50x chicken at the Chicken Festival

From Jamaican jerk chicken and chicken waffles to chicken curry. Chicken is still the most versatile cut of meat (chicken!), so a second Chicken Festival in Amsterdam was inevitable. This time with an extra focus on organic chicken.

It’s happening from Friday, 27 July: Amsterdam’s Rembrandtpark will once again be devoted to chicken for three days: cola chicken, chicken satay, teriyaki chicken… you’ll find no fewer than fifty (!) different ways of preparing chicken.

The only chicken you won’t find there is factory-farmed chicken, as it is banned by the organisers. What’s more, to encourage the use of as many organic products as possible, the festival has introduced its own chicken certification system this year. Caterers receive a gold chicken at their stall if 80 to 100% of their products are organic, silver for 50–80% and bronze for 15–50%. This allows visitors to take that into account when making their choice. Prefer no meat at all? That’s possible too, as vegetarians have also been considered. Every stall sells a vegetarian option.

Hot wing challenge

Do you have a tongue of steel, a poker face and a competitive streak stretching from here to Tokyo? Then the Hot Wing Challenge, held on Sunday at 4 p.m., might be for you. In order of increasing heat, you’ll have to make your way through the chicken wings. The professional jury—rapper Lexxxus and culinary journalist Joël Broekaert—will decide who manages to reach the highest Scoville value with the most style.

Had enough to eat?

So is there really nothing to do at the festival but eat? Certainly not: you can take part in dance and cooking workshops, children can let loose in the puppet theatre and silent disco, and you can even show off your dance moves and try your luck at flirting. None other than First Dates bartender Victor (you know, the one with the blue eyes) has a special love bar where he’ll play matchmaker. If it all gets a little too hot for you (whether because of Victor and the hot wings or the weather), extra shaded areas have been added to the festival grounds.

Rotterdam

Is Amsterdam too far away for you? The festival will set up in Het Park in Rotterdam on Friday, 24 August, Saturday, 25 August and Sunday, 26 August. Buy tickets for both locations here.