Halloween in Amsterdam: the Dutch capital at it spookiest

Halloween is the perfect occasion to remember that having a good fright can be fun too, especially when visiting Amsterdam! While the Netherlands may not be the birthplace of Halloween, it sure has embraced the spooky tradition with legendary Halloween parties and trick or treating becoming increasingly popular.

Halloween events can be found throughout the country with Amsterdam being the hotspot of legendary parties and with streets full of Jack O Lanterns and gruesome decorations. From traditional Sint-Maarten festivities to a scary tour through the city and enjoying spooky treats, Amsterdam has a lot to offer during the scariest of holidays. Here are our tips for celebrating Halloween in Amsterdam.

Are you looking to give your senses a true rollercoaster ride? At Ripley’s Believe It or Not it’s up to you to believe what you see when you embark on a journey through time and space. From real human shrunken heads to torture equipment, you will find it all at Ripley’s.

Spread out over five floors, you’ll discover bizarre stories of rare artefacts, meet extraordinary personalities, play around with optical illusions and interactive mind games. Between 25 October and 3 November you'll find lots of Halloween decorations, and just try to keep a straight face when someone surprises you from around the corner. 

On 30 October Ripley's has a special kids feast. There will be a scavenger hunt for the kids throughout the building, with a special treat for the kids who complete their challenge. Up in the lounge, they can paint their own mini pumpkins, and in the afternoon there will be face painting!

And by a witch’s best friend we mean cats of course! Once upon a time, cats were believed to be disguised demons or evil spirits in medieval Europe, aiding the witch in her spells and acting as her familiar. Hence, it was often believed that one way to identify a witch was if they owned a feline friend.

Grabbing a cup of coffee with the little sidekicks is a great and relaxed way to enjoy the spooky season, luckily Amsterdam is home to a variety of cat cafes paying homage to them. You are even likely to see cats lazing about regular pubs and cafés. At Kattencafe Kopjes, the first cat café in the Netherlands, you can enjoy a warm cup of ‘catuccino’ or tea alongside eight cats that were lovingly selected from shelters.  

The Amsterdam Dungeon is one of the scariest things to do in the capital, especially during Halloween. The Dungeon is located near Dam Square, on the site of a 16th century cemetery. It was once a site of public executions, including the burning of thousands of suspected witches during the Spanish Inquisition. Some people believe these tortured souls still haunt the square and the surrounding streets.

At the Amsterdam Dungeon, you can dive into the city’s dark past, promising an interactive experience that is both hilarious and terrifying! Enjoy live shows with scarily good actors and special effects and get ready for a multisensory experience where you can smell, touch, see and hear everything around you. The entire month of October, the Amsterdam Dungeon is all about Halloween, with extended opening hours, an extra motivated torturer and much more.

The pragmatic Dutch may claim not to believe in ghosts but the city had its fair share of haunted places and ghostly residents. All you have to do to find them is go outside and walk through the city to find streets with gruesome names.

For instance, there is Helena on Ghost Alley, or Spooksteeg, who was cursed by her own husband on her deathbed (for murdering his first love, her own sister) in the 18th century. And the blood of condemned prisoners is said to have flowed through Blood Street (Bloedstraat) as it ran down from Nieuwmarkt to the canal.

Would you rather not go on a ghost hunt alone? Join in for a Ghost Walk through the city! The tour takes you through Amsterdam’s spooky past that had its fair share of death and diseases and is full of witches, demons and ghosts. All stories you’ll hear from the experienced guides are original, historical and authentic.

If you are looking for a Halloween party in Amsterdam, there are plenty of options to choose from. The parties come in all shapes and sizes and happen all over the city. Several of Amsterdam’s hottest clubs are having Halloween parties on the weekends before and after the 31^st, all expect you to come in your best costume.

Clubs you might want to visit include Melkweg, which has a Halloween Special on both 25 October (drum & bass) and 1 November (Brazilian party hits). At Panama, there is a Halloween party on 26 October, dedicated to Stephen King's IT. And Westerunie, in Amsterdam's Westerpark, goes all out on the 26^th with the theme Nuclear Survival for the edition 15 of their Halloween event.

Put on your roller skates and celebrate Halloween differently this year with Friday Night Skate! Starting from Vondelpark, Friday Night Skate has taken place here for over 30 years already. It takes its participants to the best spots from the main road to more challenging roads over bridges and alongside canals and tunnels.

The skate is a weekly Friday tradition but the skate on October 25th will be an extra special one. Dress up in your best Halloween costume and join in for a scary Halloween skate around town as well as a fun battle for the best costume. 

The Dutch trick or treat tradition takes place on November 11, on Sint-Maarten. This festival is celebrated mostly in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium as well as some parts of France in honour of Martin of Tours, the 3rd bishop of Tours in France. He is especially well known for cutting his cloak in two with his sword to give half of it to a freezing beggar during winter.

Traditionally, the festival is marked by a big mass. While the religious significance has declined over the years, it still is a popular festival among children to this day. On November 11, groups of children will go door to door with homemade paper lanterns and sing songs, asking for sweet treats. Either join in with your children or keep some sweets ready for the brightly lit parade!