HAPPENING 1–13 SEP 2026 | Trompenburg Tuinen & Arboretum is slowing things down from 1 to 13 September with yoga, forest bathing, an outdoor piano concert, a botanical retreat and even a guided power nap. Slow September uses the Kralingen botanical garden as a setting for two weeks of activities centred on rest, nature and taking a little time away from the usual city pace.
September is a good fit for the idea. The final stretch of summer is giving way to the first signs of autumn, while Trompenburg’s trees, gardens and quieter corners provide a rather different environment from the streets only a short distance away.
Slow down among the trees
Slow September is less a single event than a programme spread across nearly two weeks. Sessions range from conventional yoga to experiences that combine nature, music, art and relaxation.
The programme begins on Wednesday 2 September with Kundalini Yoga. Movement, breathing exercises, meditation and mantra are brought together during a session among the plants and trees, followed by herbal tea. No previous Kundalini Yoga experience is required. Participation costs €19, excluding regular garden admission.
On Friday 4 September, pianist Anne Veinberg performs film music during Piano & Chill, an open-air concert where the audience lies down rather than sitting in rows of chairs. Visitors should bring a picnic blanket, mat, cushion or blanket and settle into the garden from 19:00. Tickets cost €28 including garden admission, or €24 with a Museumkaart, Rotterdampas or Trompenburg annual pass.
Do you run a business? RotterdamStyle is looking for a main sponsor. Get exclusive visibility across our website for a fixed fee. Interested? Contact us 🤝
An English-language botanical retreat
One of the most interesting options for RotterdamStyle readers takes place on Saturday 6 September. The three-hour Botanical Day Retreat is conducted entirely in English and combines a guided forest-bathing walk, gentle yoga, tea and a mindful botanical painting workshop.
The morning runs from 10:00 to 13:00. After the walk and yoga session, participants spend time together over tea and a snack before making their own botanical artwork inspired by the garden.
Participation costs €49 per person, excluding regular garden admission, and includes painting materials, tea and a snack. You should bring your own yoga mat and water and wear clothes you can comfortably move in. The activity takes place outdoors, although the programme can move under Trompenburg’s covered stretch tent in poor weather.
Slow September brings yoga and relaxation to Trompenburg
Cacao, forest bathing and yogic sleep
On Wednesday 9 September, Nouqs hosts a Cacao & Yoga Nidra Retreat. The afternoon begins with a ceremonial cacao ritual before moving through meditation, gentle breathing and yin poses towards Yoga Nidra, sometimes described as yogic sleep. The session starts at 14:00 and lasts around two to two and a half hours. Participation costs €47.50, including fresh cacao.
Nature takes the lead again on Saturday 12 September with Waar aarde fluistert, a three-hour forest-bathing session marking the Day of Mindfulness. Shinrin-yoku originated in Japan and centres on deliberately slowing your pace and paying closer attention to what you see, hear, smell and feel in a natural environment. Trompenburg’s version includes a quiet guided walk, sensory exercises and a closing tea ceremony. The session starts at 11:00 and costs €49, excluding garden admission. Rotterdampas holders receive 50 per cent off the activity price.
Do you run a business? RotterdamStyle is looking for a main sponsor. Get exclusive visibility across our website for a fixed fee. Interested? Contact us 🤝
Slow September closes on Sunday 13 September with Rotterdam interdisciplinary collective HipSick and [DIS]ORDER – The Spectrum of Sleep. This one is essentially permission to lie down on a lawn and drift off.
Participants bring their own yoga mat, sleeping mat or air mattress and are guided towards the boundary between waking and sleeping through live music, voice, scent and subtle projections. Falling asleep is completely acceptable and, unusually, means you are doing the activity correctly.
The experience lasts about an hour and costs €20, excluding regular garden admission. Trompenburg’s Slow September overview and separate booking pages currently show different start times for this performance, so check the time shown on your booking confirmation before visiting.
Slow September brings yoga and relaxation to Trompenburg
Tickets and garden admission
Most Slow September activities require a separate booking, and several prices do not include regular admission to Trompenburg. Normal adult entry is €12.50, visitors aged 13 to 25 pay €6.50, children aged 5 to 12 pay €2.50 and younger children enter free. Museumkaart and Rotterdampas holders receive free regular admission.
The garden is normally open from 12:00 to 17:00 on Mondays and from 10:00 to 17:00 Tuesday to Sunday between March and October. Individual Slow September activities can take place outside those standard hours.
The complete programme and booking options are available on Trompenburg’s activities page. Because places are limited per session, booking ahead makes sense if there is one activity you particularly want to join.
How to get there
Trompenburg Tuinen & Arboretum is located in Kralingen, east of Rotterdam city centre and close to Erasmus University. The garden is easy to reach by bike from the centre and Rotterdam-Oost, while public transport stops are available around Honingerdijk and Woudestein.
