The Netherlands laughs in two languages. In Amsterdam, Boom Chicago has brought English-language comedy to the Rozengracht for 33 years and names Seth Meyers and Jordan Peele among the careers it launched; Comedy Café has programmed stand-up since 1994; and Comedytrain, the collective that grew up at Toomler and has set the standard for Dutch stand-up for more than 35 years, opened a club of its own at Westergas in January 2026. Rotterdam's Comedy Club Haug sits on the waterfront at the Boompjeskade, Utrecht's Comedyhuis has put comedy on the map in the city since 2009, and in Groningen, Club Wicked opened in the basement of Wijck in September 2025 — by its own account the first comedy club in the north of the country.
The short answer
D.O.C. lists 10 comedy rooms and nights in the Netherlands, in 6 cities — Amsterdam (4), Rotterdam, Utrecht (2), The Hague, Groningen and Eindhoven — each with a dated show on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026. The festivals ahead: Shtick Fest, Thursday 12 November to Saturday 14 November 2026, Leids Cabaret Festival, Monday 15 February to Saturday 20 February 2027 and Utrecht International Comedy Festival, Wednesday 24 February to Sunday 7 March 2027. Below: each room's nights, its open mic and how comics get on, tickets and the age rule; the comedy on the road; the festivals and awards; and the 1 comedian SUCDb holds who came up in the Netherlands.
Part of D.O.C.'s International section: the comedy rooms and nights in six Dutch cities, English-language stand-up first, with the festivals and the awards, each from its own website, and the comedian SUCDb holds who came up in Amsterdam.
Stand-up comedy in Amsterdam
Amsterdam's stand-up runs from Boom Chicago on the Rozengracht and Comedy Café on the IJdok, a short walk from Central Station, to Comedytrain's new club at Cultuurpark Westergas and the Mezrab storytelling house on the Veemkade.
ShowsImprov, sketch and stand-up in English: its stand-up show, The Comedy Embassy, puts four comedians on one bill at 10.15pm on Fridays and Saturdays, plus some Tuesdays and Sundays. source ↗
ListedThe Comedy Embassy: Amsterdam's English-language stand-up comedians — Friday 9 October 2026, 10.15pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the club in person.
TicketsThe Comedy Embassy is €24.95, €30.95 for a premium seat and €19 with a student ID or CJP card; the show runs about two hours. source ↗
AgeNo official age limit; the theatre suggests 13 as a good age to start bringing children. source ↗
AlsoAmsterdam's English-language comedy institution for 33 years, by its own account; it names Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Amber Ruffin and the creators and stars of Ted Lasso among the comedians whose careers it launched. source ↗
ShowsStand-up since 1994, with several shows a week at its two Amsterdam clubs, on the IJdok and at Southend Comedy Club, with comedians from the Netherlands and beyond. source ↗
ListedCocktails & Comedy: English-speaking comedians from around the world, in a show entirely in English — Saturday 10 October 2026, 6pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedTouring comedians reach the club through their own email address, given on its contact page. source ↗
Tickets€18.50 for the 6pm Cocktails & Comedy on Saturday 10 October 2026. source ↗
AlsoTouring English-language shows too: Dan Docimo on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at 6pm, €28.50. source ↗
ShowsA collective of sixty comedians, formerly at Toomler, in its own club at Cultuurpark Westergas since 7 January 2026: a large room, and a small one for experiments, English-language shows, try-outs and new formats. source ↗
ListedComedytrain presents: Noam Shuster-Eliassi, in English — Sunday 11 October 2026, 4.30pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micOpen Podium, Thursdays: four to six newcomers, with and without experience, who hope to join the collective, alongside Comedytrain comedians trying new material. source ↗
Getting bookedComics apply by email to the Open Podium address on its page, saying what experience and ambitions they have; Dutch-language stand-up only, no sketches or songs, and the wait for a spot can be long. source ↗
TicketsUnreserved seating, at most six tickets an order; no entry once a show has started, and payment by card only. source ↗
AlsoFor more than 35 years the mark of stand-up comedy in the Netherlands, in its own words; Henry van Loon, Ronald Goedemondt, Sanne Wallis de Vries, Peter Pannekoek, Theo Maassen and Soundos El Ahmadi began at Toomler. source ↗
ShowsThe House of Stories: storytelling, music and more, in English unless a programme says otherwise, with entry to most events free and donations welcome; storytelling on Tuesdays and Fridays and an open stage on Wednesdays. source ↗
ListedThe ALT Mezrab Comedy Night: puppets, improv, scenes from films and people saying funny things, in English — Saturday 17 October 2026, 8pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micOpen Stage Storytelling Night, Wednesdays at 8pm: anyone may tell, first come, first served, with two spots kept for the spontaneous. source ↗
Getting bookedTellers reserve a Wednesday spot by email (the open-stage address is on its site). source ↗
Tickets€13.50 plus a €0.50 bank fee for the ALT Comedy Night; doors at 7pm, and there is soup. source ↗
Rotterdam's stand-up home is Comedy Club Haug on the Boompjeskade, directly on the waterfront, with shows in Dutch and English and its own festival, Shtick Fest, each November.
