Effenaar in Eindhoven
Eindhoven's two-hall pop venue on Dommelstraat, with a 1,300-capacity Grote Zaal, a 400-capacity Kleine Zaal, the Meet & Eat café-restaurant and a programme of rock, pop, heavy, hip-hop, electronic and club nights.
Photo credits
The MVRDV-designed Effenaar building on Dommelstraat.: Choinowski · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers
- Capacity
- 1,300 Grote Zaal · 400 Kleine Zaal
- Address
- Dommelstraat 25611 CK Eindhoven
- Nearest station
- Eindhoven Centraal, 150 m from the exit
- Parking
- P+R Fuutlaan, €1.30 per hour
- Lockers
- 23 × 20 cm, QR code, in the foyers
- Bags
- A4 max; no backpacks or helmets
- Age
- Under 16 only with an adult; 18+ at night
- Payment
- Bars: card/phone; box office: card; lockers online
- Contact
- +31 40 311 83 12
Holidays at Effenaar
Open on the holidays: these nights are in the agenda.
- ChristmasLegends of Rock Tribute Festival XL
- New Year's EveEffenaar New Year's Eve 2026
Effenaar agenda: upcoming events
Tonight, this week and the months ahead at this venue in Eindhoven.
Last night at Effenaar: Oi Va Voi
This week
November 2026
Plan your visit to Effenaar
How many people fit in Effenaar?
The Grote Zaal holds up to 1,300 people and the Kleine Zaal up to 400. Those are the two room limits; each hall is counted separately.
The Grote Zaal is the room for bigger bands and acts, the Kleine Zaal for smaller and regional bands. The event page names the room, so you know which capacity applies to your ticket.
For scale, the table puts those rooms next to two comparable Dutch music venues: Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, a 1,250-seat concert hall, and Paradiso in Amsterdam, a 1,500-capacity pop venue. Seated and standing arrangements differ, so treat the numbers as room limits, not a ranking.
| Venue | Room | Capacity | City | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effenaar | Grote Zaal | 1,300 | Eindhoven | nl.wikipedia.org |
| Effenaar | Kleine Zaal | 400 | Eindhoven | nl.wikipedia.org |
| Muziekgebouw Eindhoven | Hertog Jan Zaal (seated) | 1,250 | Eindhoven | nl.wikipedia.org |
| Muziekgebouw Eindhoven | Kleine Zaal (seated) | 385 | Eindhoven | nl.wikipedia.org |
| Paradiso | Grote Zaal | 1,500 | Amsterdam | nl.wikipedia.org |
| Paradiso | Kleine Zaal | 250 | Amsterdam | nl.wikipedia.org |
Eating at Effenaar: Meet & Eat
Meet & Eat, Effenaar's café-restaurant, is open Wednesday to Sunday from 16:00. The dinner menu costs €29.50 for two courses, €34.50 for three and €42.50 for four.
The restaurant has a terrace under the trees on Dommelstraat and serves fresh meals with local products, including vegetarian and vegan dishes. You can eat before or after a concert, or just come for a drink.
Book by email at [email protected]. On Tuesdays the restaurant opens only when there is a concert.
- Open
- Wed–Sun from 16:00
- Dinner
- 2 courses €29.50 · 3 €34.50 · 4 €42.50
- Reservations
- [email protected]
- Menu
- Local products; vegetarian and vegan dishes
- Terrace
- Under the trees on Dommelstraat
- Tuesdays
- Only open for concerts
Lockers, bags and cashless payment
Lockers in the foyers are hired by QR code and measure 23 × 20 cm inside — enough for one coat or a small bag. Bags larger than A4 or thicker than about 10 cm, backpacks and helmets are not allowed in the halls.
Scan the QR code in the foyer, enter your email and pay online; the locker opens from the email link. Leave large bags and helmets at home, at the station lockers or at Tante Toos on Stratumseind.
