HAPPENING 1–30 June 2026 | Rotterdam Architecture Month returns this June with a city-wide programme of exhibitions, tours, talks, films, workshops and public events. The 2026 edition asks a practical but urgent question: what does a circular city look like?

Rotterdam Architecture Month focuses on the circular city

Rotterdam Architecture Month 2026 is centred on circularity and building without waste. This year’s festival heart is in the Keilekwartier in M4H, where the new Test Site Materialenwerf shows how used building materials can be collected, processed and given a second life.

The Materialenwerf has been designed by Studio ACTE and functions as a working test site rather than a conventional exhibition space. It brings together residents, designers, builders and local organisations around one visible question: how can Rotterdam build differently?

Festival heart in Keilekwartier M4H

The main festival hub is the Test Site Materialenwerf at Vierhavenstraat 56. Nearby, the Keilepand at Keilestraat 9F hosts exhibitions, talks and programme events. Together, the two locations form the centre of the 2026 edition.

The festival heart opened on Wednesday 3 June and remains active throughout June. Entry to many parts of the programme is free, unless a specific event states otherwise.

Events across the city

Rotterdam Architecture Month includes around 125 events at more than 40 locations in the city. Below are several highlights from the current programme.

5 June, tour and lunch at the Voedseltuin

Visitors can join a tour and lunch at the Voedseltuin, one of the green spaces connected to the wider M4H area and the festival’s circular city theme.

5 June, Great Rotterdam Architecture Quiz

The Great Rotterdam Architecture Quiz takes place in the evening and offers a playful way to test your knowledge of the city’s buildings, streets and urban history.

6 June, Hidden Gardens Rotterdam

Hidden Gardens Rotterdam opens up private and semi-hidden green spaces across the city. The event gives visitors a closer look at how gardens, courtyards and pockets of greenery shape everyday Rotterdam.

6 June, guided tour of the Van Nelle Factory

A guided tour of the Van Nelle Factory offers a chance to visit one of Rotterdam’s best-known architectural landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

6 June, Keile Blokmarket

The Keile Blokmarket brings a festival atmosphere to the Keilekwartier, with market stalls, local makers and a late-afternoon programme in and around Keilecafe.

12 June, Rotterdam Architecture Prize 2026

The Rotterdam Architectuurprijs 2026 will be awarded on Friday 12 June. The annual prize recognises outstanding architectural work in the city.

20 June, Day and Night of Architecture

The Day and Night of Architecture returns on Saturday 20 June, with tours, visits and activities at multiple locations in Rotterdam. The programme is one of the month’s main public architecture events.

21 June, AFFR presents Wall-E

Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam joins the programme with a screening of Wall-E at the Keilepand. The film fits neatly into this year’s wider conversation about waste, reuse and the future of urban life.

24 June, Bouw met Aarde!

Bouw met Aarde! takes place at Hal4 aan de Maas and focuses on building with earth. The symposium connects architectural practice with material research and more sustainable construction methods.

26 June, Vrouwen in Architectuur

Vrouwen in Architectuur takes place at the Keilezaal on Friday 26 June. The event continues the conversation about visibility, influence and representation in the architecture profession.

28 June, Community Day

The festival closes its final weekend with Community Day at the Test Site Materialenwerf. The event invites visitors back to the festival heart for an accessible programme around circularity, neighbourhood life and shared city-making.

Directions to the festival heart

The 2026 festival heart is in the Keilekwartier in M4H. The area is close to the Voedseltuin and can be reached by bike, public transport or on foot from nearby parts of M4H and Delfshaven. Check the official programme before visiting, as some events require registration or take place at other locations across the city.

Test Site Materialenwerf
Vierhavenstraat 56
3029 BS Rotterdam

Keilepand
Keilestraat 9F
Rotterdam

HAPPENING 30 MAY–7 JUN '26 | The Rotterdam Rooftop Days, better known in Dutch as Rotterdamse Dakendagen, is an annual festival that opens normally inaccessible rooftops to the public.

This year, the festival takes place from Saturday 30 May to Sunday 7 June 2026, with the main public programme concentrated around Hofplein, Weena and Stationsplein.

The 2026 edition of Rotterdam Rooftop Days (Rotterdamse Dakendagen)

Rotterdamse Dakendagen returns from 30 May to 7 June 2026 with 42 roofs in a compact festival area around Hofplein, Weena and Stationsplein. Instead of spreading the programme across the city, this edition focuses on roughly half a square kilometre near Rotterdam Centraal, an area set for major change in the coming years.The organisers have now published the full programme and ticket sales are open. Visitors can choose from open rooftops, guided tours, specials, rooftop film screenings, performances, food and drink, and a free festival hub.

About Rotterdam Rooftop Days

During Rotterdam Rooftop Days, you can visit roofs that are usually closed to the public. Some locations offer views, exhibitions, music, theatre, food or visual arts, while others are part of guided tours that explain the history, architecture or future of the surrounding area.

The festival explores how rooftops can make the city more enjoyable, sustainable and social, especially as Rotterdam becomes denser. For visitors, it is a chance to see the city from above and to experience spaces that normally remain hidden behind locked doors, air installations and solar panels.

Rotterdam Architecture Month

Rotterdam Rooftop Days are part of Rotterdam Architecture Month. That wider programme again places architecture and the future of the city at the centre of Rotterdam’s cultural calendar. 

Tickets to Rotterdam Rooftop Days

For ticket sales and routes, visit rotterdamsedakendagen.nl.

