How to Celebrate a Special Occasion During the Amsterdam Light Festival?

  • Thomas van Loon
  • 🕐 6 min leestijd

Celebrating a special occasion at the Amsterdam Light Festival means combining activity, atmosphere, and company in a way that suits your group. That can range from a walk past the light artworks and dinner nearby, to a private cruise along the illuminated canals with catering on board. The festival runs each year from late November through January, making it a stunning backdrop for a Christmas drinks reception, a corporate outing, a birthday, or any other festive occasion. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about how to turn it into a complete and unforgettable evening.

What makes the Amsterdam Light Festival so well suited for a festive outing?

The Amsterdam Light Festival is ideally suited for a festive outing because it offers a ready-made setting you won’t find anywhere else: around twenty light artworks along the Amsterdam canals, in the middle of winter, in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The festival combines culture, atmosphere, and the unique setting of Amsterdam in a way that feels special for both locals and visitors from outside the city.

What makes the festival so practical for groups is that the evening programme naturally gives the night structure. You have a reason to gather, a route to follow, and an experience everyone shares. That makes it easier to bring a group together and create something memorable, without having to come up with an entire programme yourself.

Moreover, the festival coincides with the busiest festive period of the year: the weeks around Christmas and New Year’s Eve. That makes it a logical choice for anyone looking for an original corporate outing, a Christmas drinks reception with a twist, or a festive group activity that stands out from the standard drinks at a bar.

What kinds of occasions are perfect for a cruise during the festival?

A cruise during the Amsterdam Light Festival suits almost any festive occasion where you want to bring a group of people together in a special setting. Think corporate outings, Christmas dinners, Christmas drinks receptions, end-of-year parties, birthdays, anniversaries, and client events. The combination of the illuminated canals, an exclusive group, and catering on board makes it a strong choice for all of these occasions.

Corporate outings and Christmas drinks receptions are by far the most booked occasions during the festival. HR managers and event managers choose a cruise because it combines an activity and dinner or drinks in one location, without guests having to travel from A to B. Everything takes place on the boat.

Birthdays and anniversaries lend themselves perfectly to a private cruise, precisely because the boat is entirely exclusive to your party. There are no other guests on board, ensuring maximum privacy and the freedom to organise the evening entirely as you wish.

Business dinners and client events benefit from the combination of an impressive setting and the opportunity to network in a relaxed atmosphere. A private boat during the Amsterdam Light Festival gives such an evening a character that a venue or restaurant simply cannot offer.

How does a private cruise differ from a shared boat tour during the Light Festival?

The most important difference between a private cruise and a shared boat tour during the Amsterdam Light Festival is who is on board. With a private cruise, the boat is entirely exclusive to your group. With a shared boat tour, you share the boat with other visitors you don’t know. This has a significant impact on the atmosphere, the freedom, and the options in terms of catering and programme.

Private cruise: the boat is yours

With a private cruise, you decide who comes on board. You choose the catering, the drinks, the timing, and in many cases the boarding location as well. There are no strangers on board, which means conversations can flow freely and the atmosphere perfectly matches your group. This is the choice for groups who want a genuine shared experience, whether that’s an intimate dinner or a lively drinks reception.

Shared boat tour: accessible and bookable straight away

A shared boat tour is suitable for couples, individual visitors, and small groups of up to six people. The cruise lasts 75 minutes, follows the official Amsterdam Light Festival route past the light artworks, and is accompanied by an English-speaking guide. You book directly online and there are three departures per day. From €32 per person, it is the most accessible way to experience the festival from the water.

For groups who want to celebrate or organise something together, a private cruise is almost always the better choice. For individual visitors or small parties without specific requirements, a shared boat tour is a perfectly good and straightforward option.

What can you combine with a boat trip during the Amsterdam Light Festival?

A boat trip during the Amsterdam Light Festival combines best with activities or dining that complete the evening. The most obvious combinations are dinner or drinks on board, but there are also good options around the festival itself.

Walking past the artworks is a popular addition to a cruise. Some light artworks are more visible from the quayside than from the water. Combining a walk and a cruise gives you the full picture of the festival.

Eating and drinking in the Jordaan or the city centre pairs well with a visit to the festival. The canal district has plenty of restaurants and traditional Dutch brown cafés that have a great atmosphere even in winter. Think of pre-drinks near the boarding location, followed by the cruise, or the other way around.

Catering on board is the most popular combination for groups, because it combines activity and dinner without changing location. With a group cruise during the Light Festival, you can choose from luxury canapés, a hot and cold buffet, an Italian buffet, a three-course dinner, or a walking dinner where guests can move around freely and network. This way, the cruise is both the programme and the dinner.

A cultural visit during the day can be a wonderful complement to the evening. Amsterdam has museums and attractions within walking distance of the festival route, such as the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum. A daytime programme followed by an evening cruise is a complete day out for groups coming from outside the city.

How do you plan a group cruise during the Amsterdam Light Festival?

It’s best to plan a group cruise during the Amsterdam Light Festival as early as possible, because December and January are the busiest period of the year for boat tours in Amsterdam. Especially for larger groups or specific dates, booking early is far from unnecessary.

The steps are straightforward. First, determine the group size and the budget per person. Then decide whether you want a fixed package with a clear price per person, or a fully customised cruise with your own catering, drinks, and optional entertainment. With a fixed package you know exactly what to expect; with a tailor-made option you have more freedom, but also more choices to make.

Also bear in mind a festival surcharge and the VMR entertainment tax, which are calculated separately on top of the base price of the cruise. Always request these costs when asking for a quote, so there are no surprises.

For groups who want to celebrate together, the rule of thumb is: the larger the group or the more specific the requirements, the more worthwhile it is to opt for a tailor-made boat trip rather than a standard package.

How Rederij De Nederlanden helps with a special occasion during the festival

We are an official partner of the Amsterdam Light Festival and organise private cruises for groups of every size, from small parties to large corporate groups. Here is what we concretely offer:

  • Private Cruise Packages: fixed packages with a clear price per person, from €47.50 pp, for groups from 15 persons. The boat is entirely exclusive to your party, including skipper, crew, and catering. Choose from the Drinks & Bites Cruise, the Art & Lights Buffet, the Italian Buffet, the Dinner Cruise, or the Walking Dinner Cruise.
  • Custom Private Cruise: fully tailor-made, from €250 per hour with a minimum of two hours. Choose your own boat, catering, drinks, boarding location, and programme. Particularly suitable for larger groups or companies with specific requirements.
  • Shared Tickets: for couples, individual visitors, and small groups of up to six people, from €32 pp. Direct online booking, 75 minutes, three departures per day, with an English-speaking guide along the official festival route.
  • Historic, covered, and heated salon boats, so the weather is never an issue.
  • More than 150 possible boarding locations in Amsterdam.
  • One location for activity, drinks, and dinner, without travelling between venues.

Would you like to know which option best suits your group and occasion? Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to think along with you. Or browse the options for a corporate outing in Amsterdam directly if you’re looking for a complete package for your team or clients.

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