Will January bring crisp weather or lingering holiday crowds? Which exhibitions, concerts and city projects should you look out for this month? Read on to discover how Rotterdam will begin 2026 with art, music, food and community news.
Weather and seasonal changes
January in Rotterdam is usually cold and damp. The January 2025 editorial notes that average temperatures hover around 4 °C (39 °F), with highs around 10 °C (50 °F) and lows that can dip to 2 °C (36 °F). Expect cloudy skies and frequent rain, so plan for waterproof layers and perhaps a stiff breeze when crossing the Erasmus Bridge. Daylight hours are still short, but by mid‑month the sun begins to set a little later, making it easier to enjoy winter walks along the Maas. Occasional frost or light snow is possible, and the municipality offers free gritting salt to residents and lists official gritting routes, reminding locals to clear snow on pavements and to report slippery spots via the city’s hotline. Evening indoor events therefore remain popular, and January’s cultural calendar reflects this cosy mood.
New year special events
One of January’s biggest events is Holiday On Ice – HORIZONS, running at Rotterdam Ahoy from 2 to 6 January. The family‑oriented show combines figure skating, acrobatics and colourful costumes to celebrate city life, with a cast of 40 international skaters. Tickets start at €32.95 and seating is assigned. On 2 January, the LatinXpress New Year edition at Podium Grounds offers salsa and bachata dancing across separate rooms with DJs; it is part of Typical Tropical’s January programme. From 2 to 3 January, Winter Evenings at Blijdorp allows visitors to explore the zoo after dark. The event features a polar‑bear route illuminated with LED lights, a magical forest walk, workshops, an ice rink and a Winterplein with hot chocolate. Later in the month, film fans can look forward to the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), which returns from 29 January to 8 February. Now in its 55th year, IFFR champions independent cinema and experimental storytelling and will spotlight Japanese V‑Cinema, a retrospective of Egyptian director Marwan Hamed and the Robby Müller Award for cinematographer Yorick Le Saux. Key industry events like Pro Days (30 January–4 February) and CineMart (1–4 February) support up‑and‑coming filmmakers.
Art and exhibitions to explore
Rotterdam’s exhibition scene provides both political commentary and historical perspective this month. The House of Banksy at Las Palmas (23 January–10 May) presents over 150 reproductions of Banksy’s iconic motifs across graffiti, photos, sculpture, video and installations. The exhibit occupies 1,500 square metres of a renovated waterfront warehouse and uses extended evening hours on Thursdays through Saturdays. At the Nieuwe Instituut, Another Island continues through 3 May. Artist Janilda Bartolomeu explores the Cape Verdean diaspora by linking Rotterdam (known as the “eleventh island”) and Dakar via video installations, oral histories and references to Saint John the Baptist and Cape Verdean folklore. Over in M4H’s Brutus art space, Fear of Falling by researcher‑artist Carlijn Kingma runs 4 January–8 March. Kingma created an enormous drawing that maps the Dutch housing system; the exhibition overlays projections and wall prints, highlighting interviews with 120 experts to illuminate how finance and policy shape housing. Finally, the Destination Rotterdam exhibition at Kunsthal continues through 8 March. It invites visitors to trace the city’s transformation from merchant hub to modern metropolis using Baedeker guidebooks and roughly twenty paintings from Museum Rotterdam’s collection.
Live music to warm up the winter
Rotterdam’s January concert calendar ranges from improvised jazz to cinematic symphonies. On 2 January, the EHBO quartet brings together Dutch improvisation legends Han Bennink, Ernst Glerum, Benjamin Herman and Oscar Jan Hoogland at LantarenVenster. The group formed during the Han Bennink Vierdaagse and is celebrated for its generational blend and precise interplay. Doors open at 20:30 and tickets cost €23.
On 3 January, RTM Stage hosts the Hogwarts Sympho Show in Concert, where the PRIME Orchestra performs John Williams’ Harry Potter themes by candlelight and other composers’ music from later films; tickets start at €49. If you prefer rock classics, the Pink Floyd Project: Wish You Were Here recreates the band’s 1975 era at the Oude Luxor Theatre on 3 January, combining the albums Wish You Were Here and The Dark Side of the Moon. Ticket prices range between €25–€50.
Mid‑month, German metalcore group Electric Callboy brings its high‑energy mix of metal, techno and pop to the RTM Stage on 17 January. Doors open at 20:00 and tickets begin at €60.48. At the end of the month, Australian post‑punk band DUST returns to V11 on 29 January for its first Rotterdam headline show. Formed in 2020, DUST blends post‑punk with jazz and electronica; their second album Sky is Falling follows tours supporting Slowdive, Interpol and Bloc Party. Doors open at 20:30, with standing tickets priced at €14.
Food and drink news
January sees a significant hospitality milestone: Celest’s skybar at De Zalmhaven opens to individual visitors on 2 January 2026, giving the public access to a 190‑metre‑high venue previously reserved for groups. The bar will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 17:00 until 01:00 with free entry; guests can enjoy 360‑degree views, cocktails and small plates while DJs provide a soundtrack. The restaurant itself still caters to private and business bookings.
If you are curious about the city’s culinary habits, Thuisbezorgd.nl’s 2025 data reveal that pizza margherita remained Rotterdam’s most ordered dish, while Korean fried chicken and double smash burgers emerged as top rising orders. Desserts like homemade tiramisu and drinks such as red fruit lemonade gained popularity, and breakfast deliveries saw a surge in orders for cinnamon buns and overnight oats. Moreover, the article notes that grocery deliveries tripled compared with the previous year, with bananas, milk and cucumbers topping the supermarket list.
For a more upscale dining experience, critics continue to praise Morena, a Latin‑inspired restaurant in the MaHo district that opened in October 2025. Its warm interior, murals and cocktails evoke Latin American flair, while the menu features dishes such as crispy chicharrón, beef empanadas, oyster mushroom tacos and tres leches cake. Expect rum punches and other mezcal‑, pisco‑ and guava‑based drinks that truly pack a punch.
City updates and urban developments
Several major development plans were announced in mid‑December. The De Bund Katendrecht project started construction on 15 December, planning 482 homes split between two towers; 40 % of the units will be mid‑range affordable, with 89 owner‑occupied and 104 rental homes designated as affordable. Designs by KCAP include ground‑floor retail and hospitality, shared indoor spaces and roof terraces.
Another plan, Waterkant, approved by Rotterdam’s executive board on 12 December, aims to create a new district on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas with approximately 3,740 homes and up to 70,000 m² of social and commercial facilities. The proposal envisions a continuous green structure linking Hillesluis to the Eiland van Brienenoord, underground parking to free up public space, and timber construction to reduce CO₂ emissions. A public information meeting is expected in January, and the draft environmental plan is open for inspection until 30 January 2026.
In the city centre, the Pompenburg redevelopment would add 1,100 homes in four towers ranging from 57–140 metres tall; at least 60 % of these units are slated for social or mid‑price segments. The plan includes cafés, offices, a potential film house and a park‑like landscape designed to reconnect the city centre with Rotterdam‑Noord. The zoning plan is now before the municipal council, with hearings set for January and a decision expected in February 2026.
Learn to dance or get out and dance
If your New Year’s resolution involves moving more, January offers both lessons and socials. Typical Tropical hosts accelerated beginners courses starting 9 January (bachata) and 11 January (salsa), condensing a ten‑week curriculum into four two‑hour lessons at its studio; the course costs €110 per person or €210 for couples. For a no‑pressure practice session, head to the free LatinCafé Dox on 21 January at Café Dox, where DJ Gilly plays salsa and bachata between 20:30 and 00:30.
