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Amsterdam Marks 750 Years With Giant Cake and Royal Concert

The finale capped a resident-focused year in a city wrestling with overtourism.

Overview

  • Mayor Femke Halsema cut a 75‑metre cake at 7:50 a.m. on Dam Square, with 7,500 slices delivered across all districts.
  • An evening concert on Museumplein outside the Rijksmuseum featured Dutch performers and drew King Willem‑Alexander, Queen Máxima and Crown Princess Amalia, followed by a 10 p.m. bonfire.
  • The yearlong program included a 24‑hour closure of the A10 ring road for the Op de Ring festival, 75 couples marrying, and a temporary forest of 750 trees, with the city investing €27 million.
  • Amsterdam counts roughly 900,000 residents, about 27 million day visitors in 2024, and 22.9 million tourist overnight stays last year.
  • Policy fights continue over tourism and nightlife, with a proposal to bar visitors from central coffee shops, a contested plan to move the red‑light district that could start construction in 2031 if approved, and a residents’ lawsuit seeking tougher limits on overnight stays.