Rotterdam Music and Festivals

From: Rotterdam Travel Guide

ABOVE: Dancers at Rotterdam's Summer Carnival.

Music scene

Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, a.k.a. the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, has a long history (it was founded in 1918) and presents more than 70 subscription concerts per year. Its home is De Doelen, a concert and convention hall near the main railroad station.

Opera Rotterdam is a foundation that coordinates opera performances at De Doelen and a number of local theatres, such as the new and old Luxor Theaters, which normally present musical comedies and other events.

If you're a fan of organ music, the most exciting venue in town is the historic Laurenskerk with three organs and frequent concerts by visiting organists. (During our stay, we attended a free lunchtime concert that was scheduled to coincide with the Tuesday public market near the church.)

Rotterdam also has a lively popular-music scene, with venues such as the Baja Beach Club, Catwalk, Club Vie, Maassilo, Off-Corso, Rotown, and Watt ("the world's first sustainable dance club") catering to clubbers and concertgoers. Larger concerts take place at Ahoy or--less commonly--at De Kuip, the Feijenoord football team's stadium south of the river.

• Tip: If you need help with Dutch-language Web sites, Google Translate will come to the rescue.

Festivals

Rotterdam has a number of music festivals, as well as other festivals where music plays a role. Among the biggies are North Sea Jazz and the tropical-themed ZomerCarnaval or Summer Carnival in July, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic's Gerviev Festival in September.

Check with Rotterdam Marketing for the current year's festival schedule. (You'll find a Web link on our Rotterdam tourist information page).

• Tip: Rotterdam's hotels are jammed during major festivals, so book months in advance or be ready to commute into town by train if you're visiting at festival time.

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Top photo: Corstiaan van Elzelingen.
1st inset photo: Rotterdam Marketing.
3rd inset photo: Baja Beach Club.
4th inset photo: Aad Van Vliet.
 

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