Essentially The Hague for Thursday 29 October: Zelensky meets the King, Spui lift breaks, Rolf Sanchez

Thursday October 29, 2026

Good morning, The Hague. Today: Zelensky meets King Willem-Alexander at Huis ten Bosch, a broken lift and escalators leave travellers stuck at Spui, and Jon Allen & The Luna Kings bring Americana and British songwriting to town.

Zelensky meets King Willem-Alexander at Huis ten Bosch: The Ukrainian president's day in The Hague begins at the Catshuis, where Prime Minister Rob Jetten receives him for a one-on-one talk. Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgoz and Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen join a wider delegation meeting, followed by talks with Dutch and Ukrainian company bosses.

Broken lift and escalators leave Spui travellers stuck: Four escalators at the underground Spui stop have stood still for weeks, and the lift has been out since early October with a damaged door and shaft. HTM cannot say when it will run again, leaving people with walkers or prams on a steep standing staircase.

Amsterdam mayor backs call to protect ICC from sanctions: Femke Halsema and the mayors of seven other European cities wrote to Ursula von der Leyen on 27 October after the United States announced far-reaching sanctions against the International Criminal Court. They say host countries cannot carry the burden alone and want the Commission to speak out.

Road closures across The Hague for first marathon: Around 21,000 runners set off from the Malieveld on Sunday 1 November, heading through the city, along the coast and into the Westland. Roads on the route close between 5.00 and 22.00, and the Q-Park Malieveld car park will be unreachable. Organisers advise public transport or cycling.

Sophia, 12, is youngest ever volunteer prize nominee: Sophia de Groot works through Stichting Fietebeth for children with epilepsy, wrote a children's book about the condition and helps at Epilepsie NL. She is one of 25 residents, teams and organisations in the running for the 2026 Hague volunteer awards, handed out on 21 November at De Remise.

Honselersdijk flower auction to drop its clock by 2030: Royal FloraHolland says keeping the clock running has become too costly as trade shifts to Aalsmeer and growers deal directly with buyers online. Jobs in Honselersdijk will go, though the company will not say how many, and it is putting over 250 million euros into modernising the site.

Otter sightings rise in Midden-Delfland and Meijendel: Breeding has now been confirmed in Meijendel, a sign the otter's recovery has reached this part of the country. A Midden-Delfland ecologist says cleaner water, healthier fish stocks and new wildlife crossings all help, though cars remain the animal's biggest threat. One otter turned up on a camera in Schipluiden.

Aletta Jacobs statue to stand on the Wijnhaven: Jacobs was the first woman allowed to study at a Dutch university and became the country's first female doctor. The site sits near Leiden University's campus; the Hofvijver was dropped as unsuitable. An unveiling is planned by late 2028, before the centenary of her death in 2029.

Beelden aan Zee denied grant despite positive advice: The Hague's city executive rejected an advisory committee's recommendation to award the sculpture museum 110,000 euros, arguing it can draw on funds from its parent foundation. The committee had rated the programming highly and said the museum matters beyond the city. The two foundations share profits and losses.

Thousands to walk from Kijkduin to Zandvoort Saturday: The eleven-beaches walk on 31 October raises money for research into heart and vascular disease in women. Walkers pick routes of 50, 25 or 12.5 kilometres, with the longest starting in Kijkduin, plus a five-kilometre route with extra rest points and medical help for people recovering.

Mystery Halloween film for ages 8 and up, popcorn included: The library keeps the title secret until you are in the room, promises something mildly scary, and hands out popcorn and lemonade. 29 October, 18:00 - 20:00, Bibliotheek Mariahoeve. FAMILY SHOW

Free instrument tryout and percussion workshop for kids at Laaktheater: Kids of seven to twelve try out instruments, do a percussion workshop and move to music with hula hoops and skipping ropes. 29 October, 15:00, Laaktheater. KIDS WORKSHOP

Walk through a giant human body at CORPUS: You follow a red blood cell through the organs, feel the circulation in a 5D heart theatre, and end at the brain. 29 October, 09:00, CORPUS. MUSEUM / EDUCATIONAL

Skeletje, a family show about saying goodbye, for ages five up: Two performers handle mourning with flowers, lights, slapstick and magic, drawing on traditions like Día de los Muertos, made for children from five up. 29 October, 13:30, Theater aan het Spui - Zaal 2. FAMILY SHOW

Classical concert for babies under two, crawling and lap-sitting fine: Claudia Veltman sings with Barbara Macedo on guitar while babies crawl about or stay on a lap, two sittings each morning. 29 October, 09:30, Theater Dakota. FAMILY SHOW

First preview of Rolf Sanchez's new album on the Club Tour: A club-sized set from the Club Tour, with new work and the first preview of songs written back in the Dominican Republic. 29 October, 20:00, PAARD, Kleine Zaal. POP / ROCK

