Essentially The Hague – Friday, November 6, 2026

Friday November 6, 2026

Good morning, The Hague. Today: Houtwijk residents challenge plans for a 70-metre housing tower, Popronde Den Haag fills the Paardcafé with free live music, and the Queer Choir sings lullabies and protest songs at its first concert.

Grape wall and greenhouse finished at Landgoed Ockenburgh: Jacob Westerbaen grew peaches and apricots against a sheltering wall on this estate in the 1600s, and volunteers have now rebuilt one. The two structures each took nine months and roughly 2,000 hours. Westland mayor Bouke Arends formally opens the wall on Monday.

Rik van Wieren’s PillenPopper frees pills for arthritis patients: The 3D-printed prototype lets users press a lever with a palm or forearm, and it can also split tablets in half. One tester with severe arthritis went from 15 painful minutes to under 2. A public vote for a 2,500 euro prize closes 8 November.

Marktweg troublemakers of 1995 now work for their neighbourhood: A 1995 television documentary followed a group of men around the Marktweg who regularly clashed with police. Thirty years on, Raymond Zuidwijk is district chair in Laak, while Willem van der Toorn, who turned his cellar into a clubhouse, later worked seventeen years at a Scheveningen community centre.

Hague baker adds chocolate  for local dialect: A pastry chef at a Frederik Hendriklaan bakery has made a sea-salt chocolate letter Â, the accent that turns betâh, lettâh and lekkâh into correct Hague spelling. He says he hopes it brings some positive energy back to Sinterklaas and connects people across the city.

U.S. sanctions push rights groups away from ICC: A survey of 100 human rights organisations found at least 20 have ended or sharply cut their work with the court in The Hague. Some American funders have barred contact outright. The Dutch foreign ministry says hosting the court brings no special duty to shield NGOs.

Rental agents agreed to exclude foreign tenants: Actors posing as landlords phoned 200 agents for a government-commissioned study, asking them to avoid Moroccan, Turkish or Polish tenants; 97 agreed and only 20% said no. Separate tests on 1,662 listings showed Moroccan-sounding names drew fewer viewing invitations. The findings reached MPs on Wednesday.

Safety measures follow assaults in Bosjes van Pex: The city has pruned back undergrowth and installed motion-sensor lighting along the cycle route used by young athletes there. The measures follow the severe beating of two minors last summer, one struck on the head with a chain lock. Their effect will be assessed at the next inspection.

Houtwijk residents challenge plans for 70-metre housing tower: A developer wants to build 400 to 600 homes on the site of the Houtwijk care home, with a tower of about 70 metres in two of three scenarios. Residents say they lacked the time and information to judge them. Building could start in 2029.

Free youth advice point in The Hague closes January: The Jongeren Informatie Punt on Paviljoensgracht loses its city subsidy on 1 January and will shut, ending all its walk-in sessions, including those at DUO, Straatconsulaat and Sense. It advised 12 to 26 year olds on money, housing, study and mental health. Delft and Zoetermeer branches stay open.

36 hours: Black women’s career afternoon sells out: Speakers at the Mauritshuis on Sunday 15 November include a former cardiologist and a panel of women in senior legal and museum roles. Organiser Githa Biekman says Black women can face discrimination over both gender and origin, which narrows access to networks and promotions.

Massada with saxophonist Hans Dulfer, a pop stage by the sea: A long-running Dutch band plus a saxophonist familiar from the jazz and soul scene, at a pop venue on the coast. 6 November, 20:30, Podium aan Zee. WORLD / FOLK

Popronde Den Haag in the Paardcafé, free entry: Free entry to PAARD’s café, one of the three Popronde nights the venue runs across this weekend. 6 November, PAARD, Kleine Zaal. POP / ROCK

Queer Choir’s first concert, free, with lullabies and protest songs: Two months of rehearsals turn into an hour of spirituals, queer anthems, lullabies and protest songs, with a voluntary collection after. 6 November, 20:00 – 21:00, Deutsche Evangelische Gemeinde im Haag. CHOIR / VOCAL

Andrew Wright plays late Brahms on an 1892 Blüthner grand, free entry: The piano has an extra resonating string in the treble, and these op. 116 to 119 pieces close Wright’s three-year Brahms project. 6 November, 20:00 – 21:30, de Koningkerk. CLASSICAL

Free Popronde sets from Maha Barbee and Hoofs on the Grote Markt: Two acts in a bar on the square, no ticket needed, and from eleven the whole Grote Markt is 18 and over. 6 November, 21:00, De Zwarte Ruiter. POP / ROCK