ShowsA dedicated stand-up comedy club with three rooms and many shows a week, in Dutch and English: a try-out show on Mondays, open mics, Best of Stand-Up line-ups and touring headliners. source ↗
ListedTatty MacLeod: Things My Mother Did, in English — Tuesday 6 October 2026, 8pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micEnglish Open Mic with a professional comedian as MC — on its listings on Wednesday 7 October 2026 at 8.15pm in the Corner Room, €12. source ↗
Getting bookedOpen-mic hopefuls email its English open-mic address; for a line-up spot or a headline show, its booking address. Talent found at the open mic can get the open spot (OS) in its line-ups. source ↗
Tickets€32.50 for Tatty MacLeod, at most six tickets an order in the Main Room; snacks and drinks ordered at the table by QR code. source ↗
AlsoShtick Fest, the club's own stand-up festival, returns for its fourth edition from 12 to 14 November 2026. source ↗
Utrecht's stand-up runs from Comedyhuis, at its new club on Catharijnepoort beside Utrecht Centraal, to Mad Cow Comedy's English-language Sunday showcase in a cellar on the Oudegracht; the Utrecht International Comedy Festival takes over the city from 24 February 2027.
ShowsUtrecht's independent comedy club, founded in 2009 as a travelling company of comedians and at Catharijnepoort 6, a stone's throw from Utrecht Centraal, since September 2026: professional stand-up each weekend, with shows elsewhere in the city too; its comedians organise the Utrecht International Comedy Festival. source ↗
ListedComedy Talent Award, preliminary round 3: up to twelve new comedians, and the audience decides who goes through — Monday 5 October 2026, 8.30pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micA Dutch-language open mic on Wednesday evenings, where experienced and new comedians test fresh material. source ↗
Getting bookedComics with a Dutch-language set sign up for the open mic through the form on its open mic page. source ↗
AlsoComedy Talent Award auditions on Monday evenings at Comedyhuis from October to early December 2026, then quarter-finals and semi-finals from January. source ↗
Kartoffel, Oudegracht aan de Werf 145, 3511 AL Utrecht
ShowsEnglish-language stand-up in Utrecht: the International Comedy Showcase on Sunday afternoons at Kartoffel on the Oudegracht, with a fresh multinational line-up each time and host Rachel Morton-Young, plus solo shows and workshops. source ↗
ListedInternational Comedy Showcase, with MC Rachel Morton-Young, Juanita Coble, Shaz Memon and headliner Adam Fields — Sunday 11 October 2026, 3pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedEnglish-language comedians apply through the gig application on its For Comedians page, with clips, availability and the set they would like to do. source ↗
TicketsSold online, and usually at the door on the day unless the show has sold out. source ↗
AgeRecommended for 16 and up; there may be adult themes and strong language. source ↗
AlsoKartoffel is below ground and reached by stairs only, so it is not recommended for wheelchair users. source ↗
ShowsA monthly night of stand-up entirely in English, brought by Weird Uncle Comedy Productions about ten times a year: three or four comedians and an MC from Ireland or the UK, with two showtimes each date. source ↗
ListedThe Hague English Comedy Nights — Saturday 24 October 2026, 7pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the promoter in person.