Effenaar is cashless: card or phone at the bars, card at the box office and online payment for lockers. If you only have cash, the box office can sell you a prepaid card.
- Locker size
- 23 × 20 cm
- Bag limit
- A4, about 10 cm thick
- Not allowed
- Backpacks, large bags, helmets
- Locker hire
- QR code in the foyers
- Payment
- Bars: card/phone; box office: card; lockers online
Tickets for Effenaar: CM.com and the box office
Buy tickets through the order button on each event page, which leads to CM.com, Effenaar's official ticket system. Tickets bought earlier through Ticketmaster stay valid.
On show nights the box office sells remaining tickets, card only. The reception is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 16:00 for questions and gift cards.
Effenaar cannot guarantee entry with tickets bought on secondary platforms such as Ticketswap, Marktplaats or social media. Buy through Effenaar or CM.com, or use Effenaar's own resale platform.
- Official shop
- CM.com via the event page
- Old tickets
- Ticketmaster tickets stay valid
- Box office
- Show nights, card only, if available
- Reception
- Mon–Fri 10:00–16:00
- Warning
- No guarantee on secondary platforms
Wheelchair access at Effenaar
The Grote Zaal has a wheelchair platform with up to four places for most shows, reached by a MiVa lift. The Kleine Zaal has no platform, but wheelchair users are welcome.
Wheelchair platform tickets cost nothing extra and include one place on the platform; a companion buys a regular ticket. Book early, because there are only four places.
There is an adapted toilet. Scootmobielen cannot enter the concert halls. Accessible parking is on Stationsweg near number 10, and a disability card gives free parking on paid municipal spaces.
- Platform
- Up to 4 places in the Grote Zaal
- Access
- MiVa lift to the flat floor
- Kleine Zaal
- No platform; wheelchair users welcome
- Toilet
- Adapted toilet available
- Scooters
- Scootmobielen not allowed
- Parking
- Stationsweg 10; free with disability card
Age limits and house rules at Effenaar
Night events are 18+. At concerts, under-16s are admitted only with an adult aged 18 or over, and a valid ID is required.
Drugs, weapons and selfie sticks are not allowed, and camera glasses or other smart glasses with a recording function are banned unless they are a medical or accessibility aid. Filming and photography need written permission in advance.
No new visitors are admitted after 03:00, even when an event runs until 07:00. Effenaar does not serve alcohol to anyone under 18, and crew instructions must be followed.
- Night events
- 18+
- Concerts
- Under 16 with an adult 18+
- ID
- Valid ID required
- Last entry
- 03:00, even if the night runs to 07:00
- Recording
- Written permission only
- Weapons
- No weapons, selfie sticks or smart glasses
Getting to Effenaar: train, bus and bike
Eindhoven Centraal is the nearest station. Leave by the centrum exit, turn left and walk about 150 metres; the venue is across the street. From the station itself the walk is about 6 minutes.
The table below gives the useful stops. Trains run to Eindhoven Centraal from across the Netherlands; city and regional buses stop at 18 Septemberplein, Dommelstraat and the Centraal Station bus stops.
There is free bike parking at the entrance. During Dutch Design Week, GLOW and the Eindhoven Marathon the centre is busier and roads may be closed, so allow extra time or come by bike or public transport.
Late at night, walk 6 minutes (390 m) to Eindhoven Centraal. On Friday–Saturday and Saturday–Sunday nights, NS night trains run after the last regular train until the early morning, about hourly, with extra late trains around 01:00 on the Rotterdam–Eindhoven and Utrecht–Eindhoven routes. On other nights, check the NS planner for the last regular train.
Parking at Effenaar: P+R Fuutlaan and Q-Park garages
P+R Fuutlaan is diagonally opposite the venue and is the cheapest option for a concert evening: €1.30 per hour, with a maximum day rate of €6.57, or €3.84 if you arrive by train and pay with an OV chip card. Bike parking at the entrance is free; cars use the paid options below.
