The best approach for an evening at the Amsterdam Light Festival is to build your programme around one anchor point and plan everything else around it. Start early with a walk past the light artworks, combine that with dinner or drinks nearby, and finish with a canal cruise along the illuminated waterways. That way you get the most out of the evening without it feeling rushed. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about smartly planning a complete festival evening.
What is the best order of activities during the Amsterdam Light Festival?
The best order is: start with a walk past the light artworks just after sunset, then go somewhere to eat or have drinks nearby, and end the evening with a canal cruise along the illuminated waterways. That order works well because you start fresh, the crowds on the water are more manageable later in the evening, and you end the night with a relaxed experience.
The Amsterdam Light Festival takes place annually during the winter months and attracts many visitors. The light artworks are spread across the canals and along the IJ, and can be viewed both on foot and by boat. Those who want to do both benefit from treating the walk as a warm-up and the cruise as a finale.
Practically speaking, it makes sense to start your evening around half past four or five o’clock, so you take advantage of the early darkness in winter. Most hospitality venues in the city centre will have just opened for the evening programme, and you’ll have plenty of time to combine everything at a relaxed pace without it becoming a race.
How do you combine dinner and a canal cruise in one evening?
You can combine dinner and a canal cruise in two ways: dine first and then cruise, or do everything at once by eating on board. Both options work well, but the difference lies in the atmosphere. Eating on board offers more peace and less logistics; dining first and then cruising gives you the chance to choose a restaurant in the city and treat the cruise as dessert.
Dine first, then cruise
In that case, choose a restaurant near your boarding location. The Jordaan, the Nine Streets and the area around the Amstel have plenty of good dining options, from traditional brown cafés with sharing boards to restaurants with a more extensive menu. Book in advance, as popular spots fill up quickly during the festival period. Plan the cruise afterwards so you can board directly after eating.
Eat and cruise at the same time
This is the most complete option if you want to arrange everything in one place. With us, you can choose from several catering formats on board: from a Drinks & Bites Cruise with luxury snacks to an Art & Lights Buffet, an Italian buffet, or a full three-course dinner with a chef on board. The entire boat is exclusively for your group, so you eat and cruise together without other guests. That also makes it a logical and relaxed choice for groups.
For those who want to combine a business dinner with the festival, our dinner cruise arrangements are a direct solution. No hassle with two locations, no waiting for bills, and your colleagues or clients don’t need to go anywhere else.
How do you keep a large group together during the festival?
Keeping a large group together during the Amsterdam Light Festival requires a clear programme and one central location. The best way is to choose an activity where everyone is in the same place at the same time, rather than wandering separately through the city. A private cruise is the most practical choice for this, but a joint dinner in a restaurant with a private room also works well.
Walking past the light artworks is fun, but with a large group you quickly lose people from sight. Narrow pavements, busy bridges, and different walking speeds mean that a group of twenty or thirty people can fall apart quickly. If you still want to walk, split into smaller subgroups with a fixed meeting point and time.
For groups that want to stay together while experiencing the festival, a private cruise for groups offers the most peace of mind. Everyone boards together, cruises past the light artworks, and disembarks together. There’s no chance of getting lost, no hassle with queues, and no fragmentation of the group.
We can accommodate groups of up to 60 people on one boat. For larger parties, we combine multiple boats, so even a large company outing or end-of-year celebration can be enjoyed entirely together.
When is the best time to book a boat for the Amsterdam Light Festival?
Book as early as possible, preferably at least four to eight weeks in advance. The Amsterdam Light Festival falls during the busiest period of the year for group activities: the weeks before Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Popular dates and time slots fill up quickly, especially for private boats.
In practice, we find that groups who book in November for December have the most choice in terms of date, time, and type of boat. Those who book later can usually still find availability, but have less flexibility. Especially for company outings, Christmas drinks, and end-of-year celebrations, the rule applies: the earlier you book, the smoother the organisation runs.
Also keep in mind that the exact festival dates can vary from year to year. Check the official festival dates before confirming a date, so your cruise truly coincides with the festival.
What do you bring on a Light Festival canal cruise?
On a canal cruise during the Amsterdam Light Festival, you’ll need warm clothing, a good coat, and possibly gloves if you’re sailing on an open boat. If you’re on a covered and heated boat, extra clothing is less important, but a scarf or cardigan is always handy in case you’re briefly outside when boarding.
These are the things that make the most difference:
- Warm clothing: even on a covered boat it can be cold on the water, especially when boarding and disembarking
- Comfortable shoes: if you’re also going to walk past the artworks, choose shoes you can walk in for a few hours
- Phone or camera: the light artworks are photogenic, so make sure you have enough storage and a full battery
- Booking confirmation: keep your booking details to hand, especially if you’re departing on a busy evening
- Cash or a debit card: handy for a drink or snack if that’s not already included
Our boats are covered and heated, so you don’t need to worry about rain or cold during the cruise itself. You board one of our Light Festival boat trips and enjoy the artworks in a comfortable setting, without shivering all evening.
How Rederij De Nederlanden helps you plan a complete festival evening
Whether you’re organising a company outing, planning a Christmas drinks event, or simply want a special evening with a group of friends or colleagues: we make sure you can experience the Amsterdam Light Festival fully and in a relaxed way, without having to piece together all kinds of separate elements yourself.
- Private Cruise Packages: fixed arrangements with a clear price per person, including boat hire, skipper, crew, and catering. Suitable for groups from 15 persons who want to easily arrange a complete evening. Packages start from €47.50 per person.
- Custom Private Cruise: a fully tailor-made cruise, where you choose the boat, catering, drinks, timing, and boarding location yourself. Particularly interesting for larger groups or companies with specific requirements. Available from €250 per hour (minimum 2 hours).
- Shared Tickets: for couples, individual visitors, or small groups of up to 6 persons. The cruise lasts 75 minutes, follows the official festival route, and can be booked directly online from €32 per person.
- We are an official partner of the Amsterdam Light Festival and sail past approximately 20 light artworks on the official route.
- Our boats are covered, heated, and equipped with an on-board toilet, so you cruise in comfort even in winter.
- With more than 150 possible boarding locations in Amsterdam, we depart from a location that suits your group.
Want to know which option best suits your group and plans? View our private boat options for the Amsterdam Light Festival or contact us for no-obligation advice. We’d be happy to help you put together a complete evening.