The 15th Amsterdam Light Festival runs from Thursday 26 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027: about 20 light artworks along a new 4.5 km route through the city centre, lit every day from 16:30 to 23:00 (until 21:00 on New Year's Eve). Looking at the artworks is free. The official route map comes only in the festival's Light Walk app (€7.99, on sale from Tuesday 24 November). A 75-minute canal cruise costs €29.75 in the festival's ticket shop, or €39.75 with drinks; some boat companies sell it for less on their own sites (from €22.31 on 3 November).
Checked 3 November 2026. Not announced yet: the titles and locations of the artworks, the Light Nights programme, the price of the guided bike tour and the exact place of the second information point near Centraal Station.
Amsterdam Light Festival 2026 tickets and prices
Amsterdam Light Festival tickets are for the extras: the artworks themselves are free to see on foot, by bike or from a boat. These are the options with their price in the festival's own ticket shop on 3 November; boat companies that sell directly set their own prices (see the boat tours below).
| Way to see it | Price | When or how long | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| On foot, without the app | Free | Any evening, 16:30–23:00 | The artworks in the street; no signs, no map |
| Light Walk in the festival app | €7.99 | 4.5 km, about 1.5 hours | Route map with GPS, audio tour, restaurant deals |
| Kids Walk in the app | €3.99 | 4.5 km or about half, at your own pace | Quiz and scavenger hunt for ages 7–12, a prize at the information point |
| Foodsteps or the Oyster Walk | €39.50 | Thursday to Saturday | Four restaurants on the route: four bites or six oysters, two drinks, app included |
| Canal cruise | €29.75 | 75 minutes | Heated boat with a toilet, audio tour or live guide |
| Open boat | €29.75 | 75 minutes | Smaller boat closer to the art, guide or skipper, blankets |
| Boat with drinks | €39.75 | 75 minutes | Unlimited drinks on board, guide or skipper |
| Light & Dine | €79 | Saturdays and Sundays | Dinner, then a guided cruise |
| Private or group boat | On request | 75 minutes | Booked directly with a partner boat company |
| Your own boat | €7.99 (app) | Your own pace | Route map and the festival's special sailing rules |
| Guided bike tour | Not announced | 4.5 km | A guide on the bike route; the app works for cycling too |
| Amsterdam Light Festival Run | €25 | Saturday 12 December, 6–8 km | Group run with INDIE RUNNER, drinks and snacks at Amstel 1 afterwards |
Most tickets are half price for children aged 4 to 12, and free under 4; a CJP card gives 25% off a cruise. There is no group or senior discount. Evenitto lists the festival as Amsterdam Light Festival and a photography workshop on the route on Monday 30 November (from €94.51).
When is the Amsterdam Light Festival 2026? Dates and times
The Amsterdam Light Festival 2026–2027 opens on Thursday 26 November 2026 and closes on Sunday 17 January 2027, 53 evenings in a row. The artworks are lit every day from 16:30 to 23:00, Christmas included; on New Year's Eve the lights go off at 21:00. Boats leave from 16:30, with the last cruises at about 21:30.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 24 November | The Light Walk route map goes on sale in the festival app |
| Thursday 26 November | Opening evening and the first Light Night |
| Saturday 12 December | Light Night and the Amsterdam Light Festival Run |
| Saturday 19 December | Light Night; the Christmas school holiday starts |
| Friday 25 December | Christmas Day: lights on 16:30–23:00 |
| Thursday 31 December | New Year's Eve: lights off at 21:00 |
| Sunday 17 January 2027 | Last evening |
The Christmas holiday dates for the whole country are in our Christmas holiday guide.
Is the Amsterdam Light Festival free?
Yes: the artworks of the Amsterdam Light Festival stand in public space in the centre of Amsterdam, and anyone can look at them for free from 26 November. What you pay for is the information.
The festival is an independent foundation without structural subsidy, so it puts no signs at the artworks, publishes no route online and sells the route map in its app for €7.99. The organiser warns that the maps other sites post are not accurate.
The app itself is free to download from mid-November; the Light Walk inside it can be bought from 24 November and stays valid for the whole festival. Visitors without a working smartphone can buy a printed route map at an information point while stocks last; the price is not published.
Amsterdam Light Festival route 2026: where to start
You can start the Amsterdam Light Festival route anywhere: the artworks are in no set order, and for a first visit the organiser suggests the information point inside Amstel 1 (Waterlooplein 6). The new route runs along the canals of the city centre, and the artworks can be seen from the water or from land.
