GASHOUDER: Music venue in Westergas, Amsterdam

Gashouder is a concert and event hall in a round former gas holder at Westergas in Amsterdam, with room for more than 3,500 people. You go for big live shows and dance nights, or for art and performance under the iron roof of an industrial monument. The programme runs along four lines: live, dance, art and performance. Live shows and night culture sit next to theatre performance and immersive installations, and commercial events help pay for the experimental work. It is a standing venue with a balcony, and doors open per event. There are no regular opening hours, so go by the agenda. Age limits vary too: there is usually no minimum, but shows labelled dance are almost always 18 and over. The Westergasfabriek dates from the 1880s and supplied Amsterdam with gas. The heritage register places this round holder in the early 1900s, and the building bears the inscription ANNO 1902. The factory closed in the 1960s and the holder seemed to have lost its purpose, until the Holland Festival and Awakenings rediscovered it in the 1990s. It is now a national monument, surrounded by Cultuurpark Westergas with its restaurants and bars. The venue advises coming by bike or public transport, as the site has limited car access. Tickets are scanned from your phone, often released only days before the show, and must be personalised through the confirmation email. Refunds are not possible, so resell only through the official channels. Bags can be searched at the door. Tram 5 stops at Van Hallstraat/Westergasfabriek and bus 21 from Centraal does too. At night, N88 stops at Van Limburg Stirumstraat and N81 at Nassauplein. The site has little car access.