Paradiso Amsterdam

The Paradiso club is one of two famous mid-size concert venues in Amsterdam, along with the equally nice Melkweg a few blocks away. The club was converted from a church and opened in this form in 1968, but you can clearly see its church origins on both the inside and outside. The main hall still has the church windows behind the stage, and balconies still look down over the whole floor level.

Concerts

The club hosts international touring acts most nights of the week, although occasionally there will be a big Dutch act or even a lecture or other cultural event scheduled. Since most of these touring acts crisscross Europe from spring through fall, there are definitely fewer concerts during winter, but of course the schedule varies weekly. The Paradiso has hosted the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, and nearly every other act that would play in a venue whose main hall holds about 1,500 people in Amsterdam (there’s also a smaller upstairs hall for about 250). Between the Melkweg and the Paradiso, they have a lock on mid-sized concerts in the city, and both clubs have amazing lists of legends who’ve played in them.

>>more general information on concerts in Amsterdam

Parties/DJ events

The specifics can vary, but generally on most Thursdays through Saturday nights the Paradiso hosts regular dance events where the DJ is the main attraction and the music tends to follow a particular theme based on exactly which party is on that night. They also occasionally book one-time events where a local promoter will rent the place and promote a DJ event, but generally you’ll find regular events that are the same each week.

You have to pay a separate admission for these parties, even if you’ve earlier paid to see the live show. The admission charge is usually around €6 and they typically start around 11:30pm and then go until at least 3am.

Finding out who’s playing

For concerts and club nights you can go to the official Paradiso site and you’ll see their current calendar. It has an English version now, so no need to puzzle through the Dutch.

Membership is required for most events

Just as with the Melkweg, most events at the Paradiso require a “membership”. As of 2026 it costs €4.50 per month or €9.50 per year, and for club nights a one-day membership is already included in the ticket price. Bring a card, too, because Paradiso is card-only, takes no cash and doesn’t accept American Express.

Getting advanced tickets for Paradiso

You can buy advance tickets on the Paradiso website, at the Concerto record store in Amsterdam, or at the door when a show hasn’t sold out.

Stay away from resale sites like Viagogo and StubHub, since Paradiso says it can’t guarantee entry with tickets bought anywhere but its official outlets.

Address and map

Weteringschans 6
1017 Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The Paradiso is just southeast of the Leidseplein Square. For a better view of how this fits into the city center check out the main Amsterdam map page.

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