Turkish Nightlife in the Netherlands

In an article on 3-6-2010 in the Dutch national newspaper NRC Next there was an article on events and nightlife catering to (Dutch-Turkish) audiences in the Netherlands who are interested in Turkish culture. According to PhD research on nightlife behavior of ethnic youth in the Netherlands by Simone Boogaarts PhD, in the last few years Turkish nightlife in the Netherlands has developed a lot. Five years ago it was hard to find any party or event for this target group, and those that were organized took place in small rented venues. Now main podia, like Paradiso and Melkweg, regularly host cultural events for those who are into Turkish nightlife. Now every weekend one can visit an event or party linked with Turkish culture. The biggest and most frequent Turkish events can be found in the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, but also in less central cities such as Arnhem, Tilburg, Zaandam, and Hoofddorp.

Since 2002 online agenda Turksagenda.nl keeps track of the hottest parties and events for their, mostly, Turkish audience. Next to links to events, Turksagenda.nl also puts photos taken at the various events on their site. Visitors to the site can win free tickets and the site has close contact with its audience and event organizers.

In 2009 they launched a completely overhauled site with a possibility to buy tickets online. www.turksagenda.nl

Beyoğlu Gecesi offers Turkish parties that are organized every week at the Amsterdam café Cinetone. They seem to aim at a more high-end Turkish/international audience with their events. They have a strict door policy.

Club Caprice in Amsterdam has Turkish Club evenings every Saturday night. They mostly play oriental and arabesque music.