Essentially The Hague – Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Tuesday November 3, 2026

Good morning, The Hague. Today: the Crossing Border Festival fills the city centre with authors and bands, a dance school on Laan van Meerdervoort turns 105, and a free fair food festival opens at the Christus Triumfatorkerk.

Tarwekamp explosion trial starts Wednesday in The Hague: Four suspects face court over the December 2024 blast that killed six people. Around thirty survivors and relatives plan to speak on 10 November, and prosecutors announce the sentences they want on 24 November. The court expects to rule in mid-January 2027.

Laan van Meerdervoort dance school turns 105: Dansschool Wesseling opened on Laan van Meerdervoort in 1921 and has been run since 2022 by Floris Wesseling, his wife Natasja and partner Georgy. Alongside ballroom classes it teaches toddler dance, streetdance, hiphop and solo Latin. A reunion for past and present students follows on 29 November.

Remke hid her identity for decades before transitioning: Remke Verdegem, 67, from Alphen aan den Rijn, knew as a child that she was a girl but told nobody, marrying and raising children while dressing as a woman only at home. She transitioned in her fifties and now chairs the Transgender Netwerk board.

Fred Zuiderwijk to play Koninklijke Schouwburg at 69: The Hague broadcaster and tour guide performs in the theatre’s main hall next March, ending a wait that began in his boyhood. His show, Leâh mé Dûh Hág kennûh, is a virtual tour of the city with photos on a big screen, anecdotes and jokes.

Free fair food festival at Christus Triumfatorkerk: The Eerlijk Voedsel Festival runs on Saturday 7 November from 13.30 to 17.00 in the church hall on Juliana van Stolberglaan. Liane Lankreijer, known for food initiatives in the city, is the main speaker, alongside tastings, workshops, stalls, children’s activities and choir music.

Kwintsheul grower fined €50,000 over banned pesticide discharge: A greenhouse grower was convicted last Friday of deliberately using dichlorvos, a toxic substance that reached surface water at 6,000 times the permitted level. A sixty-hour community service order and a €16,000 confiscation came with the fine, and the grower has since switched to environmentally friendly growing.

Roman daily life, then a name tag made from metal foil: Children six to twelve hear what Romans ate and wore, then make a metal foil name tag to keep. 3 November, 15:30 – 17:00, Bibliotheek Mariahoeve. KIDS WORKSHOP

Playing a role, showing emotion and inventing stories, free in Bouwlust: A drama teacher from Theaterschool Rabarber works with eight to twelve year olds on acting, emotion and stories they invent. 3 November, 15:30, Bibliotheek Bouwlust. KIDS WORKSHOP

Seattle death metal from Drawn and Quartered, with Noroth opening: Thirty years after their first demo, the band play material from Lord of Two Horns, with Noroth on first. 3 November, 20:00, Musicon. POP / ROCK

Crossing Border Festival fills the city centre with authors and bands: Readings and concerts around the Koninklijke Schouwburg and its mirror tent, with Jeanette Winterson, Édouard Louis and Dry Cleaning among the names. 3 November, De hele dag, Centrum Den Haag. FESTIVALS

Lagos and Nairobi waste pickers in focus at Beyond Waste: Two photographers document the people who sort and recycle a city’s discards, with an artist talk and a hands-on textiles session. 3 November, 16:00 – 19:00, The Grey Space in The Middle. ART / MUSEUMS

Free portraits of four people on money worries and homelessness: Portraits and a podcast carry what Pieter, Steven, Jethro and Fleur say about debt, homelessness and mental health. 3 November, 09:00, Atrium Den Haag. ART / MUSEUMS

A children’s jury hands out the Spotlight On Award at the Kurhaus: Fifteen local initiatives working against child poverty are nominated in five categories, and children and teenagers decide who wins. 3 November, Grand Hotel Amrâth Kurhaus. TALKS / IDEAS

RKAVV and SVV Scheveningen restart the match a wasp stopped: Play resumes from the forty ninth minute at 1-1, after a wasp stung the linesman in October and no replacement arrived. 3 November, Sportpark De Kastelenring. SPORTS

Free city talk on greening your home when the grid is full: Stedin explains how the electricity network is being extended, an alderman sets out the city’s role, and residents share practical tips. 3 November, 17:15, De Helena. TALKS / IDEAS

Three courses, all plant-based, for World Vegan Week on the Molenstraat: Restaurants around the country are cooking plant-based all week, and the Molenstraat pizza place has a three course menu at 24,95. 3 November, Vegan Pizza Bar. FESTIVALS

Guided walk past the sites of The Hague’s political murders, in Dutch: Stories of Oldenbarnevelt, the De Witt brothers and the 2002 killing of Pim Fortuyn, told outdoors without going inside buildings. 3 November, 12:30, ProDemos – Huis voor democratie en rechtsstaat. TOUR

Inside the Old City Hall on the Groenmarkt, led by a guide: The old courtroom, the balcony where male suffrage was announced in 1917, and a building now kept for weddings. 3 November, 10:00, Oude Stadhuis. TOUR

Free walk-in advice for older residents at Segbroek library: Advisers from Incluzio take questions about money, housing, caring for someone or mental health, and no appointment is needed. 3 November, 15:00, Bibliotheek Segbroek. NETWORKING

Logging in, two-step verification and online applications, over three mornings: Over three Tuesday mornings you practise logging in with the app, two-step verification and making a request to the council. 3 November, 10:00 – 12:00, Bibliotheek Scheveningen. CLASS

Boat excursions run daily from De Willemsvaart until the end of January: Trips leave through the day and into the evening, so you can pick a morning slot or an after-dinner one. 3 November, 10:00, De Willemsvaart. TOUR

Free insulation advice from the city at Mariahoeve library: City staff take questions on insulation, energy saving, maintenance and grants; walk in with a general one or book ahead. 3 November, 10:30, Bibliotheek Mariahoeve. WORKSHOP

HCSS runs its Strategic Negotiations course over five afternoons: Five afternoons of case studies and simulations for people working between business and diplomacy, in a group of twelve to fifteen. 3 November, 13:00 – 18:00, The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. WORKSHOP / TRAINING

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