Popronde 2026 in PAARD’s GR8 room, free entry: The travelling festival’s Hague stop fills PAARD’s GR8 room, free to get in, with doors half an hour before the start. 6 November, PAARD, Kleine Zaal. FESTIVALS

Fifteen venues, thirty-eight free acts, one Popronde night across the city: Metal, hiphop, drum ‘n bass, singer-songwriters and blues spread over the city from early evening until after midnight, every concert free. 6 November, 19:00 – 00:30, Meerdere locaties in Den Haag. POP / ROCK

Demonen, Peter Pannekoek’s new cabaret show about noise and emptiness: The new programme sits between seeking distraction and standing still, from a comedian whose previous show DNA received a Poelifinario for engagement. 6 November, 20:30, Het Veur theater. COMEDY

Sjaak Bral tests new year-end material in Vaarwel 2026: A try-out for his thirtieth consecutive annual conference, reviewing the year’s absurdities before the full tour opens. 6 November, 20:30, Theater Ludens. COMEDY

The Here Now Project screens for Just Peace Movie Night, talk after: First-hand footage of climate extremes from communities worldwide, no narration or interviews, followed by a moderated conversation and networking drinks. 6 November, 18:30 – 22:00, EnergieKas. FILM

Disaster Recovery Through Women’s Eyes, launched with a panel and photo show: Four researchers discuss care, resilience and narrative in disaster recovery, with a photo exhibition to walk through and drinks afterwards. 6 November, 16:00 – 18:00, International Institute of Social Studies, Room 4.01. TALKS / IDEAS

Past Lives, then philosopher Marli Huijer leads an open discussion: Celine Song’s film plays in a church, with an introduction first and an open talk after on memory, regret and social media. 6 November, 18:30, Kloosterkerk. FILM

Minimum Love, a Czech film at ENFF with English subtitles: Eight night-time scenes follow young people around Prague talking about fear, desire and belief, 75 minutes, with a Q&A with the director. 6 November, 21:15, Filmhuis Den Haag: Studio B. FILM

Travel past Jupiter and black holes in the Star Party dome: A 360-degree film dome, a trip past planets, satellites and galaxies, and NOVA astronomers on hand to answer questions. 6 November, 19:00, Museon – Omniversum. ART / MUSEUMS

Ice Paradise opens its rink beside the Mall of the Netherlands: Skating without booking ahead, 8,50 to get on, skates for hire and penguins for small children to hold on to. 6 November, Ice Paradise. SPORTS

Free afternoon on finding your family in the CCKP archive: Staff explain what the files of the agency that received thousands of people from Indonesia hold, then help with a first search. 6 November, 13:30, Museum Sophiahof – from the Indies to today. WORKSHOP

Martinovanje at the Slovenian embassy, with wine tasting and music: An introduction to Slovenian Martinovo customs, music and a tasting of Slovenian wines, with food after and guests invited to bring cake. 6 November, 17:30 – 19:30, Veleposlaništvo Republike Slovenije v Haagu. SOCIAL / DRINKS

Craft colourful flowers using traditional wool felting techniques: Hands-on crafting explores ethnographic textile traditions while participants learn how to shape raw wool into flowers. 6 November, 14:00 – 15:30, Bibliotheek Segbroek. WORKSHOP

Trade photocards and dance at Paagman’s K-pop weekend: Bring your photocards to swap, dance along when the music starts at three and five, and dig through discounted albums. 6 November, vr 15:00 en 17:00, za 10:00 -, Boekhandel Paagman, Westfield Mall of the Netherlands. GAMES / HOBBIES

Oyster Friday at Nomon, shellfish and bubbles facing the sea: Signature oysters with a glass of bubbles for 19,50, served until half seven, a dj playing and the waves in front. 6 November, 17:00, Carlton Beach – Restaurant Nomon. TASTING

Read the whole Mefisto script aloud before seeing the play: Two sessions reading the full script of Klaus Mann’s Berlin story, then the performance itself and a discussion later in November. 6 November, 13:30 – 15:30, Bibliotheek Mariahoeve. WORKSHOP

Fiscal Decentralisation and Local Finance, a two-week course for officials: A face-to-face programme for public finance professionals on transfers, local revenue and spending, with study visits to ministries and the city. 6 November, The Hague Humanity Hub. WORKSHOP / TRAINING

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