18-22 August
Various locations
Festival centre: Felix Meritis, Keizersgracht 324 (Tel: 0900-0191)

Amsterdam's waterways are once more the focus for this week's cultural activities as the annual Canal Festival opens for five days of classical music on Wednesday 18 August. What started 22 years ago with a grand piano on a rusty barge, has since grown into one of the city's major annual events...

And, what's so unique about this festival is that, apart from a number of free concerts taking place outdoors on a pontoon (in front of Hotel Pulitzer on the Prinsengracht), more than 70 concerts are being given in surrounding locations. This includes many historical and intimate venues that can hold just a handful of concertgoers such as hidden gardens, roof terraces, or rooms belonging to private homes. Plus, one of the main venues, the Felix Meritis, built in 1787, will be making use of the oldest concert hall in the Netherlands where Brahms and Saint-Saëns have both appeared.

Entrance to most performances costs between €5-€22.50 but there are a number of free events, asides from the aforementioned concerts on the Prinsengracht itself. For many, the highlight of the event is when they moor their small boats on a packed Prinsengracht – complete with hampers and champers – to watch concerts on the pontoon. Don't miss the concert on Sat 21 August featuring acclaimed Bulgarian mezzosoprano Vesselina Kasarova in a repertoire of opera arias, accompanied by Charles Spencer on piano, or the following day's closing concert featuring the Royal Netherlands Military Band.

Furthermore, there are a number of lectures, walks, boat trips and a special edition of the festival for the kids too. Note that with the popularity of the event, it’s recommended to buy tickets online at the official website www.grachtenfestival.nl