De Doelen celebrates 60 years with jubilee programme

ROTTERDAM, 30 April 2026 – De Doelen is celebrating 60 years as Rotterdam’s musical heart with a jubilee weekend from 15 to 17 May 2026 and a wider anniversary programme throughout the year. The concert hall opened on 18 May 1966, becoming a landmark of the city’s post-war reconstruction.

The anniversary year highlights de Doelen’s role as an international house for music and encounter, with room for classical music, jazz, pop, young talent, city gatherings and cultural exchange in the centre of Rotterdam.

Jubilee weekend in May

The festive heart of the anniversary year takes place from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 May. The weekend includes an opening night with the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, a concert by Al Di Meola, a performance by The Kik and a programme built around musical exchange and meeting each other. 

During the same weekend, visitors can also see an exhibition that brings 60 years of music history to life. The exhibition 60 years in posters runs from Friday 15 May to Saturday 4 July and has free admission.

Rotterdam’s musical heart

De Doelen has been connected to music and gathering in Rotterdam for centuries. What began as a concert location in the seventeenth century eventually became the concert hall that opened on Schouwburgplein in 1966, after war damage and reconstruction reshaped the city centre. 

Over the past six decades, the venue has welcomed names ranging from Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis and Nirvana to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Alongside major international artists and orchestras, de Doelen has also given space to young makers at the start of their careers. 

De Doelen celebrates 60 years in Rotterdam with a jubilee weekend from 15 to 17 May 2026 and a full anniversary programme.

Programme spans the full year

Although the official kick-off takes place in May, the whole of 2026 is built around the 60th anniversary. The programme includes international orchestras, Rotterdam pioneers and a special exhibition in Studio 2, showing the wide range of what de Doelen has become.

The jubilee weekend programme includes Bruckner 5 by the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest on Friday 15 May, Al Di Meola on Saturday 16 May, a jubilee concert with Lorenzo Gatto & Karavan Ensemble on Sunday afternoon and The Kik on Sunday evening. 

New season takes shape

Edo Righini, general director of de Doelen, describes the anniversary as a key moment for the largest classical stage in the Netherlands. “De Doelen is more than a concert and congress building. It is the musical heart of Rotterdam, where international artists and new talent come together, and where there has been room for all the voices that make Rotterdam rich for decades.”

“From 2026, we are restructuring our offer and our way of working. Under the banner Together in Music (Samen in Muziek), we are presenting a new concert season in which tradition and renewal, international excellence and local talent come together in one coherent programme. That mainly means: more music, a broader stylistic approach and more intensive collaborations with Rotterdam partners, both in the cultural field and in the social domain and education.”

Events at de Doelen

More anniversary concerts continue later in 2026. The programme includes Joel Ross | Good Vibes, John Hiatt, The Best of Tubular Bells I, II & III, Anna Lapwood with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Laurens Symfonisch vrouwenkoor, Krystian Zimerman, Twilight in Concert, APNA Divali Familie Festival 2026, Yotam Ottolenghi, the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Alice Sara Ott and more. 

You can view the full anniversary programme at https://www.dedoelen.nl/nl/60-jaar-de-doelen-c8wb and the complete jubilee agenda at https://www.dedoelen.nl/nl/agenda?genres%5B0%5D=345.

How to get there

De Doelen is on Schouwburgplein, right in the centre of Rotterdam. From Rotterdam Centraal, you can walk there in a few minutes via Kruisplein, while metro, tram and bus connections around Centraal and Stadhuis also bring you close to the venue.