The full walking route is 4.5 km and takes about 1.5 hours at an easy pace; walk all of it or a part. Many boats leave from around Amsterdam Centraal, which is also a good place to begin on foot.
- The route crosses steep bridges and uneven paving; it is open to wheelchair users, but plan for the slopes.
- The festival has no toilets of its own on the route; the City of Amsterdam keeps a map of public toilets.
- You can cycle the route with the same app, and a guided bike tour of 4.5 km is planned; its price and times are not announced yet.
Amsterdam Light Festival boat tours: which cruise to book
An Amsterdam Light Festival cruise takes about 75 minutes and sails the whole route, past, under and through the artworks. In the festival's ticket shop, boats leave almost every half hour between 16:30 and 21:30; the shop shows the departure points and the times for each day.
- Canal cruise: a large boat for 60 to 80 people with big windows and often a glass roof. The audio tour is in Dutch, English and German, but not every company offers all three.
- Open boat: 12 to 35 people. Most are not heated, but many can be partly closed in bad weather.
- Private or group boat: a quote straight from the boat company, for a team outing or a dinner on board.
Tickets from the festival shop are for one date and time slot, and you can move them to another time up to 24 hours before but not cancel them (see the cruise FAQ). Be at the jetty 15 minutes early. Bringing your own food and drink on board is not allowed.
Booking direct with a boat company
The Amsterdam Light Festival's official partners for the canal cruise are Amsterdam Boat Cruises, Smidtje Canal Cruises, Blue Boat Company, LOVERS, Stromma and BoatAmsterdam.com; KINboat and others sail the open boats and the boats with drinks. Their own websites can be cheaper than the festival shop, and two former partners still sell a festival cruise.
| Company | Departs from | Length | Price on 3 November | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KINboat | Its ticket booth opposite Centraal Station | 75–90 minutes | €22.31 (children €11.18); €29.81 with unlimited drinks | Official partner; small covered boat, mulled wine or tea and a snack included; free cancellation up to 24 hours before |
| LOVERS | In front of Centraal Station | 75–105 minutes | €22.50; €32.50 with drinks | Official partner; heated; audio guide in Dutch, English and German |
| Stromma | Damrak pier 4; also the Middenkom opposite Centraal, 24–30 December | 75 minutes | €22.76 | Official partner; heated, with a toilet; audio guide in English and Dutch |
| Blue Boat | Stadhouderskade 550, opposite the Heineken Experience | 90 minutes | €25 | Official partner; live guide; free cancellation up to 24 hours before; wheelchair boats at 17:00 and 19:00 (call +31 20 679 1370 the day before) |
| Amsterdam Boat Cruises, Smidtje, BoatAmsterdam.com | Shown when you book | 75 minutes | €29.75 in the festival shop | Official partners; canal cruise booked in the festival shop |
| Flagship Amsterdam | Its page does not say which of its four piers | 75 minutes | From €27.28 | Not a partner this year (was in 2025–2026); semi-covered sloop or heated saloon boat |
| Amsterdam Boat Experience | Prins Hendrikkade 33A, by Centraal Station | About 75 minutes | From €27.28 | Not a partner this year (was in 2025–2026); electric saloon boat; no cruises on New Year's Eve |
Booking in the festival shop is the way to be sure your boat is an official partner that passes every artwork; partner boats carry an Official Partner sticker. Companies that sell directly set their own prices and cancellation terms, and their offers change.
Sailing your own boat
The Amsterdam Light Festival route can be sailed in your own boat with the festival app (€7.99), which has the route and the sailing rules that apply during festival hours.
Part of the route is closed to boats moved by muscle power, and the organiser strongly advises against SUP boards, rowing boats and canoes.
Amsterdam Light Festival with kids: the Kids Walk
The Kids Walk is the Amsterdam Light Festival's walk for children aged 7 to 12, with easy texts about the artworks, quiz questions and a scavenger hunt; younger children can join with an adult. It costs €3.99 on the festival's ticket page and follows the same 4.5 km route, or half of it.
Collect the prize at an information point before 21:00, on a day it is open (its opening days are under Getting there, below). Every boat has life jackets for children. Most boat companies do not take pushchairs on board, but you can often leave them on the quay under supervision.
Light Nights and the Amsterdam Light Festival Run
The Amsterdam Light Festival's three Light Nights, on Thursday 26 November, Saturday 12 December and Saturday 19 December 2026, give the route a programme of short performances, storytelling at the artworks and workshops in places along the route. It is the first year the festival holds them, and the programme is not announced yet.
