Kwaku Festival – One of Amsterdam’s most exciting weekends

Kwaku Summer Festival 

The Kwaku Summer Festival is held every summer in Nelson Mendelapark, located in the vibrant community of Amsterdam Zuidoost. Formerly known as the Kwakoe festival, it is spread over several weekends and provides festival goers with some fantastic multicultural entertainment.

Kwaku Summer FestivalA Variety of Entertainment

The Kwaku Summer Festival is one of the biggest and most popular festival in Amsterdam and around 300,000 visitors usually show up to party and celebrate. Over the four weekends the main stages play host to international DJ’s, live music is played, and dance workshops are up on offer to get active with. The festival caters for all age groups and is also family friendly with a huge Caribbean market and entertainment for the kids. Though music is the highlight and the main attraction,it is also combined with sport, dance, food and drink in the park. There is a lot to take in so a private tour can help you absorb everything. People and artists come together to celebrate the abolition of slavery in the Dutch Antilles and Suriname in 1863. The name Kwaku comes from a sculpture that was erected to celebrate this historic moment.

Sporting Entertainment

Along with music to keep you active, there is also plenty of sporting action on offer. Several teams from a multitude of nationalities and age groups play football and compete in the Kwaku Cup which is open for anyone to enter.

An Inclusive Atmosphere

As part of the atmosphere of inclusion one of the big draws is the Roze Zondag which is part of the Amsterdam Gay pride program. This is often one of the biggest and most flamboyant days of the festival and draws friendly hetero and LGBT punters into the party.

Dining Opportunities

Food certainly does play a huge part and is a key draw of the festival. Its street vendors are legendary and offer a huge variety of cuisines from 

Korean food, to Surinamese, African, and Middle Eastern food to name but a few. Many of the street vendors offer their delicious dishes exclusively for the festival so don’t miss out!