Bacchus Wine Festival returns to the Amsterdamse Bos – and you’ll want to be there

The Bacchus Wine Festival is back in the Amsterdamse Bos! In a fresh new location, but with the same unparalleled atmosphere. So mark your calendar: on June 6, 7, 8 and 13, 14, 15, you can once again sip the tastiest wines, dig your fork into the finest dishes and dance your feet off to the most cheerful beats.

Bacchus Wine Festival: the classic among wine festivals

In a city where a new café or restaurant pops up every month, it’s damn nice that some classics still exist. Bacchus is Amsterdam’s oldest wine festival and returns every summer like your favorite bottle: you know it’s going to be good. And yes, I can confirm that, because I’ve been attending since the very first edition and am already eagerly looking forward to the upcoming one. And that’s not just because you can taste so many great wines there, but also because of the atmosphere. It’s not just another hipster festival; everyone comes here, from young to old and from enthusiast to (slightly) wine-snob.

The tastiest wines lined up (or in your glass)

From fresh summer wines to showy Burgundies: Bacchus lets you taste, slurp and refill. Don’t expect lukewarm plonk in a plastic cup, but carefully selected bottles from top importers. We’re talking more than 300 different wines, from European classics to knockout bottles from much farther afield. You can get a good glass of wine for just €4.50, and it’s the perfect opportunity to taste something truly exceptional and rare at the wine auctioneers of Winefield’s Auctioneers.

And if you’re already swirling away (in your glass or with your hips), be sure to have your favorites poured at that one wine bar with French chansons playing in the background. Just for that ultimate je ne sais quoi feeling.

Line your stomach

Because yes: Bacchus is all about combinations that make your jaw drop (and then, quick, another sip). Think oysters and sparkling wine, juicy burgers and juicy Shiraz, poffertjes for the kids and a glass of dessert wine for you. With a mix of food trucks and chefs who know what they’re doing, you’re guaranteed to go home well-fed and slightly tipsy. Or more than that, don’t blame us.

Dancing and flirting

For anyone who still needs a little convincing as a Bacchus virgin: this isn’t a stiff wine event where everyone sips with their pinkies raised. Bacchus is a party. Relaxed during the day, with a DJ keeping the atmosphere going; in the evening, it shifts more toward ’80s disco, soul and dance-floor classics. Dancing is allowed. Flirting too. Flirting while dancing? Extra points.

Mini-Bacchus: the kids want to come too

Even better: you can simply bring your children, because the youngest pleasure-seekers haven’t been forgotten either. At ‘Chateau Migraine’ (haha), they can get their faces painted, pour lemonade, soar on the carousel, put out fires with the DJ and stuff themselves with poffertjes until they collapse from happiness.

This year in a new location (but just as green)

New this year: Bacchus has a fresh spot in the Amsterdamse Bos, while keeping that familiar atmosphere close by. A few fields to the left turned out to be an even more beautiful part of the Amsterdamse Bos. Still green, even cozier and even more atmospheric. Hay bales, folding chairs, a carousel, blankets (because this is still the Netherlands), wine in abundance, sunshine and a touch of festival romance; admit it, you can’t wait either!

Tickets: order quickly

You get it: you don’t want to miss this. Block your calendar for June 6–8 or June 13–15. Order your tickets before everything sells out – because that happens every year faster than you can say “just one more glass.” And as for preparation…

What you really shouldn’t do at a wine festival

1. Taste everything and eat nothing

We get it: you want to try everything. But that won’t end well if you put nothing in your mouth except Chardonnay. Rule #1: have at least one bite with every wine. Or a poffertje. Or a deluxe grilled cheese. It’s all allowed.

2. Swirl your wine as if you’re a sommelier (when you have no idea what you’re doing)

Nobody is happy when a Cabernet Sauvignon lands in their eye because you filled your glass to the brim and then thought: “A little swirl for the aroma.” Do it with style, or don’t do it at all.

3. Wear white trousers

We don’t really need to explain this, do we? One enthusiastic hand gesture from your neighbor holding a glass of Syrah and you’ll look as if you’re on the set of your favorite crime series. Dark clothing = wine festival mode.

4. Ask for “just the house wine”

There’s no house wine here. Everything is special, carefully selected and meant to be enjoyed. Let yourself be advised, try something new and skip that safe Merlot for once.

5. Think it’s a race

Bacchus isn’t a drinking binge. It’s a celebration of flavor. Taste, enjoy, take a breath now and then. You don’t have to set a world record for wine tasting. Except perhaps in the category of ‘most charming sip’.