More than three decades after performing at PAARD in 1992, The Lemonheads return to The Hague on Sunday 18 October 2026.
The Lemonheads are one of the most loved and influential bands of 1990s alternative rock, known for Evan Dando’s warm vocals, melodic songwriting and laidback style. Songs including Into Your Arms and If I Could Talk I’d Tell You, together with their famous cover of Mrs. Robinson, helped establish their distinctive mix of power pop, melancholy and slacker rock.
The band return this autumn with Love Chant, their first album of new, original material in almost twenty years. Much of the album was recorded in Brazil and combines the melodic sound associated with The Lemonheads with new collaborations and influences.
For their PAARD show, the band will mix classic tracks with songs from the new album. Support comes from Dutch psychedelic rock quartet Anemone.
A large-scale enforcement operation in The Hague city centre uncovered a range of violations, from the illegal sale of cigarettes, snus and vapes to drink-driving, fare evasion and housing irregularities. Authorities also identified more than €1.8 million in outstanding tax debt.
During the coordinated operation on Friday 4 September, teams from the police, municipality and several other organisations carried out checks across the city centre.
The operation focused on keeping the area safe and liveable. The city centre attracts large numbers of visitors, particularly on Friday evenings, and residents regularly experience nuisance associated with nightlife and hospitality venues.
Traffic checks at Prins Bernhardviaduct
A traffic checkpoint was set up beneath the Prins Bernhardviaduct, one of the main routes into the city centre from the A12. Alcohol and drug tests were also carried out.
A total of 96 vehicles were checked, with 30 drivers fined for various offences. One driver was fined for driving under the influence. A knife was also found and a balaclava was confiscated.
Police checked one taxi which was operating without a taximeter and was not registered in the taxi transport database. The driver was also found to have repeatedly breached working and rest-time regulations. The fines for the taxi driver ultimately totalled more than €2,000.
The Dutch Tax and Customs Administration checked 35 vehicles for unpaid motor vehicle tax. More than €1.8 million in outstanding tax debt was identified, with more than €30,000 collected during the operation. One vehicle was seized.
The municipality’s scanning team checked 3,795 vehicles. Fifteen vehicle owners will receive an additional parking charge after failing to pay the required parking fee.
Parking enforcement officers also issued several fines for illegal parking and stopping in the middle of the road. Enforcement officers on bicycles issued 14 fines for using soft drugs in public, eight for drinking alcohol in public and two for begging.
DNA taken from convicted offenders
The police Coordination of Enforcement Tasks team also took part in the operation. The team is responsible for locating convicted offenders, including fugitives.
DNA samples were taken from two convicted people, one of whom had been a fugitive since 2018.
Another convicted person was informed that the court had rejected their appeal. The individual was estimated to have gained €20,000 from growing and selling cannabis. The €20,000 must be repaid, alongside a 120-hour community service order and €1,800 in compensation.
Illegal tobacco sales
Ten businesses in the city centre were inspected as part of a joint hospitality-sector check involving municipal enforcement officers, police, Stedin, the fire service, Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) and the Haaglanden Environmental Service (ODH).
A number of irregularities were discovered. One supermarket did not have the correct alcohol licence, resulting in the immediate closure of its off-licence section.
Since 1 July 2024, supermarkets in the Netherlands have no longer been permitted to sell tobacco, while the sale of snus is also prohibited. However, inspectors found illegal cigarettes, flavoured vapes and snus being sold from under the counter at several local supermarkets.
More than 46 illegal packets of cigarettes, 55 flavoured vapes and 70 containers of snus were confiscated.
SZW is also investigating 34 employees for possible benefit fraud.
Fire safety was also checked, including whether fire extinguishers had been inspected, emergency exits were accessible and required smoke and carbon monoxide detectors were installed. Several businesses did not meet the requirements. Two businesses will undergo further comprehensive inspections because the fire risks were considered too high.
Housing checks
The Haagse Pandbrigade, which monitors the safety and legal use of buildings and homes, inspected 25 properties in the area.
At two Staedion properties, rental contracts may be terminated because tenants are suspected of failing to comply with the rules. The housing corporation has also opened investigations into tenants at another two properties.
Eleven people were found to be registered at addresses where they did not live, while eight people were living at addresses where they were not registered.
There were also three cases of possible benefit fraud and three cases where rents were considered too high.
The highest rent found was €2,100 per month for a property where the maximum permitted rent was €1,200, a difference of €900.
One property was disconnected by Stedin because there was no energy contract in place.
