Amsterdam Light Festival edition 15 runs from Thursday 26 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027. Hours, tickets, cruise, walk, food options and where sources disagree.
Amsterdam Light Festival's 15th edition runs from Thursday 26 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027, with 20 light artworks along the canals. This guide covers opening hours, what needs a ticket, the cruise, walk and bike options, the food and drink routes, and the points where the festival's own pages disagree.
For bars and clubs in the same part of town, see the Amsterdam nightlife guide, nightlife in Amsterdam Centrum and the 10 best clubs in Amsterdam.
Facts checked on 22 October 2026. Line-ups, prices, sold-out status and transport plans change, so confirm on the organiser page before you go.
The official Dates & Hours page gives Thursday 26 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027, with lights on daily from 16:30 to 23:00 and an earlier close of 21:00 on 31 December. The Amstel 1 information point is open Thursday to Sunday, 16:30 to 21:00, daily from 19 December to 3 January, and closed on 25 and 31 December. The festival says each edition takes about 15 months to prepare.
No. The walk FAQ states that tickets are not required to see the artworks, though the paid walking experiences add an audio guide and information. Cruises, guided walks with food and the app route are the paid products. Bookings are online only; the ticket FAQ says phone bookings are not accepted, and purchased tickets cannot be cancelled. The date or time of a cruise can be changed up to 24 hours before it.
Students with a CJP card get 25% off a cruise. The festival offers no group or senior discounts. Not every boat is wheelchair accessible, so check with the operator.
The Light Walk is about 4.5 km and around 1.5 hours. You can start anywhere because the artworks are not in a set order; the festival suggests Amstel 1 or Waterlooplein for first-timers. The route map with GPS and audio guide sits in the festival app, which the festival expects in mid-November, with the paid map available from 24 November. A Kids Walk for ages 7 to 12 uses the same 4.5 km route. The bike tour takes 1.5 to 2 hours in groups of up to 12, with tickets on sale from October 2026. The route crosses several bridges and uneven pavement, according to the city's listing.
The festival asks visitors to come by public transport or bicycle. The stops closest to the route are Amsterdam Central Station and Waterlooplein, and the route has bicycle stalls along it. The city listing adds that the route runs through the historic centre and that tagged areas include Plantage East, Nieuwmarkt, Hartjecentrum and Grachtengordel.
Three points differ. The festival's ticket FAQ prices the Light Walk at €6.99, its walk FAQ at €7.99. The I amsterdam city listing gives a 17:30 switch-on and an earlier 22:00 close from Sunday to Tuesday, and its headline dates show Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 November, 17:00 to 23:00, although the listing itself runs to 17 January. The festival's own pages give 16:30 to 23:00 every day. The city listing calls this the fifteenth edition but links to an "edition-14" page, and the festival's Dates & Hours metadata still carries Edition 14 dates, so some metadata is outdated. Use the festival's pages for hours and price, and check the shop for the final walk price.
Amsterdam Light Festival: Dates & Hours, Ticket FAQ, Walk FAQ, General FAQ, Cruise, Taste, Bike, Directions and I amsterdam listing.
Seeing the artworks needs no ticket. Cruises start at €29.75, and the app-based Light Walk, food walks and dinners are paid.
Yes. The ticket FAQ gives 50% off for ages 4 to 12 and free travel for ages 0 to 3.
Yes, but the lights go out at 21:00 on Thursday 31 December, and the Amstel 1 information point is closed that day.
The pages checked had not announced it. The general FAQ says Edition 15 asks artists what they want to tell the city of Amsterdam, with more information to come.
