Will May’s longer evenings tempt you up to a rooftop, or will a riverside terrace become your after‑work refuge? Which exhibitions are shaping the city’s mood just before summer truly lands? And what steps is the municipality taking while we are busy dancing the night away? Read on for a locals‑first preview of Rotterdam in May 2025.
Spring makes itself known: what May feels like
May in Rotterdam is the moment you swap winter coats for light jackets and test how long you can sit outdoors before the North Sea breeze says otherwise. Average daytime highs flirt with 18 °C and daylight stretches past nine o’clock, inviting evening walks along the Nieuwe Maas. Sudden showers still sweep through, so keep a compact umbrella handy. Seasonal bars such as Biergarten, Garden of BIRD and De Maaskantine are already open, signalling that alfresco culture is back for good.
Four May events you will want on your calendar
From Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 May the travelling TREK food festival turns Vroesenpark into an open‑air kitchen with dozens of food trucks, craft‑beer stands and acoustic sets. Between 23 May and 1 June the boundary‑pushing O. Festival scatters opera, theatre and experimental music across venues that range from industrial shipyards to private living rooms. Ascension Day on Thursday 29 May marks the official Rotterdam beach season kick‑off in Hoek van Holland: Royal Festival programmes five house‑ and hard‑style stages while Villa on the Beach delivers an all‑day club line‑up. That same afternoon the first roofs open for Rotterdam Rooftop Days, a city‑wide invitation to climb normally closed sky‑lines until 9 June.
Art and exhibitions offering fresh perspectives
At Kunsthal, Anansi the Spider runs all month, weaving West African folklore into immersive storytelling complete with vibrant illustrations and activity stations for children. Until 11 May the same museum hosts Toy Stories: Designing Intimacy, a candid examination of sex‑toy design that reframes pleasure as industrial design and social commentary.
Just a few minutes’ walk away, the Maritime Museum presents Crying Glass through October, showing how minute stress fractures in historic lenses gradually alter their shape and function. Together, these shows anchor folklore, taboo design and conservation science within a single month’s cultural itinerary.
Live music for every mood
Gig hunters can start on Tuesday 7 May at Rotown where Scottish indie rock quartet Declan Welsh & The Decadent West bring punchy social‑commentary lyrics to an intimate stage. The next night, jazz‑trumpeter Yazz Ahmed blends Arabic rhythms and electronic textures inside the main hall of De Doelen. Soul singer Zara McFarlane’s warm vocals fill the riverfront auditorium of LantarenVenster on Saturday 10 May. Finally, global afrobeats star Wizkid tops the month with a headline show at Rotterdam Ahoy on Friday 23 May, promising chart‑topping hooks and an arena‑wide sing‑along. Check out all these gigs and more on our Live Music in Rotterdam page.
Fresh tastes and terrace chatter
Family budgets stretch a little further over the May school break because children eat free until 4 May at De Beren branches in Alexandrium and Capelle. Schiedam’s 750th anniversary inspires a limited‑edition collaboration between Bobby’s Gin and De Bonte Koe: a caramel‑filled chocolate bar infused with the distillery’s fragrant gin, stocked in select city shops while supplies last. Across Rotterdam, improvised terraces pop up on empty quays, former car parks and overlooked riverbanks, proof that the city enjoys converting forgotten corners into sociable sun‑traps.
Streets in transition: recent urban developments
In Overschie the council has endorsed a framework for up to 450 new homes, a sports centre and expanded greenery around Schietbaanstraat, with detailed planning expected this summer. South of the river the Council of State has cleared the final legal obstacles for the long‑awaited Rijnhaven transformation, unlocking room for three thousand waterfront homes and a pedestrian‑friendly park. On the coast, Hoek van Holland’s Brinkplein renewal is scheduled to start later this year, adding nearly three thousand square metres of planting as well as a ship‑shaped play dune for children. Each project hints at a greener, denser and more neighbourhood‑centred city.
Learn to dance or just keep moving
Dance socials bridge the gap between a concert and a workout. The instructors behind Typical Tropical run fast‑track salsa, bachata and kizomba courses all month, capped with a free Latincafé Dox evening overlooking Rijnhaven on Wednesday 21 May. Meanwhile nhow Rotterdam has added Friday and Saturday DJ sessions from 21:30 until one in the morning, combining skyline views with upbeat house selections. Whether you are practising cross‑body steps or simply swaying beside a bar stool, there is a rhythm somewhere with your name on it.