Gnaoua Electro Live pairs Gnawa trance with electronics, no Dutch needed: Two sets, one led by Efe Erdem with trombone and live electronics, the other drawing on Gnawa music and Sufi hadra. 29 October, 20:15, Korzo theater. WORLD / FOLK

Muzikale Verrassing lunchtime concert by conservatoire students: Royal Conservatoire students perform a free morning set spanning different musical styles from jazz to classical. 29 October, 11:00, Bibliotheek Nieuw Waldeck. THEATER

Americana and British songwriting from Jon Allen & The Luna Kings: New songs from his latest record sit beside older ones, folk rock and raw soul with personal stories behind them. 29 October, 19:30, PAARD, Kleine Zaal. SINGER-SONGWRITER

Free songwriter night at Paardcafé with Rachel Rhea and Leonoor: Three performers in the cafe, free to walk into, including Canadian-born Rachel Rhea, who released her debut EP in June. 29 October, 20:30, PAARD, Kleine Zaal. SINGER-SONGWRITER

Dance salsa and bachata at Musicon's Latin Night: A DJ works through salsa, bachata, merengue and other South American, Caribbean and Antillean rhythms; tickets at the door only, no reservation. 29 October, 21:00, Musicon. SOCIAL / DRINKS

Carmen (must die) takes apart Bizet's Roma stereotypes: Giovanni Brand, the first Roma actor to play Carmen, works through the stereotypes Bizet left behind, in a ninety-minute DOX production. 29 October. THEATER

Festival Broncode asks what AI is doing to language: A festival built around language in the age of AI; the programme itself is not listed anywhere beyond the name Broncode. 29 October. FESTIVALS

Jacques Rancière and Pedro Costa discuss cinema across two days: Screenings pair with an intensive workshop on political aesthetics and conversations between the philosopher and filmmaker. 29 October, 14:00, West Den Haag in the former American Embassy. TALKS / IDEAS

The Purge Halloween party fills three rooms at PAARD: Three rooms, one Purge theme, 18 and over, costumes expected, masks worn on the back of the head so faces show. 29 October, 23:30, PAARD, Kleine Zaal. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Dutch stand-up from Ronald Goedemondt in Delft, already sold out: His show Mijn Lieve Achterdocht runs just under two hours in Dutch, and the theatre's page lists it as sold out. 29 October, 20:15, Theater de Veste. COMEDY

Ganja & Hess screens in English with a curator's introduction: Bill Gunn's 1973 experimental horror, 113 minutes, English with no subtitles, introduced by anthropologist and curator Edward Akintola Hubbard in Zaal 5. 29 October, 20:00, Filmhuis Den Haag: Studio B. FILM

Boredom, Ibsen quotes and hard gabber beats in Hedda Gabber: Daniëlle Deddens makes a piece about boredom out of Ibsen quotes, TikTok talk, ballads and hard beats, mixing theatre, music and dance. 29 October, 20:30, Het Nationale Theater - Zaal 3. THEATER

An hour and a half past The Hague's old execution sites: A guide takes at most fifteen people from Café De Posthoorn to Spaanse Hof, explaining how crimes were punished and executions staged. 29 October, 16:30, Café De Posthoorn. TOUR

Centuries of city maps with the municipal archivist: Map curator Joos Fassaert shares historical engravings and unbuilt urban plans showing how The Hague grew since the 1500s. 29 October, 11:00, Bibliotheek Mariahoeve. TOUR

Eight Thursdays of stories, poems and writing for older people: Mira Feticu leads the Literair Atelier à GoGo group through reading, writing assignments and shared memories, with no experience needed to take part. 29 October, 14:00 - 16:00, Centrale Bibliotheek, 1e verdieping, Studio B. WORKSHOP

Latin party Zumba hour on Waldeck Pyrmontkade, no experience needed: An hour of Latin-rhythm fitness with Latin Soul Dance, open to all ages and levels, with optional tea or coffee afterwards. 29 October, 19:00, Waldeck Pyrmontkade. SPORTS

Silent Reading Club at 1646 with Natasha Tontey: A reading session at the Boekhorststraat project space, Natasha Tontey in conversation with Rocher Koendjbiharie, with further details still to come. 29 October, 19:00, 1646. WORKSHOP

Food La Route sets up around the Zeeheldenkwartier: A food route through the Zeeheldenkwartier; the organiser's page is down, so the participating places and the times are not confirmed. 29 October. TASTING

Argue over the future of Dutch development aid, in English: Oxfam's day-long session puts traditional development cooperation up for argument, with people from the Global Majority, youth and diaspora setting the framing. 29 October, 09:00 - 17:00, The Hague Humanity Hub. CONFERENCE

Wine & Connect, an informal English-language evening for freelancers and founders: No presentations and no formal rounds, just a glass of wine and conversation for freelancers, professionals and people with a business idea. 29 October, 17:00, The Hague Social Club. NETWORKING

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