Tickets€23; when a showtime sells out, a handful of door tickets at €29 go first come, first served. Burgers in Bistro Branoul next door can be booked with the tickets. source ↗
AlsoNext on its listings: Saturday 21 November and Saturday 12 December 2026, at 7pm and 9pm. source ↗
Grote Markt 33, 9712 JW Groningen (in the basement of Wijck)
ShowsComedy Naits with line-ups from across the country, Open Mics where new material is born, and Specials with big names up close; opened on 12 September 2025, by its own account the first comedy club in the northern Netherlands. source ↗
ListedWicked Special: Rogier Bak, Back to The Future, with support from Diederik Zuurmond — Thursday 15 October 2026, 8.30pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micOpen Mic Nait, Mondays at 8pm on its October 2026 listings (5 and 12 October), €11.50. source ↗
Getting bookedComics sign up for the Open Mic on its community page; those with a strong set of about 15 minutes can apply there for a Talent Spot in a professional Comedy Nait. source ↗
Tickets€22.50 for the Wicked Specials and Dubbel Naits on its October 2026 listings. source ↗
AlsoComedy classes three times a year: five lessons that build towards a first two or three minutes of material and a first open-mic spot. source ↗
ShowsTouring stand-up among its concerts: Derek Mitchell in its Kleine Zaal on 28 October and Jimmy Carr in the Hertog Jan Zaal on 9 December 2026. source ↗
ListedDerek Mitchell: Double Dutch: Two, entirely in English — Wednesday 28 October 2026, 8.15pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the venue in person.
Tickets€25 to €37 for Derek Mitchell; doors at 7.15pm, and latecomers are not admitted. source ↗
Rogier Bak's new English-language show, on tour with his energetic delivery and sideways perspective, plays Rotterdam and then Groningen in October 2026, where an extra night was added. source ↗
Wednesday 7 October 2026 — Comedy Club Haug, Rotterdam
Thursday 15 October 2026 — Club Wicked, Groningen, with Diederik Zuurmond (extra show)
Friday 16 October 2026 — Club Wicked, Groningen, with Diederik Zuurmond
These nights have gone by; its own site has what is next.
Comedy Club Haug's annual stand-up festival, in its fourth edition: three days of international headliners and emerging comedians across the club's rooms, with a multipass or single tickets for shows in English and in Dutch. source ↗
A stage for new Dutch cabaret talent since 1978: after auditions at Café Caat on 16 and 17 January 2027, the chosen comedians play a festival week at the Leidse Schouwburg, ending with the final on Saturday 20 February, and the three finalists go on to tour some forty theatres. source ↗
In Utrecht since 2012. The 2027 festival opens on Wednesday 24 February with the final of the Comedy Talent Award in the Hertz hall of TivoliVredenburg; through the year it also runs the English Comedy Talent Award and the Utrecht Summer Comedy Fest. source ↗
Utrecht's competition for new stand-up comedians: at its auditions up to twelve comedians a night, from complete beginners to experienced amateurs, take the stage and the audience decides who goes on to the quarter-finals. The winners of the jury and audience prizes play the Utrecht International Comedy Festival; past winners include Tim Kroezen (2022) and Marco Lopes (2015). source ↗
The first all-English stand-up competition in the Netherlands, for comedians living in the Netherlands and Belgium, with its rounds and final at De Kargadoor on the Oudegracht in Utrecht. Rob Lemmens won both the jury and the audience prize at the sold-out 2026 final on 17 July, after eight preliminary rounds and three semi-finals, and plays the Utrecht International Comedy Festival in February. source ↗
The Leids Cabaret Festival's jury prize — a €2,000 cheque, and from 2027 named the Gouden Geit (Golden Goat) — with an audience prize and a student jury prize. Najib Amhali, Wim Helsen, Micha Wertheim and Tim Fransen began their careers on its stage; Alina Sharipova won the jury prize in 2026. source ↗
Since 1988 a cradle for new generations of cabaret and kleinkunst makers, now in its 40th edition: 87 entrants play ten-minute first rounds from 11 to 17 October 2026 at the Bijlmerparktheater, De Meervaart, Theater De Richel and Theater Bellevue, before further rounds and a semi-finalists' tour from January 2027. Past winners of its Sonneveldprijs include Stefano Keizers, Lotte Velvet and Valentina Tóth. source ↗
For comics: getting on stage in the Netherlands
The routes to the stage the rooms and festivals publish themselves.
