Tuesday October 20, 2026
Good morning, The Hague. Today: regional bus drivers strike again on Thursday, Lama Yazbeck opens an all-potato lunch spot on Maliestraat, and headless figures roam the Grote Marktstraat.
At a glance
🌦️ Weather: Hi 13°C / 55°F (3° cooler than yesterday) · Lo 6°C / 42°F · 5% chance of rain · wind E 24 km/h (13 knots)
🚲 Cycling: Good cycling all day.
🌙 Sun & moon: Sunrise 08:16 · Sunset 18:38 · First Quarter · Moonrise 16:39 · Golden hour 18:08 to 18:38
🌊 Outdoors: Air quality fair (AQI 30) · grass pollen low
💶 Markets: AEX 1,141 (-0.1%) · S&P 500 7,706 (+0.6%) · €1 = $1.12 · $1 = €0.89
Cor Bakker and Karin Bloemen join The Hague Christmas sing-along: The event returns on 13 December at the city hall Atrium, with the pair replacing Gregor Bak and Francis van Broekhuizen. A 300-person Christmas choir and local theatre brass band will also take part.
Birdwatchers gathered in Hague woods for a rare nutcracker: Dozens of birdwatchers travelled to Landgoed Marlot in The Hague on Sunday to see a nutcracker, including visitors from Rotterdam and Eindhoven. The bird is an unusual visitor from Siberia, and its survival in the Netherlands is uncertain.
Explosions in The Hague down 27% in 2025: The city recorded 78 attacks with explosives last year, against 107 in 2024. Mayor Jan van Zanen says the cause of the drop is uncertain and the effort must continue.
Lama Yazbeck opens an all-potato lunch spot on Maliestraat: A new lunch place on Maliestraat has built its entire menu around the potato, from wraps to dessert. Owner Lama Yazbeck drew on Lebanese home cooking and the Dutch habit of eating potatoes almost daily.
Regional bus drivers to strike again on Thursday 22 October: The walkout is part of a dispute over a new collective labour agreement that has stalled since July. Unions say they will stage weekly strikes through Christmas, announcing each action at least 48 hours ahead.
65 affordable rental homes completed on Stuwstraat: The homes were developed by Hof Wonen and Mooiland with builder Van Wijnen Stolwijk. They include a shared garden, a nature-inclusive façade and sustainable materials.
KunstPost to leave Mariahoeve venue by year-end: The cultural organisation marked its 18th anniversary with a weekend of film, dance, music and workshops at LOOkatie364. It has rented three smaller rooms nearby to continue its activities.
Headless figures to roam The Hague's Grote Marktstraat: Three headless performers will appear in shops and on terraces along Grote Marktstraat from 21 to 24 October. The German street theatre group Circolo is part of children’s autumn-holiday festival De Betovering.
Bat found trapped in parasol in The Hague: Cafe staff in Leidschenveen discovered the bat when they opened a parasol in the morning. It was barely moving and was taken to a wildlife rescue centre for assessment.
Dutch daycare bills exceed subsidy ceilings: Seven in 10 daycare centres charge more than the hourly rate covered by childcare benefit, according to a survey by parents’ association BOinK. Low-income families face the greatest impact as prices rise.
FLY: Soup, a universe and fifteen minutes without gravity: For ages six and up, this fifteen-minute theatre piece pairs a bowl of soup with an imagined universe and weightlessness. 20 October, Theater aan het Spui - Zaal 2. FAMILY SHOW
Tour the prison cells during Ontsnappen uit de Gevangenpoort: Guides lead families through historic escape stories, accompanied by a short theatrical performance inside the IJzerkamer. 20 October, Museum de Gevangenpoort. MUSEUM / EDUCATIONAL
Print LEGO-built pictures with a small press: Children aged seven and up arrange LEGO bricks into an image, then print it in two or three colours using a press. 20 October, Grafische Werkplaats. KIDS WORKSHOP
What Adults Do When Nobody's Watching: For children aged four and up, Compagnie Barbarie turns an ode to theatre into a look at what adults do unseen. 20 October. FAMILY SHOW
Paint to rhythms after exploring instruments: Children aged seven and up explore percussion in the Base Line exhibition, then paint a canvas using their own rhythm and colour. 20 October, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. KIDS WORKSHOP
Clay modeling and sketching at Beelden aan Zee: Young visitors explore seaside sculptures for inspiration, then sculpt with clay and sketch inside the studio. 20 October, Museum Beelden aan Zee. KIDS WORKSHOP
Summer of 1788 with Basel Chamber Orchestra: Violinist Isabelle Faust and Kristian Bezuidenhout join the Swiss ensemble for an orchestral evening devoted to classical repertoire. 20 October, 20:15, Amare Studio, Amare. CLASSICAL
Arethusa Quartet plays an evening of chamber music: Four classical players take the stage together for a string concert presented by the local chamber music foundation. 20 October, 20:15, Theater Diligentia. CLASSICAL
King Me: Greg Shapiro's Trump satire in English: Greg Shapiro mixes Trump impressions, political stories and satire with audience-inspired improv, looking toward the November US midterm elections. 20 October, 20:15, Theater de Veste. THEATER
Céline Hurka: New Nature through type and threatened plants: The exhibition pairs typefaces based on threatened plants with historic books, and children under 13 enter free. 20 October, 11:00, Rijksmuseum Meermanno. ART / MUSEUMS
No Good Men, with English subtitles: Set in Kabul in 2021, the Dari-and-Pashto film follows a television camerawoman trying to keep custody of her young son. 20 October, 10:45, Filmhuis Den Haag: Studio B. FILM
Youri: A pianist's friendship, followed by a director Q&A: The film follows journalist Jan Brokken and pianist Youri Egorov's friendship in 1980s Amsterdam, then director Sander Burger discusses it. 20 October, 18:30, Filmhuis Den Haag: Studio B. FILM
One Planet Expo, an exhibition on view through August: This exhibition remains on view through August 2027, so visitors can plan a museum visit across the coming months. 20 October, 09:30, Museon - Omniversum. ART / MUSEUMS
Pre-COP Roundtable: Climate displacement and possible action: Researchers and practitioners discuss responses to weather-driven displacement, with a roundtable followed by networking drinks. 20 October, 15:00 - 17:00, International Institute of Social Studies, Room 4.01. TALKS / IDEAS
Raiz Up Bootcamp and Battle: Breaking classes and battles: A week of masterclasses with international breakers leads to a kids' one-on-one and an adults' three-on-three battle. 20 October, 11:00, Haags Hiphop Centrum. WORKSHOP
Tabletop Tuesdays: Free board games for every experience level: Tabletop Knights supplies and explains games ranging from easy introductions to more involved strategy, with beginners and regular players welcome. 20 October, 19:00, Hoender en Hop. GAMES / HOBBIES
Community Drinks: Who gets heard in a crowded world: Short speaker spotlights lead into open discussion about whose knowledge is heard and who controls the narrative, for peace-and-justice professionals. 20 October, 17:30 - 19:00, The Hague Humanity Hub. NETWORKING
Freelancer status and employment law for nonprofits: In Dutch, lawyers explain how employment law classifies freelancers, with practical guidance and time for questions about organisations' own cases. 20 October, 15:00 - 17:00, Boompjes 258. WORKSHOP / TRAINING
Good to know
New on Dutch streaming: 100 Days of Deception (Netflix), Deadly Tag (Disney+), 90 Day: The Last Resort (HBO Max), The Servant (Prime Video)
New on the big screen: Franz is now showing at 3 cinemas, and Coward opens Thursday at Filmhuis Den Haag and Flora. Showtimes here.
Overheard on Reddit: A post sought vintage shops, Etsy, and custom makers for distinctive house number plaques in The Hague.
Today's supermarket deals: Ben & Jerry's Cookie dough (2e free) from Albert Heijn, Coolbest 100% juice of Healthy People (2 for €3.99) from Jumbo.
Did you know? When the company behind Panorama Mesdag went bankrupt in 1886, painter Hendrik Mesdag simply bought his own giant artwork back to keep it in The Hague.
19 years ago today: On October 20th, 2007, Princess Ariane was baptized in The Hague's Kloosterkerk with water carried from the River Jordan.
Adoptable pet of the day: Meet Jacks, a 2-month-old cat at Dierenopvangcentrum Hokazo. Take a look →Looking ahead – next week
The bigger things coming up in The Hague over the next seven days.
• Festival De Betovering · Monday 19 October to Sunday 25 October, Centrum Den Haag
• Circus Chapito · Monday 19 October to Sunday 25 October, Zuiderpark
• Marktdag - De Haagse Markt · Wednesday 21 October
• Wijkmarkt Zeeheldenkwartier · Thursday 22 October
• Buurmans Keukenparade · Thursday 22 October, Melis Stokelaan / Coevordenstraat; Wijkpark De Horst; Dallashof
In case you missed it
Our three most clicked-on items from yesterday’s newsletter.
In tomorrow’s edition: Straattheater takes over the Grote Marktstraat, Maluku Talks asks whether the real Moluccan will stand up at the Centrale Bibliotheek, and a Rewire festival workshop for ages 6 and up asks whether a rock is made or born.
Have a great Tuesday.
Running something in The Hague? Tell us about it and we will take a look.
October is settling in properly now, and the low afternoon light over the city is worth a slower walk home.
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