Amare will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a festive anniversary weekend from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 November 2026. Over the course of three days, The Hague’s cultural venue will transform into a vibrant stage for music, dance and connection. Together with resident partners Residentie Orkest The Hague, Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) and the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, Amare will showcase the breadth of its programme and community. Ticket sales for the anniversary weekend start today via amare.nl/5jaar.
Five years after opening its doors, Amare has grown into an international venue for music and dance and a lively meeting place in the city. Each year, Amare welcomes more than 300,000 visitors across over a thousand performances and activities. During the anniversary weekend, Amare presents itself as a place where programming, architecture and audiences come together. Rather than focusing on one hall or discipline, the emphasis is on the experience of the building as a whole.
Anniversary Weekend (20–22 November 2026)
Friday: Celebrating 5 Years Amare
Residentie Orkest & Nederlands Dans Theater
The weekend opens on Friday with Celebrating 5 Years Amare, a special programme by Residentie Orkest and Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT). Audiences will journey through different dance languages and locations throughout Amare.
In the Dance Theatre, audiences will experience a raw and daring world premiere by choreographer Hofesh Shechter, performed by NDT 1. In the Concert Hall, Residentie Orkest, conducted by Chloe Rooke, brings music and dance together in a one-off anniversary programme. The evening opens with the brilliant brass fanfare from La Péri by Paul Dukas, followed by a duet set to Journey (CP 1919) by Max Richter, specially created for Amare’s anniversary by NDT associate choreographers Imre van Opstal and Marne van Opstal. The duet, performed by former NDT dancers Chloé Albaret and Benjamin Behrends, can only be experienced on this evening. The programme also features a new work by Dutch composer Bianca Bongers. The evening concludes with Stravinsky’s sublime suite from The Firebird.
During the interval, visitors can enjoy music and dance performances by OFFprojects and Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw in various foyer spaces.
More information about the programme and tickets.
Saturday: new social dance festival Everybody Dance Now
With Everybody Dance Now, Amare brings together the dance culture of its Open Amare programme in a festive evening celebration. Dance styles ranging from lindy hop and salsa to hip hop, house and rave come together in a programme that invites visitors to join in, watch or simply be carried away by the music. With contributions from artists and companies including Rambert, ICK Amsterdam, The Ruggeds & Ghetto Funk Collective and ARK/Connor Schumacher, the festival connects social dance, club culture and stage performance in one programme for curious beginners, experienced dancers and lovers of performance and club culture alike.
One festival ticket provides access to all parts of the festival. More information about the programme and tickets.
Sunday: Family Sunday Anniversary Edition
On Sunday, Amare celebrates its anniversary with an extra festive Family Sunday featuring music, dance, theatre and creative activities for children and families. Visitors can take part in free dance workshops by Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) and enjoy The Thousand Doors of Amare, a musical family performance by Residentie Orkest with conductor Leonard Evers and young musicians from the Royal Conservatoire.
In addition, The Cat Who Wanted to Change Her Tale by Thomas Noone Dance will have its Dutch premiere, and audiences can join the sing-along concert Ameezing with Merel Martens & guests. Throughout the building, visitors will find workshops, performances and creative activities. At the Arts Square, Playmode invites children to craft, dress up, read, move and climb.