The Hague English Comedy Nights return to Branoul on Saturday 26 September, bringing together established names and rising talent from the international English-language comedy circuit.
This month’s headliner is Irish comedian Fred Cooke, who combines music, physical storytelling and an unpredictable stage style. A well-known face on the Irish comedy circuit, Cooke has supported major comedians including Tommy Tiernan, Ardal O’Hanlon and Seann Walsh.
He is also a regular performer at leading comedy venues in the UK and Ireland, including The Stand, The Comedy Store, The Empire and Dublin’s Laughter Lounge, and has appeared widely on the festival circuit. His performances mix musical ability with energetic storytelling and a deliberately chaotic style of comedy.
Also appearing is Shaz Memon, a Dutch-Pakistani stand-up comedian based in Amsterdam. His comedy combines sharp crowd work, storytelling and cross-cultural observations on identity, immigration, race and modern city life.
Born and raised in Pakistan, Memon later moved to Australia to study before settling in the Netherlands, giving him an international perspective that strongly shapes his material. He has quickly built a name on the European English-language comedy circuit and, in 2025, won both the Jury Award and Audience Award at the English Comedy Talent Award during the Utrecht International Comedy Festival.
The evening will be hosted by Irish comedian Sharon Em, who will guide audiences through the line-up, with additional support acts also appearing during the night.
The Hague English Comedy Nights regularly feature headline acts from the UK and European comedy circuits who are not often seen performing in the Netherlands, alongside experienced MCs, established support acts and emerging comedians.
There are two performances on Saturday 26 September, at 19:00 and 21:00. The show is entirely in English.
Alderman Richard de Mos (Economy) plans to introduce a new events policy in the first quarter of 2027. Fewer unnecessary regulations, more room for initiative and spontaneity, and attracting new crowd-pullers will be central to this stated Alderman De Mos during a committee meeting.
An evaluation shows that free events are under pressure and that The Hague has lost well-known events such as Parkpop, Tong Tong Fair, Festival Classique, and the Vuurwerkfestival. Moreover, organisers experience fragmentation between subsidies, permits, and various municipal departments.
Less bureaucracy
“An events city should not only make rules, but above all enable,” says De Mos. “Safety and liveability must be in order, but organisers with good ideas should not have to jump through endless municipal hoops. Less bureaucracy, more spontaneity, and events that The Hague residents can be proud of again.” This approach aligns with the broader effort to reduce municipal regulatory burden. For events, too, it is being examined how policy, subsidies, permits, and implementation can be better aligned.
The Passion to Kijkduin
Furthermore, during the committee meeting, Alderman De Mos pledged to investigate whether The Passion could come to The Hague, with Kijkduin as a possible location. “Kijkduin could use a great crowd puller. The Passion has national appeal and attracts many visitors. We are going to seriously investigate whether it can land there and what is needed for that.”
Two million extra
From 2028, the city council will allocate an additional two million euros annually for events. De Mos: “The Hague needs to buzz again. With major crowd-pullers, new Hague icons, and good free events. Not more rules to organise something, but looking at which rules can be dropped to make something possible.”
From the solid guitar rock of The Velcro at the Proeflokaal to nocturnal poetry at The Grey Space: for the fourth year in a row, The Hague city centre was filled with music on Monday evening during PrinsjesNach, transcending styles, categories, and generations. With 40 acts at 31 locations, thousands of visitors, and a vibrant atmosphere, it was confirmed that the festival has earned its place as a tradition in the run-up to Prinsjesdag.
On Monday evening, September 14, The Hague city center once again transformed into a free musical pub crawl. From the Noordeinde to the Bierkade, from the Grote Markt to the Hofkwartier, music and spoken word could be heard. From indie pop and jazz to classical, world music, and spoken word. The organizers look back with satisfaction on the annual event.
The evening began with the festive opening at Bar Bistro De Twee Heeren, in the presence of Alderman for Culture Lotte van Basten Batenburg. In keeping with what has now become tradition, she accepted the PrinsjesNach briefcase. “It is fantastic that PrinsjesNach grows every year and allows more people to enjoy The Hague’s rich and diverse music scene,” said the newly appointed alderman. “PrinsjesNach adds color to the city and shows how music can connect. We must all cherish that.”
Among the many performances, NANO, TripKip, drum & brass band The Legendairs, Roos van Herrenwegen, French Kiss, and Yaël Campbell were particularly well-received. The audience in the Oude Molstraat listened breathlessly to an opera singer from the café window, while at the end of the evening, the crowd sang along loudly with Tante Koor in the bicycle parking area on the Papestraat. PrinsjesNach 2026 was concluded in a surprising manner with the NachMis by Scott Beekhuizen, Laurin Nargy, and the Henk & Melle Band.
“Really great fun! The atmosphere on the street, the artists. It was busy everywhere!!” said one of the visitors.
Initiators Sarah de Bruijn, Michael Varekamp, and Lucy Zuiderwijk are already looking forward to the third Monday of September 2027, when PrinsjesNach will take place for the fifth time. Many thanks also go to all the artists, venues, and volunteers who made the evening possible once again.
PrinsjesNach 2026 was made possible in part by the City of The Hague, Sena Performers, hetCultuurfonds, CultuurSchakel, Powered by PAARD/Popradar, the Central Government Real Estate Agency, BIZ Paleis Noordeinde and BIZ Hofkwartier.
