frequently asked questions
when does the festival take place?
The festival weekend takes place from Friday 27 October until Sunday 29 October 2023. The main festival takes place on Sunday 29 October. Your ‘Brainwash Festival’ ticket gives you acces to all programs on Sunday the 29th.
On 27 October we’ll kick-off our festival weekend with the Opening Night in De Brakke Grond. On 28 October five Festival Book Clubs will take place throughout the day in several beautiful venues in Amsterdam. Tickets for these events are sold separately in our ticket shop.
where will the festival take place?
The festival on 29 October takes place on and around Leidseplein in Amsterdam at Paradiso, De Melkweg, De Balie, Theater Bellevue and Club Up/de Kring.
The Opening Night takes place in De Brakke Grond.
The Festival Book Clubs take place in ARTIS-Groote Museum, Tolhuistuin, De Brakke Grond, Athenaeum Boekhandel Zuidoost and Tropenmuseum.
where can i find the festival program?
The full festival program wil be published on 4 October 2023.
how do I order tickets?
Click ‘tickets’ in our menu to go to our ticket page, where you can order tickets (while supplies last). This is the only place you can order tickets for Brainwash Festival!
is there a student discount?
Yes! As a student a ticket costs €29,50 instead of €42,50. You can find the student tickets in our ticket shop. Please bring your student card for identification.
to which event does my festival ticket give access?
If you have ordered a festival ticket, this ticket gives access to all events on Sunday 29 October.
Tickets for the Opening Night and Book Clubs will be sold separately.
what language is spoken during the programmes?
Besides Dutch makers and thinkers, we like to like host guests from abroad. It’s why approximately 9-10 of our programmes are in English. We will always mention this clearly, so you know what to expect. In our timetable we will offer the option to filter the programmes for non-Dutch speakers. The timetable will be published on 4 October 2023.
what does 'online' behind a speaker's name stand for?
We will ask a few guests to call in via video conferencing. This means we will have one or two guests on stage and a video connection to this speaker through Zoom.
is it guaranteed I can visit every programme?
We cannot guarantee there will always be enough space for everyone, as each venue has limited capacity. Always make sure you’re well on time for the programmes you absolutely do not want to miss.
i lost my ticket(s). What should I do?
You can easily request your ticket(s) via www.ticketopvragen.nl. If you have done this, also check your spam box, because the tickets come from a yourticketprovider.nl email address. If this doesn’t happen, please contact us by email via mail@brainwashfestival.nl.
are all venues accessible with a mobility impairment?
All locations are accessible for people with a mobility impairment, except De Kring/Club Up. We kindly advise you to give us a heads up, should you need any assistence upon arrival or leaving. You can send us an email via mail@brainwashfestival.nl.
how do I get to the festival?
Are you traveling by public transport? Leidseplein is easy to reach from Amsterdam Central Station by taking tram 2 in the direction of Nieuw Sloten.
Are you coming by bike? It’s good to know that bicycles on and around Leidseplein may only be parked in a shed or rack. You can park your bicycle for free in the underground bicycle shed at the following address: Kleine Gartmanplantsoen 31.
If you decide to come by car, it’s useful to check the parking rates in Amsterdam in advance. For a carefree visit, you can park your car in Q-Park Byzantium. From the parking garage it’s only a 3 minute walk to Leidseplein.
The various festival locations can be reached on foot or by bicycle from Leidseplein. A tip in advance: use Google maps for the fastest route!
at which locations can I eat and drink?
During the festival it’s possible to have a drink before or after the program at the following locations: Clup Up, De Balie, Bellevue, Melkweg and Paradiso.
De Smoeshaan at Bellevue is happy to receive you for food and drinks. It can of course get busy as there will be many festival goers walking around the festival locations. Fortunately, there are many options for lunch and dinner around Leidseplein.