The Amsterdam Light Festival offers four strong business opportunities: a Christmas drinks reception or year-end party on the water, a business dinner during the cruise, a client event with a private boat, or a team outing with the festival as the backdrop. All these options combine a unique activity with food and drinks in one location, making the festival ideally suited for groups looking to organise an unforgettable winter evening. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about using the Amsterdam Light Festival for business purposes, from timing to catering.
Which business occasions suit the Amsterdam Light Festival?
The Amsterdam Light Festival is best suited to business occasions where you want to combine a special atmosphere with a shared activity. Think Christmas drinks, year-end parties, client events, team outings, and networking gatherings. The festival provides a wintery backdrop that is hard to match with a standard venue.
What makes the festival so attractive for business groups is the combination of experience and flexibility. You don’t have to choose between an activity and a dinner: on the water, you do both at the same time. That saves on logistics and makes the evening compact and complete.
Some business occasions that pair well with the festival:
- Christmas drinks or year-end party: A popular choice, as the festival falls exactly during the period when companies wrap up their year. A private cruise past the light artworks feels more festive than a room decorated with Christmas ornaments.
- Client or relations event: The festival is a conversation starter. Guests remember an evening on the water far longer than a standard drinks reception.
- Team outing: For teams that want to do something different from the usual escape room or drinks. The festival instantly gives an evening its own character.
- Networking event: An informal atmosphere on the water invites conversation. Especially with a walking dinner on board, you move freely and connect with others easily.
How does a private boat tour work during the Amsterdam Light Festival?
With a private boat tour during the Amsterdam Light Festival, you reserve an entire boat exclusively for your group. The boat sails along the official festival route, past approximately 20 light artworks spread across Amsterdam’s canals. On board, you can eat, drink, and enjoy the views while the skipper takes care of the route.
The boats are covered and heated, making a private cruise in winter comfortable. There is a toilet on board and the boat is matched to the group size of your party. Because the boat is fully reserved for you, you decide the atmosphere, the programme, and the pace of the evening.
At Rederij De Nederlanden, there are two main forms of private cruise:
- Private Cruise Packages: Pre-arranged packages with a fixed price per person, including boat hire, skipper, crew, and catering. Easy to book and clearly priced.
- Custom Private Cruise: A fully tailor-made cruise where you choose the boat, catering, drinks, timing, and boarding location yourself. Particularly useful for larger groups or groups with specific requirements.
Want to know more about what a private boat during the Amsterdam Light Festival involves? On that page you will find all the details about the cruise, the route, and the options available.
What is the difference between a fixed package and a custom cruise?
The difference lies in the degree of flexibility and the way you book. A fixed package has a set price per person and a pre-determined programme, including catering. A custom cruise you build yourself: you choose the boat, the catering, the drinks, the boarding location, and the duration.
Private Cruise Packages are the quickest choice if you want to book a complete evening without much back-and-forth. You know in advance exactly what you pay and what you get. This works well for groups that want a clear price per person and have no specific requirements regarding the programme.
Custom Private Cruises are more interesting when your group is larger, has specific catering wishes, wants to depart at a particular time, or needs a specific boarding location. We offer more than 150 possible boarding locations in Amsterdam, which is convenient if you are departing from a particular spot in the city.
As a guideline: for smaller and medium-sized groups that want to arrange something quickly, a fixed package is often the best choice. For companies with a larger party or specific wishes regarding catering or entertainment, a custom cruise is the better option.
When is the Amsterdam Light Festival and how early should you book?
The Amsterdam Light Festival takes place every year in winter, typically from late November through early January. In 2026, the festival is expected to run during the same period. The exact dates are announced by the festival itself via the official Amsterdam Light Festival page.
For business groups, the rule is: book as early as possible. December is the busiest period of the year for group cruises. Popular dates in the run-up to Christmas fill up quickly, especially for private boats. Those who book in October or November have the most choice in dates, times, and packages.
If you wait until December, you risk finding that your preferred date is already taken. Especially for larger groups, where the boat and programme are put together on a custom basis, booking early is not a luxury — it is simply the smart thing to do.
What do guests eat and drink on board during the Light Festival?
Guests on board during the Amsterdam Light Festival can choose from several catering formats, depending on the package selected. The offering ranges from luxury canapés and buffets to a three-course dinner or a walking dinner with multiple small dishes.
With the fixed packages from Rederij De Nederlanden, these are the options:
- Drinks & Bites Cruise (1.5 hours): Luxury canapés on board. Suitable for an informal drinks reception or team outing. From €47.50 per person for 15 to 25 people.
- Art & Lights Buffet (2 hours): Hot and cold buffet. Suitable for company outings and group dinners. From €84.50 per person for 15 to 25 people.
- Italian Buffet Cruise (2 hours): Italian buffet on board. Suitable for festive gatherings. From €89.50 per person for 15 to 25 people.
- Dinner Cruise (2 hours): Three-course dinner with a chef on board. Suitable for Christmas dinners and business dinners. From €129.50 per person for 15 to 25 people.
- Walking Dinner Cruise (2 hours): Multiple small dishes, chef on board, free to move around. Ideal for networking. From €132.50 per person for 15 to 25 people.
For larger groups (25+), the prices per person are lower. Drinks are available on a consumption basis or via an open bar. With a Custom Private Cruise, you put together the catering yourself, from luxury canapés to fine dining.
Want to know more about the options for groups during the Amsterdam Light Festival? There you will find a complete overview of the packages.
How do you organise a company outing at the Amsterdam Light Festival step by step?
You organise a company outing during the Amsterdam Light Festival in five steps: determine the group size, choose a date, select the type of package, finalise the catering, and confirm the booking. By following that order, you avoid making choices that later no longer fit the group or the budget.
- Determine the group size: This determines which boat and which type of package suits best. For smaller groups, a fixed package suffices; for larger or more complex groups, a custom option is more practical.
- Choose a date early: December is busy. Pick a date as soon as possible, preferably as early as September or October. That way you have the most choice.
- Choose between a fixed package or custom: Do you want a clear price per person with minimal hassle? Choose a Private Cruise Package. Do you want full control over catering, timing, and boat? Choose a Custom Private Cruise.
- Finalise the catering: Think about whether you want drinks and snacks, a buffet, or a dinner. That choice also sets the tone for the evening.
- Confirm and communicate: Send the details to the group, including the boarding location and time. We take care of the rest.
For companies that want an evening where activity, food, and drinks come together in one location, a cruise during the Amsterdam Light Festival is one of the most complete options Amsterdam has to offer in winter. You don’t need a separate venue for the drinks, the dinner, or the activity: everything takes place on the water.
How Rederij De Nederlanden helps with your business Light Festival evening
We provide private cruises during the Amsterdam Light Festival for companies, groups, and business events of varying sizes. Whether you want to organise Christmas drinks for 20 people or a client event for a large group, we are happy to think along with you about the best approach.
- Private boat exclusively for your group, matched to the group size
- Choice of fixed packages with a clear price per person (from €47.50 pp) or a fully custom cruise
- Multiple catering formats: from canapés and buffet to three-course dinner or walking dinner
- Covered and heated boats, with a toilet on board
- More than 150 boarding locations in Amsterdam
- Shared Tickets available for small groups of up to 6 people (75 minutes, with English-speaking guide, from €32 pp)
Want to organise a company outing in Amsterdam during the Light Festival? Explore the options or get in touch directly. We are happy to help you with a suitable proposal. Contact us and we will discuss together what works best for your group.