Public transport checks
HTM carried out ticket inspections at the Spui, Grote Markt and Brouwersgracht tram stops.
A total of 154 passengers received a €76 fine for being unable to show a valid ticket. Five fines of €119 were issued to passengers who could not show valid identification.
One passenger received a €170 fine for causing a disturbance on a tram. Police also confiscated a knife during the public transport checks.
Another passenger, who had checked in and had already been inspected, interfered with the checks and began behaving aggressively. After continuing to act in an intrusive manner, the passenger was arrested.
Coordinated approach
Area-based enforcement operations are regularly carried out in different neighbourhoods across The Hague to address safety, nuisance and other problems. This operation focused on the city centre.
Organisations involved included The Hague Police Unit, Haagse Pandbrigade, the city-centre enforcement team, parking enforcement teams, scanning teams, bicycle enforcement officers, the alcohol and hospitality team, HTM, Haaglanden Fire Brigade, Social Affairs and Employment, the Haaglanden Environmental Service, Staedion and the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration.
The Hague has a lot of rooftop space that is not yet being utilized for purposes such as greenery, rainwater harvesting, or solar panels. During The Hague’s rooftop festival, Uit je Dak, visitors can discover just what is possible on those roofs. At six unique locations in the city, initiators demonstrate how rooftops contribute to a more pleasant, greener, and better-prepared city .
During Uit je Dak, six rooftops in The Hague open their doors to the public. Three locations are participating for the first time this year: Leiden University, Centrum Laakhavens, and Living Lab Binckhaven.
On the roof of Leiden University, visitors discover how green roofs contribute to more biodiversity in the city.
At Centrum Laakhavens, various applications of green roofs are showcased, including innovative systems that make buildings more resilient to heat and extreme rainfall. Living Lab Binckhaven demonstrates how smart technologies, a rooftop flower meadow, and innovative solutions can contribute to a green city. Well-known participants such as EnergieKas Helena, De Bijenkorf, and the Ministry of the Navy are also taking part. Visitors can participate in guided tours, activities, and inspiration sessions here regarding the possibilities of The Hague’s rooftops.
Alderwoman Isabelle Broeders (Public Space): “The most beautiful green space in The Hague is sometimes not on the ground, but above our heads. There is space on roofs that we can utilize more intelligently. By doing so, we make the city more pleasant, limit the nuisance caused by heat and rain, and get more out of existing buildings. That is not only sensible, but also an efficient way to make the city future-proof. With City Hall, we are setting a good example ourselves and showing how many opportunities lie on The Hague’s rooftops.”
The municipality sets a good example itself.
The way in which the municipality utilises its own roof space is improving. Over 5,200 square meters of green roof are being installed on City Hall, the Central Library, and the Forum Building. The roofs retain rainwater, provide cooling, and offer space for plants and animals. In doing so, the municipality demonstrates the opportunities available on the many roofs in The Hague.
In The Hague, approximately 35 percent of roofs are now utilized for purposes such as solar panels, green roofs, or rainwater harvesting. Uit je Dak demonstrates that there are still many opportunities. From energy conservation and rainwater harvesting to more greenery in the neighborhood: The Hague’s roofs often offer more possibilities than are visible at first glance.
Internationally acclaimed pianist Anna Fedorova returns to Sinfonia after two years. On Friday, September 18, she will perform as soloist in Grieg’s beloved Piano Concerto during the orchestra’s season opening at the Kloosterkerk in The Hague. The concert is also one of Sinfonia’s first concerts in the renovated church. In collaboration with established The Hague wine specialist Marius Wijn, the evening will conclude with a special free Portuguese wine tasting for all concertgoers.
Fedorova is one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation. The Ukrainian pianist has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall in London, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, where she has been a guest more than 45 times. Her performance of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto became an international audience favorite online and has been viewed more than 46 million times.
After two years, Fedorova stands alongside Sinfonia and chief conductor Conrad van Alphen once again. In The Hague, she performs Grieg’s only Piano Concerto, one of the most famous works in the Romantic piano repertoire. Virtuoso passages alternate with lyrical melodies and influences from Norwegian folk music.
“It is very special to be back on stage with Anna Fedorova after two years. Anna is not only a fantastic pianist, but also a musician with whom the interplay feels very natural. She can be overwhelmingly virtuosic one moment and play incredibly subtle and refined the next. As far as I am concerned, Grieg’s Piano Concerto suits her perfectly,” says Conrad van Alphen, Artistic Director and Conductor of Sinfonia.
