Schedule

Friday

Castlefest

Imagine yourself in a completely different world at Castlefest, the Fantasy festival of the Netherlands. A fest for young and old, where, as soon as you enter the gates, you find yourself in the Other World. Castlefest is a total experience with lots of music, fantasy writers, themed catering, medieval crafts and a large market which offers everything a fantasy fan is looking for.

A large amount of bands are performing at the various festival stages, from Pagan Folk to World Music, from Medieval Rock to Indie. In short, for each music lover his own!

Castlefest characterises itself by a unique ambiance. This makes that regular visitors are looking forward to the next edition a year in advance. It creates a feeling where you find yourself in a completely different world, causing a daze and homesickness for weeks after the event took place.

Because of limited availability, tickets are not included in our Basic tickets. You can buy your tickets and find more info on the event here.

 

Opening event

We officially start our Aspec Pride week during the opening event! The platonic speeddate is the perfect way to meet new people and get to know each other. Want to be a little more active? Compete with other Aspec people during our traditional Dutch games like 'spijkerpoepen', 'zaklopen' or 'koekhappen'.

Are you more in the mood to sit down and relax a bit? Of course, there will be the possibility to just have a drink.

 

Canal Pride

The world-famous Amsterdam Canal Parade. The boat parade will sail through Amsterdam's canals on Saturday 1 August 2026. Will you join us there?

 

Ace Talks

After a day full of pride, it's time to rest a bit during  Ace Talks. Aurea will come to talk about their book on aromantic experiences, the president of the Dutch organisation on Asexuality 'NOA' will be there, and maybe you can meet your favourite Aspec activist! The exact line-up will be announced later, but you wouldn't want to miss this!

 

Efteling Themepark

Efteling is fantasy-themed theme park in Kaatsheuvel, a town in the Netherlands. The attractions reflect elements from ancient European myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore.

The park was opened on May 31, 1952. It evolved from a nature park with a playground and a Fairytale Forest into a full-sized theme park. It now caters to both children and adults with its cultural, romantic, and nostalgic themes, in addition to its wide array of amusement rides including six roller coasters and five dark rides.

You can find more information about Efteling on their website.

 

Scavenger hunt

Join us for an adventure, get to know each other (and Amsterdam), and enjoy a day full of teamwork, exploration, and Aspec joy!

 

Artis Zoo

Natura Artis Magistra, commonly known just as Artis, is a zoo and botanical garden in the centre of Amsterdam. It is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and fifth oldest zoo in the world that is still operating.

In addition to the zoo, Artis also contains an aquarium, a planetarium, an arboretum, Micropia, and the Big Museum. A part of the art collection is on display in the aquarium building of the zoo. Artis contains 27 historically significant (listed) buildings, bridges, and ponds, most of which are still used as animal enclosures.

You can find more information obout Artis on their website.

 

Nature walk
Join us this afternoon for a walk in nature. The Dutch Aspec community has an active hiking group who regularly meet up to explore a new part of the country. For world pride, we are organising a hike with the goal of escaping the busy city life for a few hours to explore the Dutch nature.
The route and exact distance will be announced in the following weeks, but you can expect a hike of 10 - 15 km through forests and heathlands, or perhaps through the Dutch dune landscape instead. The start and end locations will be easy to reach with public transport from Amsterdam.

 

Rijksmuseum

The iconic Rijksmuseum in the heart of Amsterdam is one of the things you need to see when you visit the Netherlands. Rijksmuseum moves you through more than 8,000 works of Dutch art and history including masterpieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh.

You can find more information about Rijksmuseum on their website.

 

IHLIA tour

IHLIA is the heritage organisation with a socially relevant and indispensable collection.

IHLIA is an independent organisation located in OBA Oosterdok in Amsterdam. IHLIA is continuously involved in collecting information about the LGBTIQ+ community and making it accessible. LGBTIQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer persons. Anyone can turn to IHLIA for information about homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, intersex and queer persons, and about their history, everyday life and culture.

We can get a tour for free! More information in IHLIA can be found on their website.

 

WorldPride March

Besides showing that we are a beautiful, diverse and colourful community, the WorldPride March is the protest to show the world that we do not accept others telling us how to live. We also march for those who cannot join us, and to make that visible, we carry the flags of countries where homosexuality is punishable under the penal code. To do this, we follow the ILGA list and also liaise with 76Crimes, an organisation that monitors anti-gay legislation worldwide.