enjoy the cozy winter with the people you love the most. The Blog Team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a very happy new year, and we will see you back in January!

Don’t know what to cook for Christmas yet? Check out this blog with recipes we hold dear to our hearts.