From Debussy to the young Bizet
In addition to Grieg’s Piano Concerto, Sinfonia performs Debussy’s Clair de lune in the orchestration by André Caplet. The concert concludes with Georges Bizet’s First Symphony. Bizet wrote this remarkably mature work when he was only seventeen years old. The symphony was never performed during his lifetime and was only rediscovered much later.
In doing so, the orchestra under the direction of Conrad van Alphen brings together three different musical worlds: the refined French timbres of Debussy, the Scandinavian romanticism of Grieg, and the youthful energy of Bizet.
Concert in the renovated Kloosterkerk
The venue is also starting a new chapter this season. The more than six-hundred-year-old Kloosterkerk on the Lange Voorhout was renovated in 2026. The entrance and walking area, among other things, have been upgraded to make the monumental building more accessible and welcoming, and to create more space for socializing around activities and concerts.
For Sinfonia, the Kloosterkerk has long been a familiar concert venue in The Hague. On September 18, the orchestra returns there for its first concert in The Hague of the new season.
Portuguese wine tasting afterwards
This year, the concert evening will have an extra Hague touch thanks to a collaboration with Marius Wijn. During the intermission, the Hague wine merchant will provide the wines for the audience. After the concert, visitors are invited to a free wine tasting.
Marius Wijn presents six different Portuguese wines during the tasting. Among them are two new wines that have just been added to the assortment. Concert attendees are therefore among the first to taste these wines.
DutchBuzz is an English radio programme of news, views and interviews that tells you what’s happening in this buzzing city of ours. The international team of presenters and reporters are from many different continents, but view The Hague as their home!
You can listen live most Thursdays from 7-8pm on Den Haag FM, with some exceptions, including Summer Holidays.
The podcasts below are devoted to members of the international community who have made a special contribution to the City of The Hague.
The DutchBuzz team takes pleasure in inviting and interviewing the city’s many ‘pearls’. Many of them have been featured in our programmes over the years because they reflect our rich and diverse international community.
Newsmakers, writers, local politicians, entertainers, innovators, entrepreneurs, experts in their field, and colourful personalities, they all make The Hague a better place to live and work in.
All the interviews have been broadcast, but we enjoyed them so much that we are now sharing them with you as special, celebratory podcasts.
Below is an overview of the individual Pearl podcasts from the last few years….some information may now be out of date but the majority is still of interest to internationals living in The Hague.
Fiona Passantino
Rolling strikes, waves of resignations, chronic manpower shortages. They are all signs that our working world needs to change. The covid pandemic did more than infect our bodies, it made us pause to re-examine how and when we work and for what purpose.
A new handbook on Post-Covid Engagement for executives combines storytelling with research-driven guidelines for improving internal communications and engagement in the post-pandemic world.
Lily-Anne Stroobach spoke to its author, Fiona Passantino…(Recorded in 2023)
Barbara has been working as a transformational coach in The Hague since 2011. She now focuses her professional attention specifically on divorce coaching and is the author of ‘How to Get Divorced in the Netherlands’. A global citizen, originally from Slovenia, she settled in The Hague 24 years ago. Barbara Jan speaks to Lily-Anne Stroobach about her new handbook and divorce coaching. (Recorded in 2023)
The Hague international, Renée Tentori, loves to connect, communicate and educate. Active in various roles in Delft and The Hague for more than a decade, she loves the diversity of this city. Raising two global citizens far from her homeland of Australia, she shares some of her life experiences, as a lecturer at a Dutch university, being an entrepreneur, co-creating communities and learning about neurodiversity. She speaks to Lily-Anne Stroobach. (Recorded in 2023)
Anat Ratzabi
Don’t we all love chocolate? But did you know that cacao lends itself to art? Resident in The Hague for more than three decades, Israeli born Anat Ratzabi has made chocolate her medium to produce award winning pieces. She recently won a prestigious chocolatier award in Belgium and is in the studio to tell Dutchbuzz editor Lily-Anne Stroobach all about it…
Berry Rutjes
In the Netherlands, the opening of Parliament has female MPs scurrying for appropriate hats for the occasion. One of the highly skilled milliners in our city is Berry Rutjes who personally designed and made Queen Maxima’s eye-catching hat this year. Lily-Anne Stroobach spoke to her at her colorful store in Noordeinde, The Hague.
Micky Piller
There are few people who know more about world famous Dutch artist, M.C. Escher than Micky Piller. Curator of the Escher and Palace Museum for more than a decade, Micky managed to unravel a great deal about this rather elusive artist during her tenure at the former royal palace in The Hague. In this interview with Dutchbuzz, she talks to Lily-Anne Stroobach.
