In keeping Amsterdammer's enthusiasm about life, every day is filled with special events. Some of Amsterdam's best freebies are its street performers. You'll find them primarily in front of Centraal Station during the day and on Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein in the evening.

April 30 is Queen's Day and the city crowds the streets to enjoy performances, parades, markets, and general merrymaking.

The single most important event in the Netherlands is the flowering of the bulb fields each spring from March to mid-May. Two-thirds of all the cut flowers sold in the world come from the Netherlands. The best flower-viewing area are between Haarlem and Leiden and between Haarlem and Leiden and between Haarlem and Den Helder. The heighlight of the bulb season is the annual flower parade from Haarlem to Noordwijk in late April. There's another flower parade from Alsmeer (home of the world's largest flower auction) to Amsterdam on the first Saturday in September.

In June, July and August open-air concerts are held in Vondelpark. Check at the tourist Information Office for times and dates. In June the city hosts the Holland Festival, an extravaganza of music, dance, and other cultural offerings that take place all over the city and feature a different theme each year. In September, the Jordaan Festival showcases this old neighbourhood where small inexpensive restaurants, secondhand shops, and unusual boutiques and galleries are found.