Set your navigation to Stationsweg, not Dommelstraat, so you arrive on the right side of the building. Q-Park Heuvel is the nearest covered garage. Q-Park's Eindhoven pages load prices dynamically and do not show a fixed evening rate on the pages checked, so the table gives each garage's address and walk and says to check Q-Park for the current price.
| Car park | Address | Walking time | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| P+R Fuutlaan | Fuutlaan 12, 5613 AB | 2 min (across the street) | €1.30/hour; max. €6.57/day; €3.84 by train + OV chip card |
| Q-Park Heuvel | Ten Hagestraat 6A, 5611 EG | 8 min (550 m) | €0.50–€1.10 per 15 min; max. €24/day |
| Q-Park Centrum De Admirant | Emmasingel 29, Eindhoven | 10 min (720 m) | Dynamic rate; check Q-Park |
| Q-Park Hooghuisstraat | Hooghuisstraat 28, Eindhoven | 10 min (730 m) | Dynamic rate; check Q-Park |
| Q-Park Witte Dame | Emmasingel 2 a, 5611 AZ | 11 min (800 m) | Dynamic rate; check Q-Park |
| Q-Park Hooghuis | Keizersgracht 9 a, Eindhoven | 11 min (770 m) | Dynamic rate; check Q-Park |
| Q-Park de Bijenkorf | Schimmelt 50, 5611 ZX | 16 min (1,140 m) | Dynamic rate; check Q-Park |
Grote Zaal or Kleine Zaal?
The event page names the room. The Grote Zaal is the 1,300-capacity main hall; the Kleine Zaal is the 400-capacity room for smaller and regional acts.
- Lockers
- In the foyers, 23 × 20 cm
- Wheelchair platform
- Grote Zaal: up to 4 places
| Room | Capacity | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| Grote Zaal | 1,300 | Bigger bands and acts |
| Kleine Zaal | 400 | Smaller and regional acts |
What kind of venue is Effenaar?
Effenaar is a two-hall pop venue in central Eindhoven: an MVRDV building on Dommelstraat with a café-restaurant, a back garden and a programme that includes rock, pop, heavy, hip-hop, electronic music and club nights.
The Grote Zaal is the larger room, used for bigger bands and acts; the Kleine Zaal is for smaller and regional acts. The programme also includes dance nights and festivals such as Eindhoven Metal Meeting, Come As You Are and Fuzz Club.
Effenaar does not only programme at Dommelstraat 2. It also uses Altstadt, Café The Jack, Café Wilhelmina, Klokgebouw, POPEI and other city locations, so check the location on the event page before you travel.
- Halls
- Grote Zaal and Kleine Zaal
- Also programmes at
- Altstadt, Café The Jack, Klokgebouw, POPEI
- Festivals
- Eindhoven Metal Meeting, Come As You Are, Fuzz Club
- Built
- 2005, designed by MVRDV
- Founded
- 1971
From a squatted courthouse to an MVRDV landmark
Effenaar began in 1971 in a vacant linen weaving mill on Dommelstraat, after young people occupied Eindhoven's courthouse in 1969. The current MVRDV-designed building opened in 2005.
The name comes from the effenaar, a machine that smoothed linen in the old weaving mill. The venue started as a youth centre, then grew into one of the larger pop venues in the Netherlands.
The 2005 building has two halls, a restaurant-café and a back garden. Artists who have played here range from the Ramones and Sex Pistols to Stromae and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
- Founded
- 1971
- First home
- Vacant linen weaving mill, Dommelstraat
- Name
- From a linen-smoothing machine
- Current building
- 2005, by MVRDV
- Halls
- Grote Zaal 1,300; Kleine Zaal 400
Photos
Photo credits
The MVRDV-designed Effenaar building on Dommelstraat.: Choinowski · CC BY-SA 4.0
A live Serious Talent Festival show on the Effenaar stage.: Maarten van Maanen from Eindhoven, Netherlands · CC BY-SA 2.0
The café-restaurant Meet & Eat inside Effenaar.: Max Kneefel / Effenaar · Used with permission · Max Kneefel / Effenaar, used with permission.