The Hague will be one of the three host cities next year for the final round of the European Padel Championship: the FIP Euro Padel Cup 2027. This was announced last week by theKNLTB and Athvance Sports.
The Final 8 of the European Padel Championship will be played in Amsterdam, The Hague, and Arnhem. Phases 1 and 2 for women will take place in Zwolle, and Phases 1 and 2 for men in Dronten. With five host cities spread across the Netherlands, the European Championship takes on a national character. This makes the largest international padel tournament ever in the Netherlands visible not only to players and fans but also to a broad audience throughout the country.
Next step
The announcement follows the strong development that padel has undergone in the Netherlands in recent years. With over 876,000 players and more than 3,500 padel courts, the sport is at a key moment in its development. The FIP Euro Padel Cup 2027 represents the next step in the further professionalization and visibility of padel in the Netherlands.
Edu Jansing, Managing Director of the KNLTB: ” We are proud to be able to organize this tournament together with strong partners throughout the country. Padel has developed into a significant sport in a short time. With this European Championship, we not only want to bring the best players in Europe to the Netherlands, but also let as many people as possible experience what makes this sport so special. “
From July 7 to 11, 2027, the best countries in Europe will compete in the Final 8 for the European titles for men and women.
The Hague | Sportcampus Zuiderpark
In The Hague, Sportcampus Zuiderpark serves as the setting up to and including the semi-finals of the Final 8. The beautiful multifunctional venue offers ample opportunities to connect top-level sport with education, clubs, talent development, and social activities.
Alderman Nur Icar (Sport): ” Padel has experienced tremendous growth in The Hague in recent years, where there has traditionally been a large following for almost all racket sports. That is why a major top-level sporting event like the European Padel Championships certainly should not be missing from our city.”
We are therefore particularly proud that Sportcampus Zuiderpark in The Hague has been selected to host the matches up to and including the semi-finals. This gives residents the unique opportunity to experience padel at the highest level and to get active themselves through social activations. We hope to see our top players from The Hague, Marcella Koek and Janine Hemmes, in action as well .
This is how the European Championship works
The FIP Euro Padel Cup 2027 consists of three official phases.
Phase 1: March 7 to 10, 2027 – Women in Zwolle, men in Dronten
Phase 2: March 11 to 13, 2027 – Women in Zwolle, men in Dronten
Final 8: July 7 to 11, 2027 – Amsterdam, The Hague & Arnhem
During Phase 1 and Phase 2, European countries compete for a spot in the Final 8. The best countries then join the already qualified countries during the final phase of the tournament.
The European Championship is a national team competition in which players represent their country as part of the national team. The Dutch women start in Phase 2, while the Dutch men are directly qualified for the Final 8.
Activities are being organized around all the host cities for clubs, players, associations, and fans. In doing so, the European Championship is intended to become not only a stage for the European elite, but also an event that unites the entire Dutch padel community.
More information
Pre-registration for tickets is now open . More information will be announced in the coming months about:
participating countries;
the schedule;
side events per host city;
ticket sales;
activations surrounding the European Championship.
Join us for a special crossover edition of #DemocracyDrinks The Hague and Blue Drinks Netherlands, where we dive into a topic that touches every one of us but rarely makes it into democracy conversations: water.
Water is fundamental to life, but decisions about who manages it, who participates in those decisions, and how competing needs are balanced are ultimately questions of governance and democracy.
As the Netherlands experiences increasingly frequent and severe periods of drought, these questions are becoming more urgent. This summer has demonstrated that even a country internationally recognised for its expertise in water management is vulnerable to freshwater scarcity. The Netherlands has developed a highly decentralised model of water governance with deep historical roots, and the Dutch Water Authorities play a central role in responding to these challenges.
But what does democratic water management mean in practice? How can citizens, communities and local institutions meaningfully influence decisions that are often highly technical and increasingly complex?
This conversation will explore how the Dutch model of local and regional water governance responds to these challenges. It will also look beyond the Netherlands. What can these diverse experiences teach us about the conditions needed for effective, inclusive and accountable water governance?
Our speakers
Jan van der Steen (Expert) is a European Affairs Advisor at Unie van Waterschappen (the Dutch Water Authorities) and Vewin, representing the Dutch water sector in Brussels. Trained in water management at TU Delft, he now works on EU policy dossiers including water quality, PFAS, climate adaptation, and digitalisation.
Elena Masterova (Moderator) is a Trainer and Programme Manager at The Hague Academy for Local Governance, where she develops and delivers training on water management, climate resilience, and sustainability. An ecologist by training, she holds a joint MSc in Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management including roles at the UN Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Water Management Institute.
Location: The Hague Humanity Hub (Fluwelen Burgwal 58, 2511 CJ)
Blue Drinks Netherlands is an informal networking community that brings together people working across the Dutch and international water sector. Through accessible events, Blue Drinks creates space to socialize, network and have fun! This event continues that approach by bringing the water community into inspiring conversation with experts and practitioners working on democracy and local governance.
What are the #DemocracyDrinks?
#DemocracyDrinks is an informal, recurring conversation and networking series bringing together people working on democracy, peace, justice, and democratic participation.
The format is intentionally simple: open, dialogue-led conversations in a relaxed setting. #DemocracyDrinks The Hague provides space to connect across sectors, test ideas, explore emerging questions, and reflect collectively on democratic challenges beyond formal panels or presentations.