On Saturday 12 December the Amsterdam Light Festival Run with INDIE RUNNER takes groups 6 to 8 km past the artworks at their own pace, with performances on the way. A ticket costs €25 and includes merchandise and a drink with snacks at Amstel 1 afterwards.
Amsterdam Light Festival food walks and dinner cruises
The Amsterdam Light Festival sells four food experiences for 2026–2027. Foodsteps and the Oyster Walk (€39.50 each, Thursday to Saturday) are take-away walks past four restaurants on the route.
- Light & Dine (€79): on Saturdays a shared Middle Eastern and North African dinner with A Beautiful Mess, on Sundays a plant-based three-course dinner by TestTafel at Mediamatic, each followed by a guided cruise.
- Borrel & Boot: for companies, drinks at Amstel 1 and a guided cruise, from €65 per person for 30 people.
The Light Walk app also has discounts at restaurants and bars along the route.
Theme and artists of Edition 15
Edition 15 of the Amsterdam Light Festival has no overall theme: after fifteen years the festival left the subjects to the artists. In October 2026 the festival named 19 artists and collectives from the Netherlands and abroad; the titles and places of their works are not published yet.
- Ángeles Nieto, Atelier Haute Cuisine, Chankalun, Chila Kumari Burman, FRANKEY
- Ho Kun-Han and Po-Ching Chou, Ivan Kalinichev, Joris Strijbos, KITE with Sajoscha Talirz
- LUZINTERRUPTUS, Maarten Baas, Mario Carrillo, Meeus van Dis, Neil Flory and Salvatore Gullifa
- Nicky Assmann, Tessa Verbei, Thomas Maas with René te Riele and Coen van Bergeijk, Touki Delphine, UxU
Getting there and the information point
The Amsterdam Light Festival asks visitors to come by public transport or bike: the nearest stops are Amsterdam Centraal and Waterlooplein, and there are bike racks along the route. The organiser advises against coming by car.
The information point inside Amstel 1 (Waterlooplein 6) is open from Thursday to Sunday, 16:30 to 21:00, and every day from 19 December to 3 January, except 25 and 31 December. A second point near Centraal Station is planned; its place is not announced yet.
More light and winter in Amsterdam
The Amsterdam Light Festival is one evening out of many in December:
- Amsterdam in December 2026: the Christmas markets, the ice rink, the circus and New Year's Eve.
- Evenitto's Amsterdam December page: what is on in the city.
- Our light festivals guide: the other light festivals in the Netherlands; GLOW Eindhoven runs from Saturday 7 to Saturday 14 November 2026.
Quick answers
When does the Amsterdam Light Festival 2026 start? The Amsterdam Light Festival 2026–2027 starts on Thursday 26 November 2026 and ends on Sunday 17 January 2027.
What time does the Amsterdam Light Festival start and end? The Amsterdam Light Festival's artworks are lit every day from 16:30 to 23:00; on New Year's Eve they switch off at 21:00.
Is the Amsterdam Light Festival free? Looking at the Amsterdam Light Festival's artworks is free. The route map is only in the Light Walk app (€7.99), and cruises cost €29.75 in the festival shop.
How long does the Amsterdam Light Festival walk take? The Amsterdam Light Festival walking route is 4.5 km and takes about 1.5 hours at an easy pace.
How long is an Amsterdam Light Festival cruise? An Amsterdam Light Festival cruise takes about 75 minutes in the festival shop; Blue Boat's takes 90 minutes and LOVERS' 75 to 105.
Is there a discount on Amsterdam Light Festival tickets? Amsterdam Light Festival cruises are half price for children aged 4 to 12 on most boats and free under 4, and CJP gives 25% off. On 3 November KINboat sold its cruise for €22.31 on its own site, against €29.75 in the festival shop.
Can I see the Amsterdam Light Festival at Christmas? Yes: the Amsterdam Light Festival is lit every day from 16:30 to 23:00, also on 24, 25 and 26 December.
Where does the Amsterdam Light Festival route start? The Amsterdam Light Festival route has no fixed start: the artworks are in no set order, and the organiser suggests Amstel 1 at Waterlooplein for a first visit.
When is the Amsterdam Light Festival 2027? The Amsterdam Light Festival's current edition runs until Sunday 17 January 2027; the dates of edition 16 (2027–2028) are not announced yet (checked 3 November 2026).
Cover photo: archive photo of light-art butterflies on the water at the Amsterdam Light Festival, January 2020. Alf van Beem / Wikimedia Commons, public domain.