Hold on to Your Harnesses: Here Are Amsterdam’s Hottest Queer Events
- Sanne Pols
- Dec 17, 2025
- 7 min read
Whether you’re just visiting Amsterdam, a lucky queer local, or living elsewhere in the Netherlands and love coming to the city for the parties, I’ve got great news for you! In this article, you’ll find all the craziest, hottest, and queerest parties Amsterdam has to offer.
So tighten up your harness, fierce up that sweet mug of yours, and let’s get cooking.
If you wish to navigate directly to a specific events, here are the queer happenings mentioned in this article:
Striptopia (by The Queer Agenda)
What it is: Striptopia is a queer strip show and party concept that reclaims erotic performance through a lens of consent, inclusivity, and artistic autonomy. Created by The Queer Agenda, it merges strip culture with dance, queer tattoo studio and queer apparel pop-ups, pole dance workshops, and true performance art to create a space where bodies of all kinds are celebrated on queer terms.
Vibe: Sensual, playful, empowering. Expect DJs, pole and strip performances, interactive moments, and a crowd that treats desire as something joyful rather than transactional while also vibing on techno beats in the other rooms.
Why it stands out: Striptopia reframes stripping as an act of agency and creativity while fully honouring its roots and pioneers, offering a cherished, sacred space where eroticism and queer politics coexist, especially visible in its XXXL editions that transform venues into full-scale queer strip clubs (Hello Tillatec!).
Is Burning
What it is: Is Burning is a recurring queer dance party known for its underground ethos and strong musical identity. Rather than sticking to one venue, it moves across Amsterdam’s club landscape, keeping each edition fresh and unpredictable.
Vibe: Dark rooms, heavy beats, late nights. Music leans toward techno, electro, and house, attracting a crowd that comes primarily to dance.
Why it matters: Is Burning represents the less commercial side of queer nightlife, where music, community, and collective release take priority over spectacle or branding.
Hoerenbal (by Club ChUrch)
What it is: Hoerenbal — literally “Hooker’s Ball” — is a long-standing, tongue-in-cheek queer party that often appears around New Year’s Eve or special weekends.
Vibe: A few adjectives to describe Hoerenbal; camp, kinky, fetish, chaotic, celebratory. Costumes, flirtation, and dance-floor excess are part of the fun.
Why it stands out: With its provocative name and open-door policy, Hoerenbal embraces humor and inclusivity, creating a space where queerness is loud, playful, and unapologetic.
Lesbique(er)
What it is: Lesbique(er) is a community-focused queer party that centers lesbian, sapphic, and queer identities while remaining welcoming to all genders, hosted in one of the most iconic queer nightclubs of Amsterdam; Club ChUrch.
Vibe: Warm, social, kinky, and danceable. Music varies by edition, but the emphasis is always on connection and shared space. Queer men are welcome as long as they know the space they’re holding.
Why it matters: In a nightlife scene where lesbian-focused spaces are increasingly rare, Lesbique(er) provides continuity, visibility, and a sense of belonging. While the cruising culture is mainly gay-men dominated, this event ensures a place for the kinky and cruising-afficionados of the FLINTA community.
Spielraum
What it is: Spielraum is one of Amsterdam’s most influential queer techno party series and the foundation behind Club RAUM, a queer-run nightclub in the city.
Vibe: Raw, immersive, and deeply music-driven. Long sets, minimal visuals, and no-phone policies create an intense dance-floor focus.
Why it stands out: Spielraum prioritizes freedom of expression and collective presence, making it a reference point for queer techno culture both locally and internationally.
The Planet
What it is: The Planet appears more as a concept or recurring presence within Amsterdam’s queer festival and party ecosystem than as a fixed standalone event.
Vibe: Open, exploratory, and collaborative, often aligned with festival stages or special programming.
Why it matters: Its inclusion reflects the fluid, evolving nature of queer nightlife. The Planet is where collectives overlap, merge, and reappear in different forms.
Girls Love Janey (often shortened “Janey”)
What it is: Janey is a long-running queer party night, particularly beloved by queer women and femmes, and frequently hosted at Club NYX or takes a much bigger space and venue for its festival.
Vibe: High-energy, pop-forward, and social. Think sing-alongs, flirting, and packed dance floors.
Why it stands out: Janey offers an accessible, joyful entry point into queer nightlife; less underground, more celebratory, and deeply community-oriented.
ICONIC
What it is: ICONIC is a vibrant queer dance night and pop culture celebration that has quickly become one of Amsterdam’s must‑attend club experiences. Born from sold‑out shows at venues like TivoliVredenburg (in Utrecht, a lovely city at 25 minutes by train from Amsterdam), this party has expanded into a traveling phenomenon, including special editions at Paradiso during the city’s Queer & Pride festivities, where queer pop music and dance collide in an electrifying, inclusive environment.
Vibe: High‑energy, glittering, and endlessly joyful, ICONIC leans into queer pop anthems and dancefloor favorites like most Amsterdam gay bars, spanning artists from Kim Petras and Charli XCX to Lil Nas X, Sam Smith, girl in red, Billie Eilish and more.