Rotterdamse Dakendagen 📷 Frank Hanswijk

 

Rotterdamse Dakendagen 📷 Frank Hanswijk

 

Rotterdamse Dakendagen 📷 Frank Hanswijk

HAPPENING 2–8 November 2026 | Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam returns with a week of nature documentaries, filmmaker encounters and industry events. The festival brings striking wildlife and environmental films to the big screen in Rotterdam, while also offering an online edition for viewers in the Netherlands​.

About the Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam

Established in 2015, WFFR has grown into a familiar fixture on Rotterdam’s film calendar. The festival screens nature films from the Netherlands and abroad, with a focus on work that reveals the beauty of the natural world and asks what we owe to it.

The programme is not only about spectacle. WFFR also gives space to films that look at conservation, biodiversity, climate change, habitats, agriculture and the relationship between people and nature.

What to expect at the festival

In 2026, WFFR takes place in Rotterdam from 2 to 8 November. Screenings are planned at Cinerama Filmtheater and LantarenVenster, with films selected for the Flamingo Competition also forming part of the online festival.

The festival is expected to include public screenings, filmmaker Q&As and meetings for film professionals. The WFFR Industry Days take place on 6 and 7 November 2026, while the Flamingo Award Ceremony is scheduled for 7 November 2026.

The full film timetable is expected to be announced on 1 September 2026, followed by the Industry Days programme on 15 September 2026. WFFR also runs satellite editions in Wageningen from 11 to 15 November 2026 and Tilburg from 18 to 22 November 2026. The online festival runs from 3 November to 5 December 2026 and is geoblocked to viewers in the Netherlands.

Festival locations

In Rotterdam, WFFR 2026 takes place at Cinerama Filmtheater, Westblaak 18, and LantarenVenster, Otto Reuchlinweg 996.

Cinerama’s central location makes it easy to combine a screening with dinner or drinks in the city centre. LantarenVenster, on the Wilhelminapier, offers a waterfront setting close to restaurants, hotels and cultural venues.

For visitors, the festival is an accessible way to see new nature films that rarely reach regular cinema programmes. For filmmakers and professionals, it offers a meeting place for discussion, networking and new work.

HAPPENING 27 SEP–4 OCT '26 | Rotterdam Ahoy will once again turn into a week-long padel arena this autumn, as Premier Padel Rotterdam returns for its next edition from Sunday 27 September to Sunday 4 October 2026.

The tournament is part of the Premier Padel circuit, overseen by the International Padel Federation. On the 2026 calendar, Rotterdam is listed as a P2 tournament. One small planning note: the local organiser, Rotterdam Ahoy and CUPRA list the event from 27 September to 4 October, while some international tour listings show a slightly different tournament window. For visitors, the official event website and Ahoy agenda are the most practical sources to follow as the week approaches.

When is it, and what happens on which days?

Organisers currently describe the week as a full Rotterdam Ahoy event, running from Sunday 27 September to Sunday 4 October 2026. The main tournament ticket page begins on Tuesday 29 September, with the first round, and continues through to finals day on Sunday 4 October.

The current ticket schedule is:

• Tuesday 29 September: first round
• Wednesday 30 September: second round
• Thursday 1 October: last 16
• Friday 2 October: quarter-finals
• Saturday 3 October: semi-finals
• Sunday 4 October: finals

Exact match orders and session start times are normally confirmed closer to the event, once the playing schedule is set. If you are hoping to see a specific player or pair, keep checking official updates before choosing your session.

Tickets, sessions, and what you should know before you book

Tickets for CUPRA Rotterdam Premier Padel 2026 are sold per session. With the exception of finals day, matches are split into day and evening sessions, and you need a separate ticket for each session.

The official ticket page currently lists standard tickets from €24.25 for the Tuesday day session, €36.75 for the Tuesday evening session, €31.75 for Wednesday day, €50 for Wednesday evening, €22.50 for Thursday day, €40 for Thursday evening, €30 for Friday day, €52.50 for Friday evening, €37.50 for Saturday day and €65 for Saturday evening. Finals day on Sunday 4 October is listed from €47.50.

Hospitality options are also available for several rounds, including the later stages, for visitors who want a more complete business or VIP experience.

Where is it?

The tournament takes place at Rotterdam Ahoy, the city’s big indoor events venue, and a familiar setting for major sport and concert crowds.

If you are travelling in, the simplest approach is usually public transport to Zuidplein and a short walk, but Ahoy also caters for drivers with parking options in the area. Either way, you will be in a part of the city built to handle busy entrances and quick turnarounds between sessions.

Who is playing?

Premier Padel Rotterdam is positioned as a showcase for top-level men’s and women’s padel, but the specific entries and draws are not the part you should treat as fixed months in advance. Expect the final player list and brackets nearer the tournament, once the tour publishes the official draw information. For more information on what to expect, visit the official website. 

Watch the 2025 highlights video

Decathlon Premier Padel Rotterdam 2025 has come to a close. Thousands of fans watched Delfina Brea and Gemma Triay, and Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello, claim the titles. 

Name change: CUPRA Rotterdam Premier Padel

In March 2026, CUPRA was announced as the main sponsor of the event and this prompted a name change, from Premier Padel to CUPRA Rotterdam Premier Padel. 

Directions to Rotterdam Ahoy

Rotterdam Ahoy, the venue for the upcoming Premier Padel tournament, is conveniently located and easily accessible.

To reach Rotterdam Ahoy, attendees can use public transportation, as it is well-served by bus and metro services. For those driving, the venue is easily accessible by car and offers ample parking facilities. The area around Ahoy is vibrant, with a variety of dining and leisure options for visitors to enjoy before or after the event.