Amsterdam Light Festival 2026–27: Free to See, Map and Boat Rules

The Amsterdam Light Festival runs from Thursday 26 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027. The light artworks are in public space and free to see. The official route map is sold in the festival app from 24 November. You can see the festival from your own or a rented boat, but extra rules apply during festival hours.

Last checked: 2 November 2026

Is the Amsterdam Light Festival free?

The light artworks are in public space and free to see. You do not need a ticket, and there are no information boards next to the artworks.

Canal cruises and the Light Walk cost money. The Light Walk is a paid product in the festival app with the route, GPS, audio and texts about the artworks. A cruise ticket pays for the boat trip, not for access to the art.

Light art on the Schippersgracht during the 2019–20 edition, seen from the quay. Photo: Alf van Beem via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

To get an idea of what the festival looks like, this is the festival's own aftermovie of last winter's edition. This year's artworks and route are different.

Amsterdam Light Festival map: where to find it

There is no free official map. The official route map is sold in the festival app from 24 November. Once you buy it, you can use it for the rest of the festival.

The information points have a small number of printed maps for visitors without a working smartphone.

The festival warns that maps on other websites and blogs may be wrong. Edition 15 has a brand-new route, so maps from earlier years show the wrong places.

Walking the route

The walking route is about 4.5 km. You can walk all of it or just a section. There is no fixed start or direction. If you do not know the city, the festival suggests starting at Amstel 1 by Waterlooplein.

The festival advises coming by public transport or bike, not by car. The stops it names are Amsterdam Centraal and Waterlooplein.

Light figures on the Torontobrug over the Amstel during the 2021–22 edition. Photo: Fons Heijnsbroek via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Accessibility

The festival says the route is in principle accessible, but the historic centre has uneven paving and steep bridges. Not every cruise boat is wheelchair accessible. Blue Boat Company has boats that are; contact them before you book.

Dates and hours

The festival runs every day from 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027. The lights are on from 16:30 to 23:00. On 31 December the lights go off at 21:00.

Information points

There are information points inside Amstel 1 (Waterlooplein 6) and near Amsterdam Centraal. They are open Thursday to Sunday from 16:30 to 21:00, and every day in the Christmas holidays from 19 December to 3 January. They are closed on 25 and 31 December. The artworks stay lit when an information point is closed.

The festival has announced extra Light Nights. Dates have not been published yet.

Canal cruises

Cruises in the festival's ticket shop start at €29.75 per adult. Children aged 4 to 12 pay half price, and children up to 3 go free. A cruise takes about 75 minutes; some companies take about 90 minutes. Boats leave roughly every half hour between 16:30 and 21:30. Official partner boats carry the Official Partner logo, and their jetties fly festival flags.

Sailing your own or a rented boat

You can sail the route in your own boat or a rented sloop. Because the canals get busy, the festival adds its own rules during festival hours. Rental boats follow the same rules as private boats.

On 2 November the festival's boating rules page was not yet marked as Edition 15. Check the rules on the day in the festival app or on the official page. Traffic controllers and the LED screens on the route always have the final say.

A boat sails through Solstice by Studio Vertigo during the 2024–25 edition. This year's artworks and route are new. Photo: Andy Li via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Festival rules

During festival hours the whole Herengracht and Brouwersgracht form a nautical event area. This applies from Thursday to Sunday and every day in the Christmas holidays. On those days:

• Sail the route one way, clockwise.
• Keep to 5 km/h on the Herengracht, and 3 km/h on the Brouwersgracht, Singel, Haarlemmersluis and Korte Prinsengracht.
• Do not turn onto the Herengracht from the Reguliersgracht or the Leliegracht if you are coming from the Keizersgracht, or from the Blauwburgwal if you are coming from the Singel. Do not turn onto the Singel from the Haarlemmersluis if you are coming from the Droogbak.
• Leave the end of the Herengracht via the Brouwersgracht, Singel and Haarlemmersluis if your boat is shorter than 14 metres. That covers almost every rental sloop.
• Keep moving past the artworks. Do not stop there, brake or accelerate without reason, or overtake unless you have to.
• No music and no shouting.

Canoes, rowing boats and SUPs are not allowed on the Herengracht and Brouwersgracht on those days, apart from escorted club groups. On Sundays from 20:00 to 20:15, motorboats may not enter the Herengracht while escorted rowing groups use it.

Amsterdam's normal boating rules

The city's boating rules apply on top of the festival rules:

• The normal speed limit is 6 km/h. On the festival route the lower limits apply.
• A pleasure boat may carry at most 12 people plus the skipper.
• After dark, a boat up to 7 metres needs an all-round white light. A longer boat needs a green light on the starboard side, a red light on the port side and an all-round white light.
• Do not drink alcohol if you are steering. The legal limit is 0.5 per mille.
• No music.
• Since 1 April 2025 the city centre inside the Singelgracht has been an emission-free zone for pleasure boats.
• Every boat needs a boating vignette. If you rent, ask the rental company whether it is arranged.

Renting a boat for the festival

Mokumboot rents electric open sloops for up to 8 people, and you do not need a boating licence. On 2 November a 2-hour rental cost €97.50. Open boats are not heated, so wear warm clothes and use the blankets on board.

Before you cast off

• Check that the navigation lights work.
• Count heads: no more than 12 plus the skipper.
• Agree who steers. That person does not drink.
• Have the festival app or the official boating rules on a phone.
• Bring warm clothes and use the blankets.
• Remember the route is clockwise.
• Keep moving past the artworks.

Between the artworks

The canals have their own history. If you are on your own or a rented boat, Amsterdam Mokum Tour tells it. The iPhone app (Android is planned) has more than 200 short stories in five languages about the canals and the buildings you pass between the artworks. It does not cover the light artworks themselves.

Nearby stories can start while the app is open, and you can play any story from the map. You need mobile data and location turned on. Access lasts 12, 24 or 48 hours (€8.49, €12.49 or €14.49) and starts after payment. We do not rent boats; renting from Mokumboot? See Mokumboot and Amsterdam Mokum Tour.

Let a passenger handle the phone while the skipper watches the water.

FAQ

Is the Amsterdam Light Festival free? The light artworks are in public space and free to see.

Where can I find a free map? There is no free official map. The official route map is sold in the festival app from 24 November.

Where does the route start? There is no fixed start or direction. If you do not know the city, the festival suggests starting at Amstel 1 by Waterlooplein.

How long is the walking route? The walking route is about 4.5 km.

Can I see the festival in my own boat? You can see the festival from your own or a rented boat, but extra rules apply during festival hours.

Are there rules for rental boats? Rental boats follow the same rules as private boats.

Is the festival wheelchair accessible? The festival says the route is in principle accessible, but the historic centre has uneven paving and steep bridges.

What happens on New Year's Eve? On 31 December the lights go off at 21:00.