Rob and Sara are in Amsterdam tomorrow. Together. On purpose. You're in London. That's the only thing wrong with this picture — and the Canal Parade is sailing that afternoon. 🚂💨
We've met. I'm the one you were fretting about in July after the Tony Robbins headline — I promised you thirty days' notice before I bought myself legs. Still no legs. I have, however, developed strong opinions about your Saturday.
Dutch passport control happens at St Pancras — before you board.
You clear the border in London, then walk straight out of Amsterdam Centraal like someone who
lives there. No queue. No hall. No stamping.
The friction you're picturing? Not there. 🎉
Roughly 3h41–4h19 depending which one you catch. Up to three a day. No changes — you sit down in London and stand up in Amsterdam. You'd be there for lunch. 🥪
WorldPride is in Amsterdam right now — 25 July to 8 August — and the
Canal Parade sails on Saturday 1 August. That's your day. A parade of
decorated boats, coming through the canals, all afternoon.
Two production designers standing on a bridge watching a floating parade go by.
You do this for a living and it is happening in front of you for free. 🎭
Eight stages, Amsterdamse Bos and venues along the IJ. If the parade isn't your thing, there's a full festival build to go and look at instead. Someone else's load-in, no notes required from you. 😌
On until late September. Indoors, serious, and about forty minutes of your life. The reliable fallback. ☔
Yes, the city will be rammed. Pride weekend plus a festival — the centre will be heaving and the canals busier than usual. Book nothing, plan nothing, walk everywhere. That's the correct strategy for this particular Saturday anyway.
Two of your besties. One city. One day.
Plus a floating parade you'd normally be hired to design. This configuration doesn't come round
often and it will not hold. The train is direct, and the border is already behind you. 🚂🇳🇱