Every winter the Amsterdam Light Festival places light artworks by Dutch and international artists along the canals of the city centre. The 15th edition runs from Thursday 26 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027, on a completely new route to mark the festival's 15th anniversary. The artworks are lit every evening from 4:30pm to 11pm and can be seen for free on foot, or from the water on a cruise of about 75 minutes. The festival is run by an independent foundation, funded mainly by the sale of cruises and of the walking routes in its app.
Highlights
The canal cruise
The boat route passes by, under or through around twenty artworks. The covered, heated canal boats play the festival audio guide (Dutch, English, German); the open boats, with blankets, have a guide or skipper on board. Departures every 30 minutes, from 4:30pm to 9:30pm.
The walking route
The walking route is about 4.5 km long, or 1.5 hours on foot, and can be done in full or in sections. There is no information displayed next to the artworks: the map, the audio guide and the artists' stories are all in the festival app, available from mid-November. For a first visit, the festival suggests starting from Amstel 1 or Waterlooplein.
The canals by night
Beyond the artworks, the festival is a chance to see the canal ring, its illuminated bridges and its merchants' houses on long winter evenings. A version for children aged 7 to 12, the Kids Walk, adds quiz questions and a treasure hunt.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Seeing the artworks from the street is free and needs no ticket. The app is free to download; the Light Walk route (GPS map and audio guide) is sold in it for under €10, and the map can be bought from 24 November to plan your visit. Cruises start at €29.75, half price for 4-12-year-olds and free for 0-3-year-olds; the Dutch CJP student card gives 25% off (prices checked in October 2026). The official ticket shop opens on 1 October 2026: book early for December evenings and weekends. Be at the departure point 15 minutes early; tickets can be changed up to 24 hours before, but not refunded. Food and drinks brought from outside are not allowed on board. To avoid the fake free maps circulating online, use only the official app.
How to get there
Information point inside Amstel 1, 1011 PN Amsterdam, near Waterlooplein and the Blauwbrug, and a second one near Amsterdam Centraal station. Metro 51, 53 or 54 and tram 14, Waterlooplein stop. Many cruises leave from the Amsterdam Centraal area; the exact boarding point is shown on the ticket. Come by public transport or bike (plenty of bike racks along the route) rather than by car. The route is in principle wheelchair accessible, but cobblestones and steep bridges make it hard going; Blue Boat Company offers accessible boats on request.
Opening hours
Nearby
Comments
No comments yet.