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Rotterdam Music and Festivals

Rotterdam summer carnival

ABOVE: Dancers at Rotterdam's Summer Carnival.

Music scene

Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, a.k.a. the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, has a long history (it was founded in 1918) and presents more than 70 subscription concerts per year. Its home is De Doelen, a concert and convention hall near the main railroad station.

Laurenskerk organ If you're a fan of organ music, the most exciting venue in town is the historic Laurenskerk with three organs and frequent concerts by visiting organists. (During our stay, we attended a free lunchtime concert that was scheduled to coincide with the Tuesday public market near the church.)

Baja Beach Club Rotterdam also has a lively popular-music scene, with venues such as Maassilo and Rotown catering to clubbers and concertgoers. Larger concerts take place at Ahoy or--less commonly--at De Kuip, the Feijenoord football team's stadium south of the river.

Tip: If you need help with Dutch-language Web sites, Google Translate will come to the rescue.

Festivals

Rotterdam has a number of music festivals, as well as other festivals where music plays a role. Among the biggies are OperaDagen Rotterdam (May), North Sea Jazz (July), and the tropical-themed ZomerCarnaval or Summer Carnival (July).

Tip: Rotterdam's hotels are jammed during major festivals, so book months in advance or be ready to commute into town by train if you're visiting at festival time.

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