HAPPENING 15-16 AUG 2026 | Floating Pasar will bring two days of music, food, dance, film and storytelling to Fenix and the surrounding quays on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August. Admission to the family festival is free, with activities representing Indo, Indonesian, Moluccan and Papuan diaspora communities.
The festival opens a new chapter this year by moving to Fenix on Katendrecht. Food stalls and a market will fill Fenix Plein, while performances, conversations, workshops and films take place across several nearby venues. The market is scheduled from 10:00 to 21:00, with the main stage programme beginning at noon and continuing until 22:00.
Remembering and celebrating freedom
Floating Pasar takes place during the weekend when the Netherlands commemorates the end of the Second World War in Southeast Asia. The festival combines remembrance with celebration, creating space to pass on family histories while bringing different generations together through food, art and live performance.
Rotterdam’s local commemoration takes place on Saturday 15 August from 11:00 to 12:00 at the Indisch Straatsieraad near De Boeg on Boompjes. Floating Pasar is organised by Stichting 15 augustus 1945 regio Rotterdam, the foundation responsible for the annual city commemoration and activities that raise awareness of the war and its consequences in the former Dutch East Indies.
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Live music across Katendrecht
The programme on the main Podium Besar opens on Saturday with Crazy Rockers and Boy Luntangan. Maya Maria, DAAN, H.O.M.E., Blaudzun, Luke Christoffel & The Golden Tears and Sekan continue the programme throughout the afternoon and evening.
Sunday’s main-stage line-up includes Lagu Jiwa, One More Time, Faradays, Minko, Rafa & Nani, Jooz and RanD-MC. A separate Fenix stage adds traditional Indonesian dance by Lely Kurniati, performances by Satria Nusantara, Annabel Laura and Robinson Jouwe, and music by DJ Avifauna on Saturday. Sunday brings Robin Block, spoken word by Jonathan Tjien Fooh, Emir Cello with Hayley, Lexi Dewi and another DJ set by Avifauna.
Stories beyond the main stages
Verhalenhuis Belvédère hosts talks and panels about personal histories and contemporary experiences. Saturday’s subjects include Otjep Hully’s personal story, Indonesian cuisine in the Netherlands and adoption from Indonesia. On Sunday, speakers address representation on screen, the Burma-Siam and Pakan Baroe railways, the history of tea, survivors known as comfort women and the role of younger generations.
The Bersama Film Festival at LantarenVenster expands the programme with films connected to Indonesia, colonial history and the diaspora. Saturday’s schedule includes Buitenkampers, Anak Indië, Djakarta 1946 – Perang Kota and The Act of Killing. Sunday’s screenings include De Oost, Slave Island, Marlina the Murderer and The Promise. Film screenings require separate tickets through LantarenVenster, and the programme remains subject to change.
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Festival moves to Fenix
Floating Pasar previously took place elsewhere in Rotterdam, but its move to Fenix gives the festival more space for performances, markets and conversations. The location is particularly relevant because Fenix is a museum about migration, housed beside quays from which millions of people departed and where others arrived.
The festival’s focus on migration can also be found inside the museum. Works by Thania Petersen, Jennifer Tee and Caja Boogers explore family histories, Indonesian textile traditions, memory and the ways colonial experiences continue to shape later generations.
Museum visit and Moluccan meal
Floating Pasar itself is free, but Fenix also offers a €20 combined ticket for either Saturday or Sunday. The ticket includes admission to all current museum exhibitions and a Moluccan meal prepared by pop-up chef BY FASSH on Fenix Plein.
The meal consists of satay, nasi and a salad made to the chef’s own recipe. Fenix states that specific allergies and dietary requirements cannot be accommodated. On Sunday from 14:00 to 15:00, museum visitors can also attend an artist talk with Caja Boogers and art critic Hans den Hartog Jager about family photographs, Boogers’ Indo family history and the colonial past.
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Tickets and practical details
Floating Pasar takes place on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August 2026. The market at Fenix Plein opens from 10:00 to 21:00, while the Podium Besar and the performance space at Conny Janssen Danst run from 12:00 to 22:00. Verhalenhuis Belvédère is open from 12:00 to 17:00 during the festival.
Admission to the outdoor festival and its stages is free. Drinks purchased from the Floating Pasar bar can only be paid for by card. The museum combination ticket and tickets for the Bersama Film Festival must be booked separately. Visitors should check the latest timetable before travelling because individual performances and starting times may change.
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How to get there
Fenix is located on Katendrecht and can be reached by metro lines D and E through Rijnhaven or Wilhelminaplein. Bus 77 stops at Lombokstraat, while the venue is also accessible by bicycle and water taxi. Festival activities extend across Fenix Plein, Dolf Henkesplein, Verhalenhuis Belvédèredepot, Huis Conny Janssen Danst and LantarenVenster.
Parking is limited, so travelling by public transport is recommended. Nearby paid options include Q-Park Fenix on Veerlaan and car parks around Wilhelminapier.
