Every week, UKrant’s student editors share their cultural agenda with you. What’s their favourite venue and which events in the upcoming week are absolutely not to be missed? This week: everything going on in Leeuwarden, the city of Campus Fryslân.
Hangout: H47
I moved to Leeuwarden three years ago, during the peak of the Covid pandemic. Finding cultural events was essentially impossible. The only thing I did was walk around and around, either with friends or with dates, with coffee, at night, in the morning… You remember.
But I did manage to find some culture on some of my walkabouts. The first instance was the Bollemanssteeg, also known as Poetry Alley, where many of the windows are adorned with poems.
A few streets over, I found another unexpected treasure in the Haniasteeg, where many of the windows showcase art. I passed the art many times, and when the world opened up a little, I was finally able to go inside. The windows belong to H47, a large art gallery.
It’s one of those places you’d never find if you didn’t already know about it: the alleyway isn’t all that attractive otherwise
These days I drop by every once in a while. It’s only a five-minute walk from campus, which means it lends itself well to a short study break. I make some small talk with one of the very friendly volunteers and have a look at whatever’s on display at the moment.
It’s one of those places you’d never find if you didn’t already know about it: the alleyway isn’t all that attractive otherwise. But once you know about it, this particular hidden gem will become a staple of your cultural life in Leeuwarden.
The space opened up around five years ago, when Leeuwarden was the cultural capital of Europe. Today, H47 collaborates with other art institutes in Leeuwarden to make sure modern art is accessible to everyone. Because H47 hasn’t been around for very long, not many people know about the gallery. Time to pay it a visit!
H47
Haniasteeg 47, Leeuwarden
Open: Wednesday to Saturday, from 12 to 5 p.m.
Free admission
Where you’ll find me this week:
- Westerkerk: Westermarkt
Time: Friday, May 19 9.30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Price: free
This old church became a cultural breeding ground a few years ago, and Friday is a great opportunity to admire the beautiful building, grab a cup of coffee and buy some sourdough bread or home-made jam. Don’t forget to have a chat with the lovely owners.
- Frisian street festival: Kamchátka
Time: Saturday, May 20, 3 – 4 p.m. & 19.30 – 20.30 p.m.
This weekend, the city will be buzzing with street performances: the theatre shows and music at this Frisian street festival are amazing. I’m mainly looking forward to Kamchátka, which is being advertised as a play about getting lost, migration, and borders.
- Neushoorn: Berlin Calling
Time: Saturday, May 20, 11 p.m. – end
Price: 5 euros
Friends of friends are organising this techno music event in Neushoorn. It’s a great location, the people are great, and there’s no fixed end time, which means it can only be great.
- Prinsentuin: Musical Sunday afternoon
Time: Sunday, May 21, 2 – 5 p.m.
I’ve never been here before, but sitting in the grass and enjoying live music sounds like a great way to close out the weekend.
- NHL: Flea market
Time: Monday, May 22, 3 – 6 p.m.
Instead of buying my summer clothes new or at some overpriced vintage shop, I prefer going to this student flea market. Sustainable and affordable? I’m a fan.