Why it stands out: More than just a club night, ICONIC is a queer pop party; a place where LGBTQ+ identity and pop culture meet on the dance floor with unapologetic joy. Its queer‑themed editions attract diverse crowds and deliver danceable, feel‑good energy that celebrates pop icons and queer community alike, making it one of Amsterdam’s most accessible and infectious Pride party highlights.
Superflirt Festival
What it is: Superflirt is a one-day queer festival that brings together music, drag, performance, and playful competition in a compact, community-driven celebration. Adding even more sparkle, the Drag Superball, an exhilarating and hilarious drag contest, serves as the cherry on top of one of the Netherlands’ queerest festivals.
Vibe: Lighthearted, colorful, and flirtatious. Multiple stages, outdoor energy, and a strong sense of togetherness.
Why it stands out: Superflirt balances party energy with creativity and humor, making it one of the most approachable and joyful queer festivals in the city where you can be as queer and kinky as you want to be.
Tropikali
What it is: Tropikali is one of Amsterdam’s largest independent queer festivals, held annually at NDSM Wharf (easily accessible by a —free— ferry).
Vibe: Daytime dancing, global rhythms, summer festival energy. Music spans genres from techno to Latin and Balkan-inspired sounds. Everyone puts quite a lot of attention on their outfit. Expect harnesses (block or flashy colors), feathers, sequins, funny sunglasses, glitters, and artsy make-up.
Why it matters: Tropikali brings together diversity, scale, and inclusivity, offering a rare large-format festival that still feels community-rooted.
The Unfiltered Stage
What it is: The Unfiltered Stage is a performance concept rather than a single event, often appearing within larger queer festivals or parties.
Vibe: Raw, expressive, and unapologetic. Featuring drag and sex workers, spoken word, music, or experimental and sexy performance.
Why it matters: It expands queer nightlife beyond the dance floor, giving space to storytelling, vulnerability, and artistic voice and movements. It provides a voice and genuine support to the sex worker community.
sSssSensationsSs Collective
What it is: sSssSensationsSs is an experimental queer collective that merges nightlife with performance, choreography, and community practice. Rather than hosting conventional club nights, it creates immersive environments where dancing, witnessing, and participation blur together.
Vibe: Intense, embodied, and ritualistic. Expect electronic and bass-heavy sounds, live interventions, and a crowd deeply engaged with the moment.
Why it stands out: By centering QTBIPOC voices and non-normative expressions of joy and movement, sSssSensationsSs reimagines the dance floor as a site of care, resistance, and transformation.
Type of Music you can expect in the queer events of Amsterdam
Amsterdam’s queer events generally bounce on techno and its various subgenres. House music is also played as well as hyper-pop. Expect horny beats, cunty lyrics, and queer & allies DJs.
Some events even have several rooms open, so that you can “vary the pleasures” and enjoy multiple genres in one night of sexy dancing and felt beats to tap your feet onto.
The rules: you best know them well, and apply them!
For every kinky event to happen flawlessly and safely, and for those events to keep happening, you best believe the crowd is respectful and the rules are here to be applied. Here are the most common house rules from venues / events to know and respect.
No sexism, homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, racism, bigotry towards any religion or beliefs, or ableism. Not slut-shaming and no fat-phobia. That’s a given, but great to remind the crowd. Those are sex positive, respectful, and welcoming events and it’s crucial for the community to keep them this way.
Consent is key, and expressed clearly. In those events, you’ll probably see people who aren’t wearing too many clothes, who are dressed very sexily (wooop woop!), who are sometimes naked, or even dressed as usual. Whatever their outfit (or lack of!), you should not take it for an invitation to touch or harass the person. Then again, should be a given 😀
Most events prohibit videos and pictures, and will give you thereof a little sticker to hide your camera. This rule is to respect people’s privacy and anonymity.
If there are performances (pole dancers, strippers, artists or drags, do not touch the performer unless they give you consent to do so (there again, you can refer to the consent rule ♥️)
Celebrate and party safely: hard drug use is prohibited in the Netherlands, and that is also true for those events. Whatever you do, make sure you do it safely and ensure to know the effects of whatever you’ll consume during the event and how everything interacts with each other. If you face any problem yourself or you see someone not doing good, you can approach a staff or security member to handle the situation in the safest and most respectful way possible. Know that consumers are not prosecuted in the Netherlands. 🫶 Always good to check on your friends when partying so your night will go wonders. ✨
Final tips before you go explore Amsterdam’s queer scene
Plan ahead: Many events are seasonal, especially outdoor festivals like Tropikali and Superflirt; tickets can sell out months in advance, even within a few minutes of their release time.
Follow socials: Underground and community nights are often announced on Instagram or community calendars, so following organizers helps you stay in the loop. I also recommend you to follow the Queer Calendar to get all the events listed (parties and cultural / community events) since meta disabled many queer accounts.
Be respectful: Most queer parties prioritize consent, safe spaces, and inclusive vibes, so check house policies like no photos or consent culture before entering.
Ready to dance, swoon, and get lost in Amsterdam’s queer magic? I can personally vouch for how unforgettable these parties are — and if you want a guided deep dive, join me on my queer nightlife tour, where I show you the best spots, share insider stories, and help you navigate the city like a true party pro. And if you want even more tips on where to keep the night going, don’t miss my article on Amsterdam’s top gay nightclubs — because the party doesn’t stop here.