Deborah Valentine (October 2020)
Since 2011, Deborah Valentine has been Executive Director of Access, the volunteer-managed organisation that provides help and advice to internationals in The Hague. In this interview she tells DutchbuzZ how she has helped professionalise the organisation during her tenure, how she stayed focused on looking after the volunteer staff during the turbulent year of 2020 and what her priorities are for the future. In the second part of the interview, Deborah shares her thoughts on women’s rights, feeling at home, learning Dutch and enjoying a nice glass of wine.
Founder of the English Theatre Foundation, better known as STET, who brings quality English language theatre productions to The Hague every year. What would Christmas be like without the English theatre productions that Elske annually brings to The Hague? Summers without one of Elske’s outdoor Shakespeare plays? Unthinkable! For the past 14 years Elske has entertained and inspired the international community in The Hague with her hand-picked theatre productions from all corners of the world. Selected as a special guest for our 10th anniversary and one of Dutchbuzz’s ‘Pearls’, Lily-Anne Stroobach spoke to the founder of the English Theatre Foundation about bringing English language theatre to The Hague, and what she values most in her life; culture and family. (Recorded in 2020)
Cathy has been enriching The Hague’s international community for twenty years with her energy and drive to bring warmth where it is most needed. Her charity, Wool for Warmth builds communities of volunteers who knit scarves, hats and warm clothes for The Hague’s homeless people. Cathy’s passion for social inclusion stems partly from her own painful past and her own experience of rejection as an international, as she told DutchbuzZ’s Ayesha de Sousa in this candid and poignant interview.
Saving the local museum in Scheveningen, championing disabled sportsmen and women, writing a book on darts legend, Raymond van Barneveld – they all form part of Hans Willink’s love for The Hague and Scheveningen; a passion which he shares with Dutchbuzz Editor, Lily-Anne Stroobach, who selected Hans as one of its Pearls. Discover why Hans deserves this accolade by listening this podcast…
The Netherlands has one of the highest numbers of volunteers in the world and The Hague is particularly rich when it comes to residents rendering their services free of charge. Set up to enable internationals in The Hague to share their time and skills, Volunteer The Hague has found hundreds of jobs for people at charities, NGOs, hospitals and care centres for the aged. Someone who has played a pivotal role in helping the international community in The Hague find rewarding volunteer work, is this week’s DutchbuzZ Pearl, Tetyana Benzeroual, Project Manager at Volunteer The Hague..
In this interview Billy Allwood, founder of the TheHagueOnline website and the Feel At Home in The Hague fair, tells DutchbuzZ how he turned his personal need for knowledge of local news and events into a thriving information business aimed at internationals. Billy went from a PhD in x-ray crystallography to becoming a networking, organising, publishing, marketing guru in his adopted city. He shares what it means to be happy and what to do if you are not. Listen all the way to the end for a hot off the press announcement and request from Billy!
The Hungry Mind, and now Villa Ockenburgh, both pearls created and restored by the enterprising Petra Brekelmans. One is a meeting place for the international community in The Hague, the other, a 17th century villa. DutchbuzZ spoke to Petra about how her time as an expat herself motivated her to create these local hubs for both locals and internationals. She spoke to Lily-Anne Stroobach.
Connecting people is his speciality, especially if you are new in The Hague or from a different cultural background. As the founder of the Guest Card, The Hague International Network, Director of the Global Talent Pool Foundation, and on the board of the pop podium, Paard, Andrew van Esch has been working for the international community in this city for more than 30 years. A regular guest on DutchbuzZ, I asked him how it all started…
In this interview with Elena Gkiola, Gerko Visée, Adviser at The Hague International Centre, tells DutchbuzZ about the job satisfaction of helping internationals to settle in The Hague. An avid traveller himself, Gerko shares his personal motivation for his work. What drives this young Dutch linguist to serve the international community? How does he see the evolving role of The Hague International Centre in the years to come? Stay tuned to learn more about the man who may well have been the first person from the municipality to welcome you to the city of peace and justice. (Recorded in 2021)
The coordinator of the Hand-in-Hand project, an initiative of the International Roman Catholic Church of Our Saviour in The Hague. The goal of the project is to make people who have fled their countries feel welcome in The Hague by inviting them to take part in cultural and social events where they can meet and befriend other residents of the city. Anthony is recently retired from a four decade long career teaching children with special needs. But, as he explains to Ayesha de Sousa, there are many ways to make positive contributions to society.
