Winter parades for Christmas lovers
The winter edition of Theaterfestival De Parade, the Winter Parade, will take place this coming winter for the 17th time. Now there is another winter parade: De Amsterdamse Winterparade, a large Christmas market at the RAI.
Although the names of the events may cause confusion (‘De Winterparade’ and ‘De Amsterdamse Winterparade’), the programmes are completely different. Small and intimate versus a spectacular large-scale event.
De Winterparade
Organised by the people behind Theaterfestival De Parade, so expect lots of delicious food, singers, acrobats and, above all, plenty of theatre. You eat at a 120-metre-long table. At that table, actors perform their roles right in front of you while the chefs prepare your food. According to the organisers, the programme is not a real performance, nor a fancy dinner or a Christmas party, but a little bit of all three.
De Winterparade takes place from 22 through 30 December 2017 at the Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam, with the try-out on 21 December. You can also visit it in Haarlem: at the Grote or St. Bavo Church on 4, 5 and 6 January 2018. Tickets including admission, programme and dinner cost €45, while children up to and including 12 years old pay €22.50. If you want to attend the try-out, you’ll pay just €30.
De Amsterdamse Winterparade
A large-scale event, comparable to major Christmas events in London and New York and Christmas markets in Berlin. This is the place to go for the ultimate Christmas feeling. You can skate on an immense indoor ice rink measuring 700m2 and do your Christmas shopping at the Christmas market. There is also a fair with a giant Ferris wheel, and Christmas films can be enjoyed in the Christmas Cinema.
Food, drinks and even more food
Fortunately, foodies have not been forgotten either: you can eat poffertjes and pea soup and drink hot chocolate. Around the ice rink, you can eat at pop-up restaurants by BAUT and Restaurant Blauw, and there are genuine après-ski bars for the necessary flügels.
Visit this parade from 21 December 2017 through 1 January 2018 at the RAI in Amsterdam. Admission costs €7.50.
