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46 www.timeoutamsterdam.nl December 2010 Pink Evangelical Celebration at Keiz- ersgrachtkerk (Keizersgracht 566) on Christmas Day, before the party wraps up on a totally different beat at Club Escape on 26 December from 19.00 to midnight with a big evening of house, funk and live vocal, percussion and surprise acts. pinkchristmas.nl. If you’re kitsch happy This holiday season, Christmas has spilled its guts all over Rembrandt- plein, which is transformed into a Swiss Alps village theme park. Until 2 January, stumble along to ‘Winter- land’ where the boutique-chalets offer Christmas stocking-stuffers and holi- day foods, and the Winterland Café serves hot chocolate to the frostbitten. Ride the old-fashioned Winter Carou- sel or plop the kids on the Winter Ex- press train, a couple of carts pulled by three real reindeer, and everyone can go for a spin in the huge ice-skating rink. winterlandamsterdam.nl. If you love the sounds of the season Holiday concerts will keep you singing through the chill. The annual Chanoeka Klezmer (traditional Yiddish music) concert takes over the gorgeous Por- tuguese Synagogue, lit festively with Party on 17 December at the rink in Rembrandtplein. On 18 December, gay bars such as Queen’s Head and Man- dje will set up stalls along the Zeedijk, offering drinks and oliebollen before an outdoor fashion show at 20.00. Of course, it’s not a real pink Christmas until the drag queens and kings of Amsterdam put on their sequined leo- tards and ice skates and compete for as-yet undisclosed prizes at the Drag Winter Olympics, on 19 December from 16.00 to 18.00 at the Leidseplein rink. There will be carolling on the chosen theme, ‘The Difference’, at the official all-out winter fest, Winter Magic, is kicked off with the lighting of the Magere Brug (you might know it as the ‘Skinny Bridge’) at 17.30. Belt it out at the Christmas sing-along on the Amstel on 18 December, because your performance may end up on TV on Christmas Day. The climax of the celebrations is on 23 December with the spectacular Christmas Canal Parade of twinkling, illuminated boats floating down the Prinsengracht, in- cluding one masquerading as Santa’s sleigh. Winter Magic ends 1 January with the Best Wishes Tour cruise, a long line of illuminated boats whose passengers and guests of honour are folks who made the city a better place in 2010. wintermagicamsterdam.com. If your faux snow is pink If you’re tired of the same old red Santa, dress him in pink this year with ProGay’s series of holiday events. Kick things off at the Pink Ice If you need a good feed Much like the medieval feasts of cen- turies gone by, the Winterparade takes over the Westergasfabriek from 16 to 26 December with a 120-metre long banquet-style table, on which there’s an actual parade of dance, theatre and poetry performances. While most of the acts are in Dutch (except the mime, acrobatics and singing, of course), the vats of mulled wine, abundant foods and hordes of musicians should create a festive mood irrespective of any language barriers. Just try not to get your bread stomped by a minstrel. winterparade.nl. If you’re a die-hard for tradition Still get a bit giddy over the humble Christmas tree? The official 18 metre- high tree lighting ceremony takes place on Dam square on 9 December around 18.30. The next day, the city’s Winter Wonderland Around Town Plus daytrips outside the city Edited by Anna Whitehouse This holiday season, Amsterdam brings you a circus wheel of death and sequined drag queens on ice. Marie Char- lotte Pezé went in search of chill-filled fun, from traditional fare to the kooky and spectacular Snow business: Rembrandtplein is transformed into a festive funfair Plop the kids on the Winter Express train, carts pulled by three real reindeer Drag Winter Olympics Winterland IS27_TOADAM_AT_COMP_Dec2010.indd 46 11/25/10 2:25 PM
