Straattheater
straattheater.info
for, by, and about street theatre performers in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Legal stuff about street theatre performing

The pitches Leidseplein and Dam Square

The 'unwritten rules'

For busking street musicians

License application

1. Amsterdam City Council
On-line License Application

2. Straattheater.info
Additional Info Generator

Documents

Gedoogbrief voice amplification
(PDF, 492 kB)

Map forbidden streets
(PDF, 1.9 MB)

 

You want to play live music on the streets of Amsterdam?

Then this web site is a bit the wrong place; basically it is meant for and applies to street theatre performers with a socalled circle show. Legally and practically things are different for busking musicians.

But since we get many questions from musicians we made this specific page with the basics that apply to street musicians in Amsterdam.

PLEASE NOTE: this page was made in June 2007 and will not be maintained actively. It is meant to be only a rough guideline. To know about the current situation, please contact the Amsterdam City Council. We don't know more than what is written on this page.

License or not?

One does NOT need a license to play live music in the streets of Amsterdam. Playing is free for Europeans as well as non-Europeans. However, some restrictions apply:
A maximum of 30 minutes per day near the same spot (radius 100m),
You may not use amplification or percussion instruments,
You may not play with a group of more than six persons,
You may not play in the evening after 23.00, on Sundays not before 13:00.
You may not play in certain streets and areas.

Check out the 'Map forbidden streets' in the link menu on the left side of this screen. Note these forbidden streets are subject to change. Inform at the city council or the police to be sure.

It is not possible to get a license allowing amplification, drums etc. Exception is when you want to organize a one-day event and build a stage or so, but that's a totally different story...

Pitches

There are many places around town where you can play your music, especially if you want to play just 'small'. Some pitches are shared and organized with a line-up, like the main terrace of Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein. If you want to play these pitches, first go there and ask the musicians playing how things are done.

Other pitches are shared and organized by street theatre performers. Since the nature of street music differs from street theatre, also the pitches got divided historically between street music versus street theatre. This is generally accepted and respected by both the street musicians as well as the street theatre performers.

Please, do not 'squeeze yourself in' on or near the pitches played by street theatre artists. While musicians can play many pitches all over town, for circle show street theatre there are only one or two options.

Selling CD's

Selling CD's with your music is officially forbidden, although it seems to us that some get away with it.


 

 
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straattheater, amsterdam, street theater, holland, street performing, the netherlands, busking, performing, license, vergunning, permit, ontheffing, sas, show, straatartiesten, streettheater, street artist, mime, clown, juggler, magician, living statue, unicyclist, acrobat, straatartiest, jongleur, levend standbeeld, acrobaat, performance, fire