6 Best Performing Arts Venues in The Randstad, Netherlands

A full program of concerts is performed in many of Utrecht's fine churches. The best are usually heard in the Dom, where you can enjoy free performances every Saturday afternoon at 3:30.

Utrecht's Festival of Early Music, held at several venues in late summer each year, is immensely popular and sells out rapidly. Check the website for details.

For a week in late September, the Nederlands Film Festival screens the past year of Dutch productions in most of the town's cinemas. Many international movies, often in English, are given their Dutch premieres here, and at the Golden Calves (the Dutch Oscars) the year's best are recognized. More than 100,000 visitors attend the many screenings. Tickets can be bought online, by phone, or in person from the temporary pavilion on the Neude square at festival time.

The annual Spring performing arts festival brings international performers to town in May, with the biggest events usually on the big square in the center of town, the Neude.

In Utrecht you can find dance on the programs of Stadsschouwburg, which has a major performance hall as well as the Blauwe Zaal (Blue Room) for small productions.

TivoliVredenburg is the biggest venue in Utrecht for both classical and pop concerts, with a range of performance halls of various sizes, from grand to intimate.