ROTTERDAM, 5 January 2026 – The Groot Handelsgebouw next to Rotterdam Centraal station is lining up two new venues for 2026, plus a high-profile urban festival. If you pass through Centraal often, you might soon have a new reason to linger instead of rushing straight into the city.
ECHO
ECHO is described as a listening bar, built around high-quality sound and curated vinyl sessions, more “sit and listen” than “shout over the music”. Rotterdam Partners says it is set to open in March 2026.
If you have ever wished Rotterdam had a calmer, music-first space right by the station, this is the vibe the concept is aiming for.
do. by Little V
The big, long-empty corner that used to be Brasserie Engels is also getting a new tenant. Tan Do, the entrepreneur behind Little V, is opening do. by Little V in the former Engels space inside the Groot Handelsgebouw.
The plan is an all-day grand café spread across 1,500 m² and two floors, mixing French and Vietnamese touches across the day.
The opening promise is deliberately simple: croissants with Vietnamese coffee in the morning, bánh mì for lunch, and traditional noodle soups for dinner.
It also closes a chapter many Rotterdammers have felt for a while: that famous corner spot stayed vacant for years, even though it sits right at the city’s front door.
Utopian Hours lands on 28–29 May
The building will also host the Rotterdam programme of Utopian Hours, a festival focused on city-making and urban vision. Rotterdam is set to stage part one of the 10th edition on 28 and 29 May 2026, with the second part returning to Turin in October.
The festival programme brings together architects, urbanists, policymakers, designers and entrepreneurs to talk through ideas, pressures and opportunities shaping cities right now.
Why this matters for Groot Handelsgebouw’s next chapter
Taken together, these announcements underline how the Groot Handelsgebouw is leaning harder into being a mixed-use place where you can work, meet, eat, and turn up for events, not just pass through on your way to somewhere else. It is also a very Rotterdam move: use a post-war icon as a practical hub, then layer culture and conversation on top.
How to get to Groot Handelsgebouw
Groot Handelsgebouw sits directly beside Rotterdam Centraal, so it is one of the easiest venues in the city to reach by train, metro, tram, or bike. If you arrive at Rotterdam Centraal, head towards Stationsplein and you will basically see the building immediately. Coming by tram or metro, Centraal is your anchor point, and the last stretch is a short walk across the station square.
