March Love Letter

While Europe tries to shake off the winter cobwebs—or, more accurately, in the case of Amsterdam, dries out from the cool damp winter—March sees things warming up on the cultural calendar, while restaurateurs hope to earn a name before the summer rush.

Amsterdam will play host to the annual European Fine Art Fair (tefaf.com) from the 13th until the 22nd of March. The event is touted as the world’s grandest art and antiques exhibition, and with enough paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, and general antiques on hand to stock a first-rate museum, you’ll find few who would argue.

The world’s largest public garden, the Keukenhof (keukenhof.nl), opens with fanfare on March 19 when no less than Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will cut a ribbon and kick off the 60th edition. Its theme—New Amsterdam/New York, 400 Years—will hold special appeal for Americans; displays such as a flower-mosaic Statue of Liberty comprised of over 25 000 tulips and a series of “American-” themed events ought to draw a large crowd.

Music fans of all stripes are excited by March’s lineup of visiting talent. Dance icons The Prodigy get things started on the 4th at the Melkweg (melkweg.nl), while Paradiso (paradiso.nl), a converted church that ranks among the world’s best live music venues, sees Q-Tip and Peanut Butter Wolf both take to the stage on the 10th. Three days later Franz Ferdinand will play the same venue.

Finally, after a quiet spell on Amsterdam’s culinary front, Fa PekelHaaring (pekelhaaring.nl), a small but authentic Italian eatery with a modern décor, has been attracting devotees, while the city’s bohemian artists have been buzzing about the opening of the Smart Project Space (smartprojectspace.net); located in a former pathology lab, the edgy arts and cultural exhibition space boasts studios, a cinema, and Lab111, an instantly hip café

Neil Carlson