Summer wouldn’t be complete without our annual Innovative Summer tips! This season, soak up the sunshine and get inspired by everything the city has to offer. From exploring the future of energy to dancing on a science museum rooftop, Amsterdam is bursting with opportunities to experience innovation, sustainability, and creativity. Here are six highlights from Amsterdam InChange to help make your summer not just memorable, but also meaningful.
Innofest is teaming up with Kwaku Festival to turn the festival atmosphere into a testing ground for sustainable innovations. For four weeks, Kwaku brings together music, dance, art, and food rooted in the Surinamese community and enriched by influences from the Caribbean, Africa, and beyond. This summer, Innofest will be testing two of its innovations live at the festival. Curious to find out which ones? Check them out on their website.
Experience history and the future on open water. Every five years, the world’s largest tall ships dock in Amsterdam for SAIL: a celebration of maritime heritage and innovation. Due to COVID, it’s now been ten years since the last edition. In August 2025, SAIL returns not only with beautiful ships but also with important themes like the energy transition and green logistics.
Spend your summer evenings on NEMO’s rooftop, where live music meets stunning city views and a dose of science. The rooftop becomes a spot for concerts, interactive exhibits, and inspiring ideas around energy and sustainability. A good mix of culture, curiosity, and summer vibes.
Get active in the climate conversation. Set in the lush botanical gardens of De Hortus, the Climate festival offers workshops, talks, and art installations focused on climate change and ecological resilience. It's a moment to reconnect with nature and find actionable hope.
Reimagine how we power our lives. Hosted by Waag Futurelab, this edition of Waag Open explores the future of energy. You'll go on an excursion to the Buiksloterham neighborhood, where all aspects of the energy transition come to life. Discover how deep the boreholes for thermal energy storage go, and learn exactly where the heat for the district heating system comes from.
Discover how technology shapes conflict. At Pakhuis de Zwijger, this event explores how digital tools and social platforms contribute to modern political violence. Through research and open dialogue, you’ll learn more about the intersection of tech, power, and resistance.
Do you have any other interesting tips? Share them below!
Met trots presenteren we het jaarverslag 2024 van Amsterdam InChange!
We kijken terug op een bijzonder jaar waarin we niet alleen onze programmaonderdelen verder hebben versterkt, maar ook succesvol de transitie hebben gemaakt naar onze nieuwe naam en branding. Daarnaast hebben we nieuwe vraagstukken opgepakt en onze Challenge-aanpak verder ontwikkeld — lerend door te doen, samen met onze partners.
Het samenstellen van dit verslag is elk jaar weer een feest. De verzamelde Challenges en bijgevoegde verslagen laten zien hoe we samen bouwen aan een rijke, diverse broedplaats: een tussenruimte waar innovatie tot bloei komt.
In dit jaarverslag lees je meer over de Challenges van afgelopen jaar, de events die we organiseerden, en de thema’s die we als netwerk verkenden tijdens kennissessies, werksessies, deepdives en Data Dilemma’s.
Hieronder vind je alvast de highlights. Wil je meer weten? Lees dan hier het volledige jaarverslag 2024.
During this evening Paul Stefaan Mooij will introduce the DIY Smart Glasses he developed, he is bringing several 'arms'. The PMSG kit lets you swap out those boring old arms from your (sun)glasses for a custom-made PCBA that looks and functions like something a hacker MacGyver would dream up. It fits just like the original—using the same hinges, screws, and probably duct tape somewhere—but now you’ve got space for sensors, connectors, and all the IoT magic you can pack onto your temples.
Join us to experiment, learn and envision new sensors and possibilities.
https://www.hackster.io/psmooij/pmsg-prototype-modular-smart-glasses-8bd4e6
https://github.com/Control-C/PMSG
You don't have to rsvp via meetup, the workshop is from 19-21h in the Makerspace of the OBA and you can just walk in!
OBA: Oosterdokskade 143, 1011DL Amsterdam
Join us to learn to understand the concept of Meshtastic, an open source, off grid, decentralized, mesh network build to run on affordable low-power devices!
Prepare and configure your own device as to contribute to Amsterdam wide coverage, or just for fun / to chat:-)
The workshop is based on this device: https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005007752194012.html Of course you may bring a different device, it only might take a little extra effort on your part if the settings are different. We will try to help of course!
You don't have to rsvp via meetup, the workshop is from 19-21h in the Makerspace of the OBA and you can just walk in!
OBA: Oosterdokskade 143, 1011DL Amsterdam
For our end-of-the year event we have some extra opportunities to build, create and even program your own souvenir to take home!
Please if you want to make and take home the Xmas lights you see in the picture, the kit costs 25,- (we also have 2 Pay-It-Forward kits). Of course you can also work in other small projects or 3D print a small Xmas tree or make (for children!) a self designed wooden lamps!
You don't have to rsvp via meetup, the workshop is from 19-21h in the Makerspace of the OBA and you can just walk in!
OBA: Oosterdokskade 143 1011DL Amsterdam
