melkweg

English Summary

General
The Melkweg is one of the most well-known cultural centres within and outside the Netherlands, and is unique because of a programme that unites five artistic disciplines under one roof: music, dance/theatre, film, photography and media art. Concerts, dance events, theatrical and dance productions, films, media art presentations and photo exhibitions are staged in five halls and several small rooms.

The Melkweg, a non-profit organisation, was founded in 1970 when a Dutch theatre group discovered a deserted dairy factory in the centre of Amsterdam. Hard work, ambition and NLG 25,000 (about EUR 11,000) enabled the group to transform the factory into a meeting place, initially during the summer only. During the 1970s, the Melkweg became a household name and started developing more in terms of content, offering room for experiments relating to music, theatre, dance and film. The ground floor of the building now houses The Max (capacity of 1,500) and the Oude Zaal (capacity of 700), which are used primarily for concerts and events. The Photo Gallery and the Café-Restaurant are located on the Marnixstraat side, while the upper floor is occupied by the Cinema (90 seats), the Theaterzaal (112 seats), the Mediaroom. a foyer and the Tearoom. In May 2009, Melkweg opened a new, state-of-the-art theatre hall, together with neighbours Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam (City Theatre) and Toneelgroep Amsterdam. In this hall, the Rabozaal, Melkweg organizes programmes 60 days a year. Performances and concerts in the Rabozaal can be fully seated (1000 seats) or seated/standing (capacity of 1500).


Travel directions
Melkweg
Address: Lijnbaansgracht 234a, 1017 PH Amsterdam, The Netherlands

By foot/bicycle
The Melkweg is located practically on the Leidseplein square, behind the Stadsschouwburg on the right. Parking places for bicycles around Leidseplein are limited. Any bicycles not parked inside the stands will be removed. Locker (a secure bicycle parking facility located to the right of the Paradiso on Weteringschans) is the best place to park your bicycle in safety. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and only costs € 0.50 per day (and also offers a tyre repair service).

By public transport
Leidseplein can be reached via trams 1, 2 and 5 (about 10 minutes from Amsterdam Central Station) and lines 6, 7 and 10 (about 7 minutes from the metro station Weesperplein). The bus routes 170, 171, 172 and the late-night busses 72, 73, 74 and 78 also stop at Leidseplein. For more travel advice, please visit www.92920v.nl.


Frequently asked questions

Tickets, reservation costs, membership, cancelled or rescheduled concerts

Can I reserve tickets?
You can only do so for theatrical productions and films. Click the ‘tickets’ tab for all information about ticket sales, advance sales and ticket reservation for films and theatrical productions.

Do I have to pay a reservation fee?
Yes, all advance sales outlets charge a fee for reserving a ticket. A particular programme is frequently sold out. The reservation fee can therefore be regarded as a guarantee for a place at a concert. Incidentally, you do not have to pay a reservation fee when you purchase a ticket at the Melkweg ticket desk on the actual day of the concert or event. Other ticket sellers charge a reservation fee up until the day itself.

I lost my tickets. What will happen how?
Unfortunately, the Melkweg cannot do anything about this. From the moment of purchase, the tickets are your responsibility. There are no duplicates, etc. This applies to all tickets, i.e. even tickets purchased from sales outlets.

Where and when can I purchase a membership?
Membership is compulsory for many musical programmes or events in the Melkweg and costs
€ 3.50 for one moth. A monthly membership is not limited to a particular person and can be purchased at the Melkweg ticket desk or the AUB Ticketshop. Annual membership is more economical for regular visitors to the Melkweg, which is limited to a particular person, by the way. More information and the advantages of an annual membership are provided below.

Starting & finishing times of concerts

When will the concert start?
The starting time is published on this website and printed on purchased tickets. This is the starting time of the main programme, except when there is a supporting programme. In that case, the main programme will start later. Supporting programmes can be revealed up until a few days before the concert, so check this website before you go to the concert. The Melkweg can never guarantee that a concert will start exactly on time.

When will the concert finish?
This depends on the artists. You can usually assume that it will finish between an hour and an hour and a half after the main programme starts. The supporting programme often lasts between 30 to 45 minutes.


Tickets

Melkweg
Address: Lijnbaansgracht 234a, Amsterdam, phone: +31 (0)20 531 8181

Opening hours of the Melkweg ticket desk
Box Office is open 7 days a week from 4.30 pm.
Sunday to Thursday closing times vary according to event schedule.
Friday and Saturday the box office wil be open from 4.30 pm till 3 am.

Start of advance ticket sales
Advance ticket sales for concerts and events usually start on Wednesday. This website lists up-to-date starting dates. In addition, the weekly e-mailing you receive on Friday contains an overview of concerts for which advance ticket sales will start on the following Wednesday.
Advance ticket sales for the Cinema and Theatre start three weeks before the film or production.