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Frequently asked questions
The questions visitors ask most before a night at Effenaar.
Where is Effenaar and how close is the station?
Effenaar is at Dommelstraat 2, 5611 CK Eindhoven. Leave Eindhoven Centraal by the centrum exit, turn left and walk about 150 metres; the venue is across the street.
How many people fit in the Grote Zaal and Kleine Zaal?
The Grote Zaal holds up to 1,300 people and the Kleine Zaal up to 400. Each room has its own limit; the event page tells you which room your ticket is for.
What time do doors open and when does a concert end?
Effenaar's event pages usually give doors at 19:30 and a 20:00 start; some shows start at 20:30. No standard end time is published, and a night can run until 07:00, so check the event page for the final schedule.
How do I get to Effenaar from Eindhoven Centraal?
Use the centrum exit, turn left and walk about 150 metres; the venue is on the other side of the street. The walk from the station itself is about 6 minutes.
Where can I park near Effenaar?
P+R Fuutlaan is across the street and costs €1.30 per hour, with a maximum day rate of €6.57 (€3.84 if you arrive by train and pay with an OV chip card). Q-Park Heuvel is 8 minutes away and costs €0.50–€1.10 per 15 minutes, up to €24 per day.
Is there free parking at Effenaar?
Free parking at Effenaar is for bikes: the bike store at the entrance is free. Drivers use the paid P+R Fuutlaan (€1.30/hour, max. €6.57/day) or Q-Park Heuvel (€0.50–€1.10 per 15 min, max. €24/day).
Is Effenaar wheelchair accessible?
The Grote Zaal has a platform with up to four places, reached by a MiVa lift, and there is an adapted toilet. The Kleine Zaal has no platform, but wheelchair users are welcome; scootmobielen cannot enter the halls.
Can I bring a backpack or a large bag?
No. Bags must be no larger than A4 and no thicker than about 10 cm; backpacks, large bags and helmets are not allowed in the halls. Lockers in the foyers measure 23 × 20 cm and are hired by QR code.
Are there lockers at Effenaar?
Yes, there are lockers in the foyers. You hire one on site by scanning the QR code, entering your email and paying online; the locker opens from the email link.
Can I pay with cash at Effenaar?
No, Effenaar is cashless: card or phone at the bars, card at the box office and online payment for lockers. You can buy a prepaid card with cash at the box office if you need one.
What is the age limit at Effenaar?
Night events are 18+. At concerts, under-16s are admitted only with an adult aged 18 or over, and a valid ID is required. Effenaar does not serve alcohol to anyone under 18.
Can I eat at Effenaar before a concert?
Yes. Meet & Eat is open Wednesday to Sunday from 16:00, with two courses for €29.50, three for €34.50 and four for €42.50. Book at [email protected].
How do I buy tickets for Effenaar?
Use the order button on the event page, which takes you to CM.com, Effenaar's official ticket system. Tickets bought earlier through Ticketmaster stay valid; on show nights the box office sells remaining tickets by card.
Can I take photos or film at a concert?
Only with written permission from Effenaar in advance. Camera glasses and other smart glasses with a recording function are not allowed, except for medical or accessibility aids.
What happens if I arrive after 03:00?
No new visitors are admitted after 03:00, even when the event runs until 07:00. Plan to be inside before 03:00 if you are coming for a late-night programme.
Sources: Effenaar — over Effenaar (October 30, 2026) · Wikipedia — Effenaar (October 30, 2026) · Effenaar — plan je bezoek (October 30, 2026) · Effenaar — Meet & Eat (October 30, 2026) · Effenaar — veelgestelde vragen (October 30, 2026) · Effenaar — huisregels (October 30, 2026)
