Ambacht in Beeld Festival 26 & 27 September 2026, NDSM Loods Amsterdam

For the Ambacht in Beeld Festival 2026, we will once again transform the NDSM Loods in Amsterdam into a massive artisan workshop on September 26 and 27, where artisans from all corners of the world share their knowledge and passion with a broad audience.

The Ambacht in Beeld Festival is the national festival where young and old come together to experience the joy of making and the beauty of crafts.

The program consists of more than one hundred workshops, masterclasses, and demonstrations. There is a repair shop, a cinema, an exhibition space, and in-depth lectures. Visitors of all ages are welcome. There is plenty to experience and create especially for children. During the festival, they can learn forging, weaving, woodworking, and much more. For them, creating things themselves is of great importance, away from the screens!

Festival Director Wendy van Wilgenburg emphasizes the mission of the Ambacht in Beeld Foundation: “With the festival, we aim not only to share the value of artisanal mastery but also to contribute to the preservation of professional knowledge and the influx into artisanal vocational training programs. Additionally, we encourage more conscious purchasing behavior by focusing on the sustainability and quality of objects crafted with expertise, love, and attention by artisan makers.”

Appreciation for craftsmanship

This year marks the 12th edition of the festival, and impact research shows that the direct making experience has a lasting effect on the public. After visiting the festival, people are more likely to choose artisanally made products. Furthermore, visitors develop a greater appreciation for craftsmanship, discover its complexity and innovative nature, and become motivated to continue learning to make things themselves. The festival also contributes positively to the revaluation of secondary vocational education (MBO), which is important for training the new generation of skilled professionals that we, as a society, desperately need.

Photo: Stichting Ambacht in Beeld/Bram Kloos

Crafts from the Caribbean part of the Netherlands and Suriname

This year, we are inviting artisans from the Caribbean Netherlands—Saba, Sint-Eustatius, and Bonaire—from the autonomous countries of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint-Maarten, and Suriname to share their knowledge and craftsmanship with the public.

Within the Dutch Caribbean and in Suriname, rich, often overlooked, artisanal traditions have developed in which history, community, and identity come together. Many of these crafts—from woodworking and weaving to instrument making—are based on the use of local materials and knowledge passed down from generation to generation. By programming these crafts at the festival, we contribute to the visibility and preservation of this intangible heritage. At the same time, space is created for cultural exchange and encounters between makers and the public.

Stichting Wasjikwa offers workshops on knotting hammocks in the indigenous Surinamese style.

Photo: Stichting Ambacht in Beeld/Bram Kloos

Innovation and Sustainability

Craftsmanship is often associated with the ‘past’: nostalgia, centuries-old traditional knowledge passed down unchanged. But nothing could be further from the truth. Innovation has always been part of craftsmanship. Consider, for example, the innovative idea of ​​incorporating a crankshaft into a mill, which gave rise to the sawmill. Or a furniture designer who has recently started working with a robotic arm: he demonstrates that technology and craftsmanship reinforce each other. His expertise does not disappear; on the contrary. Programming a robot requires in-depth knowledge of materials, motion, and an intensive process of experimentation. Moreover, artisanal expertise stimulates innovation in numerous other sectors. It is not without reason that the director of ASML mentions the importance of artisans for chip manufacturing.

This theme is addressed through workshops, masterclasses, and a lecture program.

Renewal arises through encounters, exchange, and craftsmanship – and goes hand in hand with sustainability. Sustainability forms a self-evident starting point within craftsmanship. After all, a well-made product lasts a long time and can be repaired. Artisans know the origin, properties, and possibilities of their materials and are constantly looking for ways to combat waste. In workshops and masterclasses, we show how residual materials, discarded objects, and recycled raw materials can acquire new value.

Furniture designer Rutger Graas. Photo: Stichting Ambacht in Beeld/Daniëlle Lakeman

Practical information

The Ambacht in Beeld Festival takes place on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the NDSM Loods, located at NDSM-Plein 85 in Amsterdam-Noord. Admission is €12.50 at the door and €10.00 in advance online.

Children up to and including 12 years of age and City Pass holders can enter for free.

Ticket sales for admission tickets start on July 1. Tickets for the workshops and masterclasses can be purchased starting September 1.