Christmas lockdown activities

Due to the current lockdown in the Netherlands, many events and activities have been canceled or rescheduled. We did some research to find out what kind of cultural events or activities you can still visit. With the information we found, we made a short agenda for the upcoming Christmas holiday!

Utrecht Lumen, from November 22 until December 24, 2021

When daylight leaves the streets of Utrecht, the stories of Utrecht Lumen come to life. These works of art cast a special light on the history, the inhabitants, the function, or the symbolism of a building or location. Some light artworks play with a familiar building. Others take you to a surprising place that you would otherwise not come so quickly or completely pass by during the day.

Utrecht Lumen offers guided tours along with artistic light stimuli. This way you discover the whole story behind each work of art and you get an interesting insight into the unique history of locations and buildings. Would you rather spot the gems yourself? Be inspired here, compose your own light route and view the works of art before the daylight makes them disappear again. Utrecht Lumen can be seen in the evenings 7 days a week.

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Visit the Platanenweg, Amsterdam

Would you rather go for a little hike through Amsterdam? Then we recommend walking along the Platanenweg. From 13 to 17 May 2019 we organized a unique street art festival at the Platanenweg in the Eastside of Amsterdam. The festival If Walls Could Speak resulted in 10 huge murals ( 10 x 15 meters ) from well-known national and international street art artists. The designs of all the murals are brought forth from the theme ‘Amsterdam for Everybody’.

If Walls Could Speak is the first large-scale project in Amsterdam where a district in the center is provided with so many large murals. By painting 10 huge murals, the selected artists transformed the completely renovated area into a safe and creative neighborhood.

Amsterdam Light Festival #10th edition, from December 2, 2021 until January 23, 2022

Amsterdam Light Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. The overarching theme is ‘Celebrate Light’. In the evening you can enjoy more than twenty light works on the canals of Amsterdam. The works are public favorites and the most special, inspiring, and popular light art of the past nine editions.

The overarching theme is ‘Celebrate Light’. This is not only a reference to the anniversary but also to the fact that the festival can be celebrated together again. You can experience the route along with the light works both by boat and on foot.

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The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, from December 25, 2021 until February 28

For our Chinese readers, we found something too. The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is an annual winter festival that takes place with a theme in Harbin, China, and now is the largest ice and snow festival in the world. At first participants in the festival were mainly Chinese, however it has since become an international festival and competition, with the 2018 festival attracting 18 million visitors. The festival includes the world’s biggest ice sculptures.

Officially, the festival starts on January 5 and lasts till late February. However, exhibits often open earlier and stay longer, weather permitting. While ice sculptures are erected throughout the city, there are two main exhibition areas:

• Sun Island is a recreational area on the opposite side of the Songhua River from the city, which features an expo of enormous snow sculptures.
• Ice and Snow World is an area open in the afternoon and at night which features illuminated full size buildings made from blocks of 2–3′ thick ice taken directly from the Songhua River. The park usually opens from late December to late February.

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Kunstroute Assen City Experience, from now until March 27, 2022

Assen City Experience is a free art route through the city center of Assen along fourteen works of art, the makers of which were inspired by the world-famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The free walking route leads past fourteen works of art through the center of Assen. It concerns life-size murals and special art objects in public space. The route also passes a huge three-dimensional statue of Frida Kahlo at the head of the Vaart.

The route can be walked at any time up to and including 27 March 2022 with a folder as a guide. The brochure is available at the Drents Museum and the Tourist Office Assen and online. By scanning the QR codes placed with the artworks, you can learn more about the artworks and the makers.

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Create your own art!

If you don’t want to take a risk to catch the virus, you can always go painting! Art supply store Henxs is still open for pick-ups! Order your paint online, make an appointment and visit the store to pick your order up. Please stay creative and feel free to send pictures of the results! Henxs is located at the Sint Antoniesbreestraat 138, Amsterdam.

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Lichtjesroute, Landsmeer-Den Ilp

In the dark days of December, motorists who drive through Landsmeer and Den Ilp via Amsterdam-North are treated to atmospheric Christmas lights every year. Once started as ‘making the village cozy’, it has grown into an attraction for tourists and motorists during Christmas. In the last few years, the route of lights has been expanding and the inhabitants of the villages organize more and more trips to the adventure of lights. For example, a horse tram can be driven past all the houses, and a Christmas market is held with cheerful music.

The origin of the Lichtjesroute. Due to the gloomy weather of the winter months, people often suffer from a winter dip. Artist Anton Heyboer and his five wives had a solution for this. They decorated their house and garden extensively with colored Christmas lights. This made for a bit more fun during the cold winter days. People who live in Landsmeer and Den Ilp thought this was very special and beautiful and followed Heyboer’s example. Over the past few years, Landsmeer and Den Ilp have been known for their beautifully lit houses around Christmas. Not only are the houses decorated with lights, but the gardens also look like an atmospheric Christmas world with winter images and exuberant decoration.

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Street Art Museum Amsterdam

Street Art Museum Amsterdam came up with an idea to let street art fans enjoy the many murals in Amsterdam. They made a QR-code, if you scan the QR-code you will get a route through Amsterdam along different murals. Take a look at work from various great artists like Nol Art, Morckey, Skount and many more…

Street Art Museum Amsterdam (SAMA) is a non-profit organization established in Amsterdam’s Nieuw-West neighborhood. They develop and managed this unique collection of over 300 pieces of street art that are located in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, Amsterdam West, and Schiphol Airport.

Download the izi.travel app and search for SAMA STREET ART and pick your route!

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On behalf of team Amsterdam Street Art, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!