I was planning to go to Pakhuis Wilhelmina for quite some time… and as soon as I was there for my ‘initiation’ I regretted waiting that long.

Hardrock karaoke is hilariously fun. What is it about? Well, it’s quite simple and both similar to and different from regular karaoke: a live (backing) band plays the songs while visitors sing. Of course the band is limited by the songs they can play, but all famous sing-alongs are present. On one of the walls you can see big posters with about fifty songs, varying from Lenny Kravitz to Mötorhead and Steppenwolf to The White Stripes.

There are a couple of things which make this karaoke a zillion times better than the regular version. First of all, the band and its front-man put on a terrific show. They play pretty good and loud, sing along and joke around with the visiting singers. The lyrics are written on big posters and held up in the air by a member of staff (primitive, but nevertheless part of the show). Furthermore, the public sings, jumps and head-bangs along, giving the brave singers on stage the real ‘live’ experience. And every participant has to finish the song with a final jump (often on the final chords of the band/song) to earn the promised Tequila shot for their bravery.

For both singers and audience this evening is rocking! Go check it out and get on stage, if you dare!

P.S. they sell bottled beer (€ 2.25), always an advantage in my opinion.

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Hardrockkaraoke @ Pakhuis Wilhelmina | Bars, Music, Festivals & events | Entrance fee € 5.00
Veemkade 576 | Center | +31204193368
1st Thu of the month 22:00 – 01:00

Don’t mock the dead… but don’t ignore them either.

That’s most probably the idea behind the only funeral museum in the Netherlands (as far as I know). The name “Tot Zover” (‘Till So Far’) is sort of a wink, a play on words. When they opened late 2007 they also had a remarkable poster, saying ‘open due to circumstances’ (while normally we use ‘closed’ instead of ‘open’). So far the little mockery the museum allows itself.

The rest of the museum, which is located at cemetery ‘De Nieuwe Ooster’, is set up sober and discreet. At the permanent exhibition they show the different rituals and practices of burial traditions. There is also some general information and objects about the history and future of burying, active life termination and cremation.

Till the first of July 2012 there’s a temporary art exhibition, called ‘Afterlife’. Contemporary Dutch and foreign artists give their perspectives about the final destination, both in the museum and outside in the cemetery. In the Tropenmuseum, which is only two kilometres away, there’s also an exhibition about the dead, called ‘Death Matters’. If you’re in the mood you can visit them both on the same day.

The museum also takes effort to make a visit enjoyable for children. Not only do they have materials for classes, but also for infants there’s an activity: make and decorate your own mini-coffin (for deceased pets).

In the meaning of the famous age-old adage “Memento Mori” and the famous Kansas song, visit it and remember… all we are is dust in the wind.

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Tot Zover | Art & culture, Festivals & events | Entrance adults € 5.50
Kruislaan 124 | East | +31206940482
Tue – Sun 11:00 – 17:00

The old stadium of the 1928 Olympic Games is of course an important landmark in its own right. Built in the ‘Amsterdam School‘ style the somewhat rectangular complex is rather impressively plump more than it is an overwhelming beauty. Nevertheless, the stadium is a fine example of the style familiar for its rectilinear composition and no-nonsense use of materials, very popular in the first half of the 20th century. 

There are a lot of different activities hosted in the stadium. As an active runner I especially like to participate in one of the sporty ones. First of all, because it’s fun. Secondly, because it’s free of charge. Every second Friday of the month runners’ club Phanos organizes a duration course. In different groups (with tempos varying from 9 till 13 km/h) two or three ‘pacers’, which will dictate the assigned running speed, head out on the road with anyone who’s willing to follow. It’s up to you to choose which group you wanna follow, but keep in mind that the group will keep its assigned tempo… with or without you.

Starting at 19:30 with a communal warming-up, every group will run a route that takes them approximately an hour, till they are safely back at the same spot they started. Afterwards you can enjoy a well-deserved revitalizing (free) drink at the entrance gate of the stadium. For other drinks or snacks you can visit the Phanos canteen inside the stadium.

So find those old sneakers and join! Next runs are May 11th, June 8th and July 13th.

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Free Friday Night Run | Relaxing, Festivals & events | Free
Olympisch Stadion 2 | South
Second Fri of the month 19:30

When do you deserve to be called a regular? Do you need hang out somewhere more than three times a month for at least 5 years? Should you have spent mornings, afternoons and evenings there, or whole days for that matter? Should you have taken tiny power naps on their couch without anyone noticing? Too often have been asked to leave when everyone else has gone? Would you have written on their bathroom doors, laughed there, fought there, even cried there? 

If that be so, Kriterion would be high on my list. One of the city’s best arthouse cinemas opened its doors as far back as 1945. It was started by wartime students tired of having to depend on their parents’ wages and has been run by students ever since. This means the bartenders might need some training at times, but it also means there are few other places in town as lively, relaxed and fun as Kriterion. The crowd, thankfully, does not consist solely of students, as the theatre has one of the nicest spaces and the best new independent releases, specials and festivals in town.

One of the reasons why I come here weekly is the Sneak Preview on Tuesdays, during which the audience is shown a surprise film that hasn’t been released yet (cue booing, walkouts or ecstatic enthusiasm). In April they also host Imagine, a wonderful fantasy film festival that organizes the infamous Night of Terror, where the entire room invariably ends up getting tee-peed. 

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Kriterion Movie Theatre | Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Festivals & events | Sneak Preview € 5
Roetersstraat 170 | Center | +31206231708
Mon – Thu & Sun 10:30 – 01:00, Fri 10:30 – 03:00, Sat 12:30 – 03:00

Next to the well-known daily markets (Dapper, Albert Cuyp and Ten Kate) there are a couple of monthly markets in the Amsterdam area. These sometimes sell the more luxurious goods, but from time to time also just plain junk. The best market, if you ask me, is the one which has the best combination of these two.

My favorite one among the monthly markets is the Sunday Market at the Westerpark. Every first Sunday of the month you’ll find the stands partly inside and partly outside at the old buildings of the former gas plant. These stands offer a whole bunch of stuff, from jewelry, gemstones, lotions and scarfs till heads, wallets, pillows and t-shirts. But also handmade artifacts, children’s toys, second-hand furniture and things for your cat or dog.

It’s a perfect way to spend that boring (first) Sunday (of the month). And you don’t have to worry about getting hungry when strolling around. Every time there are several nice food stalls present, like a soup van called ‘Buskruid’ (a Dutch word joke, meaning gunpowder, but literally translated it says bus-spices). Enough to see to keep you busy for an hour or two.

The next Sunday Markets are on the 6th of May, 3rd of June and on Thursday the 17th of May (Ascension Day) as a part of the ‘Hemeltjelief Festival’ (in Dutch) at the NDSM shipyard!

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Sunday Market | Shopping, Snacks, Festivals & events
Haarlemmerweg 8-10 | West
First Sun of the month 12:00 – 18:00