2023 a successful year for Amare

26 February 2024, articles

Amare opened its doors over two years ago. The largest cultural complex in the Netherlands at a prime location in the centre of The Hague is living up to its cultural and commercial ambitions.

The Concertzaal’s acoustic qualities are lauded nationally and internationally. Amare’s wide-ranging programming in the past season drew more than 300,000 visitors to enjoy 1,311 activities. Amare is furthermore the first cultural complex in the country to be built fully sustainably.

“Amare has now been in operation for two years, and we are so pleased to see the building truly coming to life. The dream venue where people convene for music and dance has become a reality. In the last few months we’ve increasingly seen sold-out performances, the Brasserie is open daily, and the activities of Open Amare are generating a steady stream of visitors and personal encounters.”

Leontien Wiering, director ad interim of Amare

What did visitors come to enjoy?

The majority of visitors came to enjoy a cultural programme. Amare’s programme and that of the in-house companies, the Residentie Orkest and Nederlands Dans Theater, drew over 220,000 visitors. The freely accessible programme of Open Amare, organised in Amare’s public spaces, drew 48,065 visitors. Amare furthermore hosted several hundreds of commercial events, educational activities, and lots of guided tours.

Cultural highlights

Amare stands out for its wide-ranging offer of music and dance, from the international top flight to eager amateurs. The Residentie Orkest and Nederlands Dans Theater have now comfortably settled into the auditoriums with wonderful concerts and performances. Many highlights have graced the stages, such as the iconic Rite of Spring by choreographer Pina Bausch in a performance by African dancers, the Hohe Messe performed by the world-famous Bach Collegium Japan, the community production Alice in Escherland by De Dutch Don’t Dance Division, and the Lera Auerbach Festival to celebrate the 50th birthday of this contemporary composer.

New pop music venue for The Hague

With Amare’s Concertzaal, the city of The Hague also boasts another pop music venue. The seats are rolled out and the bars are rolled in. With no less than 2,500 visitors per concert, stars such as SWANS, DI-RECT and Pixies played to sell-out audiences. Amare organises these concerts in collaboration with The Hague’s renowned PAARD pop venue.

Open Amare

Ever since its opening, Amare has steadily developed into a vibrant cultural centre where people come to enjoy performances and concerts in the auditoriums, but also the activities offered in Amare’s public spaces. Working with local partners, Open Amare offers a diverse and freely accessible programme. Open Amare serves as a platform for the city’s creative energies, ranging from lunch concerts by Royal Conservatoire students to the serene physical exercises of Dao Lu, and from salsa dancing for seniors to jazz sessions in Brasserie Amare. Exhibitions and installations are regularly on display as well. Open Amare is all about doing and participating, and all programmes are free of charge.