What's On

Rotterdam

De Parade consists of a large number of colourful tents which travel the four main cities. Most of the tents offer performances of music, theatre, dance, opera and mime, while others are restaurants or cafes. Whatever the weather, the circus-like atmosphere is a real treat.

And with performances taking between three and forty minutes, it's easy to fit in several each evening. Many are in Dutch, but there are also shows in English or without words.

Museumpark, Rotterdam, June 20 to 30; Westbroekpark, The Hague, July 5 to 14; Moreelsepark, Utrecht, July 19 to August 4; Martin Luther Kingpark, Amsterdam, August 9 to 25.

www.deparade.nl

Top gymnasts, including Epke Zonderland who won gold on the high bar at last year's Olympics with a fautless performance, compete in a variety of disciplines. These include jazz dance and street dance.

Ahoy, Rotterdam, June 15 and 16.

www.ahoy.nl

The semi-finals of the Hockey World League Final - in November in Argentina - sees the Dutch women's team playing in front of a home crowd for the first time since they took gold at last summer's Olympic Games in London.

They are up against teams from Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, India, China, Belgium and Japan.

The Dutch men begin their quest to compete in the World League against Australia, New Zealand and Spain.

HC Rotterdam, Rotterdam, June 13 to 23.

www.rotterdamtopsport.nl

120 teams of street football players compete on six fields over two days for the national championship. There is also music, dance, demos and a kids' corner.

Ahoy, Rotterdam, May 25 and 26.

www.ahoy.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

Marien van Staalen is the soloist for De Raaff's cello concerto. Yannick Nézet-Séguin also conducts Ravel's La valse and Stravinsky's Le sacre du printemps.

De Doelen, Rotterdam, May 17.

A jazzy programme of works by Stravinsky (Scherzo à la russe), Bernstein (On The Town) and Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue). The soloists are Julien Hervé (clarinet) and Gabriela Montero (piano). James Gaffigan conducts.

De Doelen, Rotterdam, May 23 and 24.

www.rpho.nl

The world's top riders compete in a series of international competitions in both show jumping and dressage. There are also competitions for young riders.

Kralingse Bos, Rotterdam, June 19 to 23.

www.chio.nl

Find inspiration for the rest of the summer on the stalls selling clothes, beauty products and much more for the whole family, and the workshops and fashion shows.

Ahoy, Rotterdam, June 27 to 30.

www.ahoy.nl