May 4th and 5th mark a very important time in Dutch history. May 4th is\u00a0Dodenherdenking\u00a0<\/i>or remembrance of the dead when the thousands who died during World War II and the Nazi invasion in the Netherlands are remembered. Since 1961, the day also commemorates those who died in other military conflicts. There are several ceremonies throughout the day, but the main ceremony is at the Dam Square in Amsterdam at 20:00. A minute of silence is observed throughout the country.<\/p>\n
May 5th is B<\/em>evrijdingsdag\u00a0<\/i>or liberation day and is a day about celebration. Throughout the Netherlands, cities are filled with markets and music festivals, all aimed at celebrating the liberation of Nazi occupation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Amsterdam, being the capital of the Netherlands, will be host to many activities to celebrate\u00a0Bevrijdingsdag<\/em> and here is a list of some of the events going on.<\/p>\n Bevrijdingsfestival Amsterdam\/Het Vrije Westen<\/em><\/p>\n In the\u00a0cultuurpark Westergasfabriek<\/em>, there will be a free music festival from 11:00 to 23:00. The bands are rock, indie and reggae type. There will also be a\u00a0dancepodium<\/em>,\u00a0a\u00a0jazzpodium<\/em>, a kids area with stories about what the war was like in some neighborhoods, and a market.<\/p>\n For more information click\u00a0check the\u00a04 en 5 mei Amsterdam\u00a0<\/a><\/em>website.<\/p>\n Het Amsterdams Verbond<\/em><\/p>\n “<\/em>The Amsterdam Connection,” as this event is called, is all about the togetherness and fraternity of the Amsterdam nightlife. There will about about 50 DJ’s and artists will perform focusing on the ideas of freedom and tolerance.<\/p>\n For more information check the\u00a04 en 5 mei Amsterdam<\/a><\/em> website.<\/p>\n Kinderbevrijdingsfestival<\/em><\/p>\n For those with children, the Vondelpark<\/em> open air theatre will have music, theatre plays, workshops and coloring festivals since 13:00. To see the full schedule, check the website<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5 mei concert op de Amstel<\/em><\/p>\n On the evening of May 5th, the closing event of\u00a0Bevrijdinsdag<\/em> is the concert on the Amstel. The artist performing will be Ali B, Paul de Munnik, Hadewych Minis, the cast of the musical\u00a0De Tweeling<\/em> and the\u00a0Radio Filharmonisch Orkest.\u00a0<\/em>The concert will also be available on the\u00a0NOS<\/em> TV channel. You can watch a glimpse of last year’s concert in the following video:<\/p>\n