Rotterdam: apply by email to the English open-mic address on its site; on its listings on Wednesday 7 October 2026 at 8.15pm, with MC Nira Tal. Talent found at the open mic can get the open spot in the club's line-ups. source ↗
Utrecht: English-language comedians in the Netherlands apply with clips, availability and the set they would like to do, for its showcases and solo shows; it also runs workshops, masterclasses and coaching. source ↗
Amsterdam, Wednesdays at 8pm: an English-language open stage for stories, first come, first served; reserve a spot by email, with two spots kept for the spontaneous. source ↗
Amsterdam, Thursdays: four to six newcomers a night who hope to join the collective; apply by email with your experience and ambitions. Dutch-language stand-up only. source ↗
Groningen, Mondays: sign up on its community page. Its five-lesson course, three times a year, builds towards a first open-mic spot, and comics with a strong 15 minutes can apply for a Talent Spot. source ↗
Open until 15 December 2026 for new cabaret and comedy talent; auditions at Café Caat in Leiden on 16 and 17 January 2027, and those chosen play the festival week at the Leidse Schouwburg from 15 to 20 February 2027. source ↗
Each room's line above says whether it runs an open mic and how it books. At home in the United States,
Stage Time has open mics by night and the Gig Board has calls for comics.
Comedians in SUCDb who came up in the Netherlands
The comedians SUCDb holds who came up in the Netherlands, each with their record — and their next date when the Comedy Calendar has one.
Born in Evanston, Illinois: a Boom Chicago alumnus — the Amsterdam theatre names him among the comedians whose careers it launched — before Saturday Night Live, where he was a cast member from 2001 to 2014 and anchored Weekend Update; host of Late Night with Seth Meyers since 2014.
No date on the Comedy Calendar just now · their record →
Questions about stand-up comedy in the Netherlands
Where can I see stand-up comedy in the Netherlands?
In Amsterdam, Boom Chicago, Comedy Café Amsterdam, Comedytrain and Mezrab; in Rotterdam, Comedy Club Haug; in Utrecht, Comedyhuis and Mad Cow Comedy; in The Hague, The Hague English Comedy Nights; in Groningen, Club Wicked; in Eindhoven, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. Each had a dated show on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026; its line above has the address, the nights and the age rule.
What age do you need to be for comedy clubs in the Netherlands?
Each room sets its own rule: Boom Chicago: no official age limit; the theatre suggests 13 as a good age to start bringing children; Comedytrain: 16 and over; Mad Cow Comedy: recommended for 16 and up; there may be adult themes and strong language; Muziekgebouw Eindhoven: 16 and over for Derek Mitchell.
How do new comedians get on stage in the Netherlands?
English Open Mic at Comedy Club Haug — Rotterdam: apply by email to the English open-mic address on its site; on its listings on Wednesday 7 October 2026 at 8.15pm, with MC Nira Tal. Talent found at the open mic can get the open spot in the club's line-ups. Mad Cow Comedy: gig applications — Utrecht: English-language comedians in the Netherlands apply with clips, availability and the set they would like to do, for its showcases and solo shows; it also runs workshops, masterclasses and coaching. Open Stage Storytelling Night at Mezrab — Amsterdam, Wednesdays at 8pm: an English-language open stage for stories, first come, first served; reserve a spot by email, with two spots kept for the spontaneous. Open Podium at Comedytrain — Amsterdam, Thursdays: four to six newcomers a night who hope to join the collective; apply by email with your experience and ambitions. Dutch-language stand-up only. Open Mic Nait and classes at Club Wicked — Groningen, Mondays: sign up on its community page. Its five-lesson course, three times a year, builds towards a first open-mic spot, and comics with a strong 15 minutes can apply for a Talent Spot. Leids Cabaret Festival 2027: applications — Open until 15 December 2026 for new cabaret and comedy talent; auditions at Café Caat in Leiden on 16 and 17 January 2027, and those chosen play the festival week at the Leidse Schouwburg from 15 to 20 February 2027.
Which comedians in SUCDb came up in the Netherlands?
Seth Meyers — each with a record of their career and its sources.
Sources
Each fact on this page is from the room's, festival's or award's own website, read on 4 October 2026; the
comedians' lines are from their SUCDb records, which carry their own sources. 15 sites, 51 pages:
