Essentially The Hague for Friday 23 October: Cold kills 560 yearly, EU probes Booking.com, korfbal turns 40

Friday October 23, 2026

Good morning, The Hague. Today: cold weather kills 560 residents a year, blue flower markers guide dementia walkers in Wateringse Veld, and the Haagse Korfbal Dagen reach a 40th edition.

Calliope Tsoupaki first woman to win Wagenaar prize: She received the career award at the Amare concert hall from The Hague's culture alderwoman, Lotte van Basten Batenburg. The independent jury cited her distinct artistic signature and her own chosen path. Born in Greece, Tsoupaki has lived in the Netherlands since 1988 and was Composer of the Nation.

Amsterdam-based Booking.com faces EU probe over fake listings: The European Commission opened the case on October 21 and will look at phishing risks in guest data sharing and whether paid-for boosted listings are marked as adverts. Dutch fraud reporters logged 1,072 phishing complaints about booking sites in the first half of 2026, over 90% naming the platform.

European defence innovation forum returns to World Forum: Governments, defence companies and investors from countries including Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Latvia meet in The Hague on 11 and 12 November. The second edition adds a technology fair, a startup contest and talks on drones, cyber security and ammunition, with more than fifty firms showing their technology.

736 people helped at free tax desk in Escamp: The tax support point opened in the Escamp district office in May and has since handled questions about taxes and benefits at no charge. Staff see six to eight visitors a day, many on benefits or temporary work who depend on housing allowance. It is one of 22 nationwide.

A 1970s taxi feud between The Hague and Rijswijk: Drivers from the city and its surrounding municipalities spent the 1970s and 1980s making trouble for one another, in ways that look startling today. One protest saw taxis block the street outside the police station on Jan Hendrikstraat. A local history column revisits how the rivalry played out.

No discipline after police broke rules in Schilderswijk: An evaluation by mayor Jan van Zanen found police use of force failed official standards in three cases during unrest around the Netherlands-Morocco and Canada-Morocco matches. The force accepted the conclusions and handled them as learning moments. Officers made 59 arrests in the knockout phase.

Haagse Korfbal Dagen reaches its 40th edition: The long-running korfball tournament in The Hague began its 40th run on 20 October. Senior teams, juniors and G-korfball players are all competing to decide the eventual winners. Arjan Roos, Marco de Jonge, Miriam Waindrich, Jos Timmer and Melanie van Tienhoven make up the organising committee.

Blue flower markers guide dementia walkers in Wateringse Veld: Care and welfare alderman Ralf Sluijs opened the route on Wednesday at the De Strijp and Waterhof care centres on Polanenhof. The markers also tell passers-by that neighbours with fragile health live nearby. The Hague already has similar paths in Scheveningen, Loosduinen, Escamp and Ockenburgh, with Bezuidenhout next.

Winnifred Noorlander lost three years to two concussions: Reports of concussion to company doctors rose 64% in three years, with ageing and electric bikes among possible causes. The Hague resident, told by a doctor she would not improve, recovered and swam from England to France in 17.5 hours, raising over 50,000 euros for a brain charity.

Cold kills 560 Hague residents each year: New national research shows winter is deadlier than summer, with more than 10,000 cold-related deaths across the Netherlands annually. Zuiderpark carries the greatest risk: for over-75s there, death risk in real cold runs 157% above the level at 21 degrees. Energy poverty may be part of the explanation.

Children's theatre about the monster under the bed: A show about that monster under your bed, and the question of whether you ever get rid of it. 23 October, 14:00, Amare Studio, Amare. FAMILY SHOW

BoomBOOMwhakalaa! with drums and boomwhackers for children: Children play along on tuned plastic tubes while Caribbean songs, sketches and world percussion fill the stage. 23 October, Theater de Vaillant. FAMILY SHOW

Two stages, one wall and something you always miss: Double You: Be Flat's show for ages six and up splits the audience's attention between two stages divided by a wall. 23 October. FAMILY SHOW

Dance among billowing cloths for children four and up: Part of Festival de Betovering, a piece about finding your footing in a world that never stops moving. 23 October, 14:00, De Regentes - Ketelhuis. FAMILY SHOW