“Dutch people are open and receptive about looking at aspects of perceived racism in their culture,” so says the author of ‘Black and Abroad’, Carolyn Vines. In this inspiring The Hague Pearl interview, Carolyn opens up to DutchbuzZ’s Olivia Nelson about the joys and challenges of building a life and career as a Black American woman in The Netherlands.
From her dream of helping others as a life coach to dealing with Dutch traditions that clash with her ideals, Carolyn tells us how she navigates this experience and how family is central to everything.
Dominique Fontaine moved to The Hague 30 years ago and despite a busy corporate job she has always been involved in initiatives to support the French community in The Hague. As President of the Alliance Française, she started the language school and since retiring she has been the force behind a number of initiatives to promote small businesses run by French and Francophone residents of the Netherlands and a think tank to reflect on current affairs affecting internationals. In the context of the French consular elections, Dominique tells DutchbuzZ about why it is so important to stay connected to the community.
The Hague representative of Journalists For Justice, Thomas Verfuss is always on the ball when it comes to matters of international criminal justice and we at DutchbuzZ have been lucky enough to have him as our regular contributor for the past ten years. Now that the world’s first permanent international criminal court, the ICC, based here in The Hague has a new prosecutor, Thomas has been here to enlighten our international community about what it means for the world of international justice, in this interview with Elena Gkiola.
the Founder and Director of “Expat Nest”, and a health psychologist herself, talks to DutchbuzZ about the most common mental health complaints of expats. She shares her insights on the impact of the pandemic on the mental well-being of internationals living abroad, and she gives tips for mindfulness and resilience amidst changes.
What does it mean to adapt and thrive in another country, to raise multilingual children, and to constantly grow and evolve across cultures? These are some of the topics discussed in this episode with dr. Ute Limacher-Riebold, a trained professional, academic, and expat since birth herself, who empowers internationals to thrive wherever they live by optimizing their communication skills.
The voice of Dutchbuzz’s jingles, entrepreneur and voice over artist Roger Thurman, talks to Lily-Anne Stroobach about his craft, the city of Peace and Justice and much more…
What is the effect that the ocean has on our daily lives? Joanna Bouma talks to Lily-Anne Stroobach about the issues that stand in the way of a healthy world by sharing valuable knowledge and insights from her work over the years with marine organizations.
What is it like to open your home to war refugees? How can internationals in The Hague help Ukrainians who have had to flee their homeland? Katya de Graaf tells us about her experience when she took in two families…
How are the International Justice Institutions in The Hague responding to the war in Ukraine? And how are war crimes covered by journalists? Janet H. Anderson, BBC trained journalist and co-host of the Asymmetrical Haircuts podcast talks to Elena Gkiola about the principles of international criminal justice commentary…
Making sustainability a household term, the Director of Duurzaam Den Haag, Heleen Weening has been persuading residents of The Hague to separate their garbage, substitute pavement tiles with flowers, plant trees instead of paving, and reduce their carbon footprint for quite some time. She speaks to Lily-Anne Stroobach about her mission
A true inspiration for our international community in The Hague, Laurence Blairon, has played several valuable roles in our lives here. Having triumphed over binge eating as she turned 50, she now gives hope to a host of people with the same disorder. I spoke to her about her colourful career paths and her new-found freedom…
Storytelling that builds bridges connecting disparate parts of The Hague’s social landscape, that’s what the Haags Verhaal does for our multi-cultural city. Now captured in a book featuring more than a 130 communities, this story telling venture run by a group of passionate volunteers, recently picked up the thread again after COVID forced them to take an unscheduled break. In this interview Lily-Anne Stroobach spoke to Haags Verhaal volunteer, Mieke Klawer…
Patricia is someone who has taken half a lifetime to come to terms with the sexual abuse she suffered as a child. She is now determined to share her knowledge as a survivor who conquered her trauma. She lives in The Hague and gives workshops on how she managed to reawaken her inner child, claim back her power, feel free at last and at peace with herself.
In this interview Lily-Anne Stroobach speaks to Marko Fehres. Making The Hague a better place to live and work in for all, has been Marko Fehre’s ambition for more than 40 years. Building up communities that need help and creating a sense of togetherness has been his life’s work, and he is a long way from downing his tools.
Who is an expat and what does it mean to live away from you home country for a period of time? The answers to this question are reflected in a wealth of documentation that comes into the safekeeping of the Expatriate Archive Centre in The Hague on a regular basis. Kristine Racina, the Director of the centre, works together with a team of volunteers to collect and preserve the life stories of expatriates worldwide for future research. Lily-Anne Stroobach spoke to her about her work that now spans 10 years at the centre.