Melkweg membership
In addition to the admission ticket, membership is compulsory for most musical programmes in the Melkweg. This can be purchased at the Melkweg ticket desk. Membership is not required for films and theatrical productions, media programmes that are not free and most events. A valid membership does entitle you to discounts though.
A monthly membership costs € 3.50 and can be purchased at the Melkweg ticket desk as well as at the AUB ticketshop.
An annual membership costs € 25.00 and requires you to submit a passport photograph. The monthly or annual membership can take effect from any desired date.

Reservation fees/service costs for advanced ticket sales
At the Melkweg boxoffice reservation fees / service costs for advanced ticket sales are:
* € 2,00 when ticketprize is higher than € 10,00
* € 1,00 with ticketprizes till € 10,00

At other presale addresses fees are:
* ticketprize till € 9,07 - at the counter: € 1,65 | by phone/internet: € 2,80
* ticketprize from € 9,08 to € 13,61 - at the counter: € 2,15 | by phone/internet: € 3,55
* ticketprize from € 13,62 to € 34,03 - at the counter: € 3,35 | by phone/internet: € 4,05
* ticketprize from € 34,04 to € 45,37 - at the counter: € 3,80 | by phone/internet: € 4,25
* ticketprize from € 45,38 - at the counter: € 4,05 | by phone/internet: € 4,50
Within a short period of time Melkweg boxoffice will also maintain these fees.

Tickets can also be booked through internet till 10 days in advance. Click on “tickets” on the day of the concert/event and click on the logo of the “Ticketservice”.

Ticket Service Nederland
Sales outlets:
Sales outlets for Ticket Service Nederland are located in more than 150 larger post offices, GWK offices in stations and VVV offices across the Netherlands. They will continue selling tickets up until the day of the event.
Click here for a list of all sales outlets. The opening hours of these sales outlets vary, and can be found at www.postkantoren.nl, www.gwk.nl or www.vvv.nl.

By phone:
From the Netherlands: 0900 300 12 50 (€ 0.45 per minute). Monday to Saturday from 09:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. People outside the Netherlands cannot order tickets by phone from Ticket Service Nederland.

Via the Internet:
Via www.ticketservice.nl, tickets can be purchased in the Netherlands up until 8 days before the event. When ordering from abroad, bear in mind that the delivery period is at least 14 days. The tickets are then posted to a desired address. Payment is only possible by credit card or Rabo-direct.
Click here for details on the Ticketservice website

Amsterdams Uitburo (AUB)
Sales outlet:
AUB Ticketshop, Leidseplein 7, Amsterdam (on the corner of Marnixstraat and Stadsschouwburg). Opening hours of the AUB Ticketshop

By phone:
From the Netherlands: AUB Callcenter number 0900 0191 (€ 0.40 per minute). Open daily from 09:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Closed only on public holidays. If calling from abroad, dial +31 20 621 1288. The same opening hours are applicable. Click here for details on the AUB Uitburo website
It is also possible to purchase tickets by phone up until the day of the actual event. These must be collected before 6:00 p.m. from the Ticketshop on Leidseplein. This service is only available to credit-card holders.

Via the Internet:
Tickets for concerts, dance evenings, theatrical productions or other events in the Melkweg can be purchased on the Amsterdams Uitburo website. A reservation fee of € 2.50 per ticket is charged. Tickets can be purchased via the Internet up until 8 days before the actual event, and are sent by post or can be collected from the Ticketshop.

Other well-known, advanced ticket sales outlets
Concerto - Utrechtsestraat 52-60, Amsterdam. Phone: +31 (0)20 623 5228

Other (occasional) advanced ticket sales outlets
Other advanced ticket sales outlets also sell tickets for a number of programmes. If so, this will be indicated in the programme on the website.
Pico Records - Bijlmerplein 520-521, +31 (0)20 691 2385
Most Wanted - Haarlemmerdijk 180, +31 (0)20 673 8888
Back Beat Records - Egelantiersstraat 19, +31 (0)20 627 1657
Outland Records - Zeedijk 22, +31 (0)20 638 7576
Xango World Music - Zadelstraat 14, Utrecht, +31 (0)30 232 8286


Eat @ Jo's

Visitors to the Melkweg can lunch and dine at Café-Restaurant Eat @ Jo’s. The day menu features different (international) dishes every day and also offers a wide choice for vegetarians. If you wish to evade the hordes on Leidseplein, this is a quiet place to kick-off a wild evening. Photographers exhibit their work on the Zwarte Muur (Black Wall). The Melkweg Gallery is also open until 8.00 p.m. (free admission). Click Photography for a list of exhibitions.

The Café-Restaurant is open on Wednesday to Sunday from midday until 9:00 p.m. The entrance to Eat @ Jo’s is located on the Marnixstraat side of the Melkweg complex opposite Cinerama.
Address: Marnixstraat 409, 1017 PJ Amsterdam
Phone: +31 (0)20 638 3336