Make a clay sea creature at Muzee in Scheveningen: Children aged six and up build a sea creature from clay, paper and beads, after looking at the museum's own. 23 October, 10:30, Muzee Scheveningen. KIDS WORKSHOP

Drawing, sketching and a soundtrack for a story about disobedient ants: Musicians from ensemble Kluster5 help five to ten year olds build a piece, then play the finished music live. 23 October, 13:00, De Regentes - Ketelhuis. KIDS WORKSHOP

Jenny Arean sings her own songbook in the Grote zaal: A run back through her own repertoire in the big hall, the material she has been singing across her career. 23 October, 20:00 - 21:20, Koninklijke Schouwburg. SINGER-SONGWRITER

Two Hammond organs front Orgel Vreten's rock and funk set: Two Hammond organs lead a band mixing rock, funk and psychedelia, and a new EP sells only at live shows. 23 October, 20:00, PAARD, Kleine Zaal. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

A Ticket to Aleppo in concert: New European Ensemble teams up with Orchestre Partout for a collaborative evening of cross-cultural music. 23 October, 20:15, Amare Studio, Amare. CLASSICAL

Madonna, The Cure and a giant Rubik's Cube at 80s Verantwoord: An 18+ club night running 25 years, taking requests, with Mario Bros. games and a giant Rubik's Cube in the room. 23 October, 19:00 (doors open 19:00, start, PAARD, Kleine Zaal. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Drop in free at Spouw for pre-drinks and a weekly DJ: Entry is free, beer listed at 3.9 and shots at 3.5, and from 23:00 the whole Grote Markt goes 18+. 23 October, Café Zèta, Grote Markt. POP / ROCK

Eddy Ate Dynamite: free guitar DJ night at PAARD's cafe: Two DJs work through guitar music from emo and indie to pop rock and metal, free entry, over 18s. 23 October, PAARD, Kleine Zaal. POP / ROCK

Jandino plays his big anniversary show at Diligentia: Only one line in the listing, De Grote Jubileumshow, his big anniversary show, with no start time given. 23 October, Theater Diligentia. THEATER

Northern lights in 360 degrees, with live piano: Resonances Boreales: Pianist Roman Zavada plays his own compositions for an hour while footage shot at Prelude Lake fills the dome. 23 October, 19:00, 20:45, Museon-Omniversum dometheater. FILM

AKF finalists on tour, one night at Theater PePijn: A finalists' tour, so the bill is several acts sharing one programme rather than one name carrying the whole night. 23 October, 20:30, Theater PePijn. THEATER

Edward Tuheteru explores family roots and belonging in Nieuw Waldeck: Personal stories examine Moluccan roots and identity across generations in Edward Tuheteru's fourth solo theatrical performance. 23 October, 20:15 - 22:00, Bibliotheek Nieuw Waldeck. THEATER

An hour of Bharatanatyam from students at the Gandhi Centre: Students of the centre perform, with the Embassy of India behind the evening, in the first floor room on Parkstraat. 23 October, 18:00 - 19:00, Gandhi Centre. DANCE / PERFORMANCE

Photographer Sandra Uittenbogaart reflects on pandemic street life: Hear how two years of photographing local queues and empty streets shaped an official city archive project. 23 October, 14:00 - 15:30, Bibliotheek Segbroek. TALKS / IDEAS

Sit in on SciCast's first recording on Dutch renewable energy: Two panellists, one from TU Delft and one from RWE, discuss future demand, electrification and the barriers to scaling renewables. 23 October, 14:30 - 17:00, TU Delft | Campus The Hague, Spui Campus. TALKS / IDEAS

Life Goals Games brings free community sports: Pickleball, football, table tennis, and volleyball run all day with a shared lunch provided for all participants. 23 October, Sportcampus Zuiderpark. SPORTS

Champagne & Ceviche Night at BlueBlood, free to walk in: Three ceviches, sea bass, salmon with ponzu and a vegetarian mango one, at nine euros each, as is the champagne. 23 October, 17:00 - 20:00, Hilton The Hague - BlueBlood. TASTING

Decorate a photo frame Japanese decoden style in Rijswijk: Ten places only, booking required, and the afternoon goes on decorating a photo frame or toploader in Japanese decoden style. 23 October, 13:00 - 14:30, De Broodfabriek Expo en Event Center Rijswijk. WORKSHOP

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