What's On

Festivals

The Delft Ceramics event is a series of exhibitions featuring the latest developments. This year the emphasis is on the relationship between the home of Delft Blue and China.

Among the exhibitions is Marian Heyerdhal's army of terracotta female warriors, inspired by the famous male army from the Chinese city of Xi'an, and the work of five Dutch artists who were artists-in-residence at the International Ceramic Art Institute in Jingdezhen.

Oude Kerk and other venues, Delft until June 9.

www.delft.nl

The annual festival that makes classical music fun by keeping concerts short - none lasts more than one hour - and holding them in surprising venues such as McDonald's or outdoors on a large stage moored in the middle of the Hofvijver outside parliament. The musical range is wide: from Hildegard van Bingen to Milhaud and from Bach to Gustav Holst.

Various venues, The Hague, June 14 to 23.

www.festivalclassique.nl

The annual cultural festival kicks off with Quartett, Luca Francesconi's opera based on Les Liaisons Dangereuse by Heiner Müller. It is perfomed by the Teatro Alla Scala.

Other highlights include Desdemona, written by Toni Morrison following a conversation about Othello with Peter Sellars. The Malian singer Rokia Traoré sings Desdemona, giving her her own voice.

Also on the programme are a radical confrontation with extreme forces in music, dance and light in Shirokuro, a performance of Wagner's The Mastersingers of Nuremburg during a picknick in a park, and big band music theatre with animation and live painting in Brooklyn Babylon.

Various locations, Amsterdam, June 1 to 26.

www.hollandfestival.nl

This annual festival takes over the island of Terschelling and presents theatre in its widest meaning, outdoors in its woods and fields and on its sand dunes and golden beaches, and indoors in its barns and cafés.

The theme this year is A Sense of Place. Among those taking part are Hendrick Jan The Stuntman, singer Janne Schra and the Tall Tales Acrobatic Theatre group.

Terschelling, June 14 to 23.

www.oerol.nl

The annual opera festival takes in existing and new works together with activities such as a special walk taking in three operas in surprising locations. Among this year's highlights are Katia Kabanova by Janácek, Don't Look Back Baby which is a contemporary work based on the Orpheus myth, and the music theatre piece Moby Dick.

There are also war songs by Heiner Goebbels and Monteverdi, a live version of the film Nine which was in turn based on Fellini's film 8½, and The Secret History of Yodelling.

Schouwburg and other venues, Rotterdam, May 25 to June 2.

www.operadagenrotterdam.nl

The two-yearly photo festival takes as its theme: Don't Stay Here: Dutch photography on the move. The festival takes a look at developments in Dutch photography and features new and established names. Among them this year are Ad Nuis, Hellen van Meene, and astronaut André Kuipers whose photos taken during his recent stay on the international space station will be on show.

Grote Kerk and other venues, Naarden until June 23.

www.fotofestivalnaarden.nl

This is four days of summer eating, drinking and entertainment with 15 of the city's best restaurants serving up their finest food in starter-sized portions and wine merchants providing tastings. There is also a food market, cooking club and a barbeque challenge.

Amstel Park, Amsterdam, June 6 to 9.

www.tasteofamsterdam.com