Amsterdam earned its reputation the honest way. Sex work is legal here, cannabis is openly tolerated in the coffee shops, and nobody expects you to hide your preferences. The city hugs the LGBT community with a wide choice of clubs, parties and shops, swingers will find play parties almost every day of the week, and if you are into power exchange, fetish or BDSM games the right venues are spread all around the city.
The red light district is a must for everybody, even if you are plain vanilla. All sizes, types and colors of women present themselves in the windows, and the protocol is simple: a closed curtain means someone is in, an open curtain means you are welcome.
You can have fun here 24 hours a day. Places start to get packed around 11 pm, clubs keep going until the early morning hours, and there is usually an after party option until noon. Start in a coffee shop if you like, smoke for immediate effect or eat a cookie for the long haul, then check the clubs section below.
Sameplace, The Eagle and Club Church are the big three, but crowds vary per the theme of the night. The full map of kinky attractions is here, or you can read my take on Amsterdam and sex.
Clubs, Parties and Bars
Casa Rosso – A great variety of erotic stage shows in the Red Light District, performed by talented international artists alone or with a partner. The performers mix art and humour into their act and might even pull you into the show.
Moulin Rouge – Club and theater where the seats are so close to the stage you feel almost part of the act. A great start for a sexual evening.
UNLEASHED – Parties that fuse straight, gay and queer with an attractive crowd looking for fetish fantasies in complete freedom and festive spirit. Editions run at Paradiso with a strict fetish dress code, no street clothes allowed. Check their site for the next date.
Milkshake festival – A dance festival where nothing is a must and anything is possible. Entertainment, taste in music, clothing and status have nothing to do with sexuality. The 2026 edition runs 25 and 26 July at Westerpark, during WorldPride Amsterdam.
Mistress Manita play parties – The longest running SM play parties in the Amsterdam area, organized since 2002. These days they run as Manita on Tour a few times a year, with the Showboat boarding again on 9 October 2026.
Boudoir Bizarre – The true underground for fetishists, players and pervs of every flavour. Three parties a year with multiple dancefloors, playrooms, performances and a strict fetish dress code. Next edition 26 September 2026.
Sameplace – An erotic bar famous for its swingers parties, at Nassaukade 120 just west of the center. A real cafe where almost everything is possible and allowed, with a dungeon downstairs and fetish nights with a black leather dress code.
Club chUrch – Amsterdam’s premier gay cruise club since 2008, at Kerkstraat 52. More than 15 different theme parties covering a wide range of fetishes, dark rooms, and the weekly BLUE night on Thursdays.
The Eagle – Three floors of hot fun for gay men on Warmoesstraat. Live DJs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, no dress code, everything goes. A late night hot spot with the hottest men in town.
Club NYX – Gay, lesbian and everything in between, spread over three floors at Reguliersdwarsstraat with a different vibe on every level.
BACKDOOR – The legendary Sunday teadance is back. An LGBT party running four to five times a year, currently at Levenslang, with the parties now late at night.
F*cking POP Queers at Paradiso – A fun pop night for queers, aliens and their friends, four times a year at Paradiso since 2006.
HEADRUSH x DAMAGE – Amsterdam’s hottest dance and play fetish party, the crossover between dance and cruising. The WorldPride edition is on 1 August 2026 at The Other Side, from 22:00 till 06:00.
La Vie En Proost – Spend an evening in the company of Amsterdam’s most beautiful girls, with fully nude live stage shows every 10 minutes.
The Golden Key – World class entertainment with cold beers, good music and gorgeous international ladies. Enjoy the intimacy of the luxury private rooms or simply relax at the bar.
BDSM For You events agenda – Up to date Dutch calendar of BDSM play parties and fetish events.
Guestzone party agenda – Dutch club and kinky party agenda, including all Boudoir Bizarre dates.
Gay Amsterdam events calendar – Year round agenda of gay and fetish events in Amsterdam.
Shopping
Bizarre Design – Custom handmade corsets from a real passionate artist (actually an engineer). Beautiful, bizarre and stunning corset outfits.
DeMask – Rubber bliss in all its facets: fashionable, extravagant, extreme or innocent. The Amsterdam store at Zeedijk 64 has been dressing the scene since 1990.
Webers Holland – Dutch fashion by Desiree Webers, world famous for its original mix of styles: avant-garde fashion next to fetish, burlesque, gothic, lingerie, club and party wear.
Breathcatchers – A small company designing and producing leather fetish gear.
Black Body – Fetish wear for men: rubber, leather, sportswear and neoprene.
Mister B – High end leather and rubber clothing together with an extensive collection of horny boys gear, huge dildos, unique toys and bondage suits. The flagship store moved from Warmoesstraat to Prinsengracht 192.
RoB Amsterdam – A pioneer of European leather fetish craftsmanship since 1975, at Warmoesstraat 71. Toys, anal play, harnesses, collars and many unusual accessories.
Hotels and accommodation
The Kinky Suite – A three floor private BDSM apartment in the Red Light District. A lounge with an open kitchen on the first floor, a kinky BDSM bedroom and luxury bathroom on the second, and mirrors with a swing on top.
Mrs Madienne B&B – Between Amsterdam center and Schiphol airport, close to Sloterdijk station. Three themed rooms: dungeon, latex and crossdressing, bookable with BDSM and bondage sessions.
Special events
Wasteland – Most likely the biggest fetish fantasy event in the world. The most notorious adult playground where the fetish lifestyle is celebrated and applauded by about 6,000 to 8,000 visitors, over 40 acts and more than five stages every year. Besides fetish performances there are DJs, VJs, cinema and fashion shows. The next Amsterdam edition is on 28 November 2026 at the Northsea Venue, with a Halloween Ball on 31 October 2026 at RADION. Strict dress code, checked at the door.
Wasteland Summerfest – The open air daytime edition at Kaap Amsterdam, with outdoor stages, circus acts, fire shows and a market. The 2026 edition took place on 4 July.
Milkshake Festival – A two day dance festival at Westerpark where anything is possible and nothing is a must. Nine stages, more than a thousand performers, drag acts and voguing catwalks. The 2026 edition runs 25 and 26 July, 18 plus.
WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 – Amsterdam hosts WorldPride from 25 July to 8 August 2026: two weeks of street parties, the Canal Parade on 1 August and the closing march on 8 August. Expect most kinky venues in the city to run special editions during these weeks.
Crash Amsterdam – A free open air fetish celebration at Beursplein during WorldPride: all genders, all kinks, one square. 31 July from 19:00 and 1 August 2026 from 16:00, both days till midnight.
Leather & Fetish Pride Netherlands – A long weekend of leather parties, workshops and the famous meat market, 15 to 19 October 2026, with the legendary Invasion party on 17 October and the Mister Leather Netherlands election.
Heading elsewhere in Europe? Check the kinky guides to Berlin, Munich, and Prague.