Prinsengrachtconcert (Concert at the Prinsengracht)
Last Saturday saw the finale of the Prinsengrachtconcert (Concert at the Prinsengracht) — part of an annual series of concerts on and around Amsterdam’s canals.
This year marked the event’s 32th anniversary — although we should point out that in its current form it was the 16th.The Canal Festival started when Hotel Pulitzer — an upscale hotel at the Prinsengracht — organized a piano concert atop a huge barge docked in the canal, across from its front entrance.Over the years that one recital had grown into an event that lasts 10 days and includes concerts at over 50 locations — ranging from private canal house salons to outdoor concerts along the canals and the IJ river.The finale always takes place at Prinsengracht. Hundreds of boats fill the canal around the podium (which is built on top of barges) and thousands of people line the quays and bridges.