On Tuesday, July 1st at 8:00 PM, Finnish trumpeter Mikko Pettinen will play a duo concert with pianist/composer Merlijn Angad Gaur in the concert hall of the Vreedehuis – Riouwstraat 1 in The Hague.
Sketches, Songs and Improvisations – expect original work, a beautiful old Finnish song, and of course… improvisations! A musical encounter full of contemplation, uptempo numbers, and an exploration of sounds where the silence between the notes speaks…
Mikko Pettinen is one of Finland’s most famous trumpet players. He’s coming to the Netherlands, and that doesn’t happen often!
Tickets cost Euro 12.50 and can be purchased in the evening of the concert at the venue. Registration is appreciated but not required – you’re always welcome!
It started with a simple commission. In 2021, Dutch composer Merlijn Angad Gaur was asked to write choral music for the Finnish women’s choir Pihlaja. What began as a creative assignment blossomed into an extraordinary musical friendship.
When Merlijn traveled to Helsinki in 2022, trumpeter Mikko Pettinen joined their rehearsals for an improvisation session. The connection was instant. “From the first note we played together, there was musical recognition,” Merlijn recalls. “I really felt that musically it was completely in sync…”
Two musical worlds collided: the Dutch composer with his classical background and jazz influences, and the versatile Finnish musician who plays trumpet, keyboards, sings, and composes across genres from the renowned UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra to world music ensembles.
After a concert in The Hague in 2023, they decided to record together. The perfect moment came after performing in Helsinki’s breathtaking Temppeliaukio Church. In a small church nearby, they let the music “do the work”, and Sketches, Songs and Improvisations was created.
While the Hague is getting ready for the NATO summit, we believe it’s time to Party4Peace! As the official party of the Just Peace Festival, Party4Peace isn’t just a night out, it’s a vibrant collision of rhythm and resistance, celebration and solidarity. Taking place at PAARD, The Hague’s iconic pop venue, on June the 20th, this event brings together DJs, artists, activists, and dreamers for one unforgettable evening of movement, meaning, and momentum.
More than a celebration, Party4Peace is a statement. It’s a living, breathing experience that invites everyone—citizens, creatives, diplomats, and dancers—to embody their vision for a peaceful world through music, dance, and connection. It’s about recognising the power of joy as a form of protest, and celebration as a form of solidarity.
A Night in Two Acts: The Peace Hangout & The Peace Disco
Party4Peace is the official party of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague which is set to transform the city into a dynamic forum for open dialogue, inspiration, and learning around peace and justice. From dialogues and debates to exhibitions, movie nights, music, and dance. The Just Peace Festival brings together citizens, artists, experts, policymakers, and YOU to explore the power of peace and justice in action.
Welcoming over 55.000 visitors per edition, Heroes Dutch Comic Con is the largest comic con in the Netherlands. During this two-day event all kinds of fandoms come together and people can share and express their passion with other enthusiasts. Since there are so many fandoms, Heroes Dutch Comic Con offers a various programme about movies, series, Comics, Cosplay, games, superheroes, fantasy / science fiction and anime. There’s so much to see, do and experience and most important: it’s loaded with fun!
Let yourself be entertained by our programme or become part of it by wearing a cosplay outfit yourself. Get under the skin of your favorite character and transform yourself. Even if you don’t wear cosplay, you can fully enjoy all the other visitors wearing amazing outfits. At this entertaining event full of amazing experiences and activities you can meet several Special Guests such as actors from movies and series, shop all kinds of merchandise in the biggest geeky market in the country, play tons of games, enjoy various panels by guests from the comics industry and so on!
To cut a long story short: it’s a place where fans can enjoy a weekend full of entertainment and indulge themselves in the all geeky things they like. Heroes Dutch Comic Con is something you really have to experience for yourself. The unique and amazing atmosphere will get you hooked instantly.
One thing is for sure: at Heroes Dutch Comic Con everyone can celebrate their passion together! Do we meet this June?
Join us for an afternoon of art, connection, and celebration at the Stepping Away from Stereotypes Exhibition—a powerful portrait showcase that highlights the rich diversity and individuality of people within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Photographer Patricia Wit will debut her solo photo exhibition, “Stepping Away from Stereotypes: The Person Behind the Label,” at The Social Hub in The Hague on 28 June 2025.
The exhibition features a compelling collection of portraits of individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, each revealing two contrasting sides of their identity. Through this duality, the show challenges one-dimensional labels and celebrates the richness and complexity of human experience.
Through striking imagery and personal stories, this exhibit invites viewers to look past labels and discover the unique identities, expressions, and experiences of those often defined by stereotypes.
Enjoy complimentary bites and drinks, mingle with the artist and our community members, and experience an atmosphere full of inspiration and meaningful conversation.
Whether you’re here to support a friend, expand your perspective, or just enjoy a vibrant experience—this is a space where everyone is welcome.
This summer, Voorlinden is taking to the skies! The Kite Club, a collective of artists and kite-enthusiasts led by Bertjan Pot, Liesbeth Abbenes and Maurice Scheltens, will set up their clubhouse in the museum for sixteen days, where they’ll be crafting and exhibiting kites—lightweight works of art made to soar. The moment the wind picks up, they’ll dash across the estate and fill the heavens with their creations: a spectacular display of graceful forms and vivid colours not to be missed.
Bertjan Pot, Liesbeth Abbenes and Maurice Scheltens are established artists in their own right – Bertjan a designer, Liesbeth and Maurice a still-life photography duo. But together, they’ve turned a casual pastime into a museum-worthy art form: making single‐line kites. For them, it’s the ultimate design challenge and highly addictive. ‘I feel there’s real euphoria in the making process; I want to savour it for as long as possible’, admits Liesbeth. ‘And it’s pure magic when your creation is lifted by the wind’, adds Maurice. ’Kite-flying is freedom – bold, elegant, yet with a hint of menace. That contrast makes it endlessly fascinating’, he concludes. This summer you can catch the Kite Club in action at Voorlinden, with sewing machines, testing and showing kites in the museum and on the estate.
Expert Kite Clinic The scale of the Kite Club’s output is nothing short of gigantic. Bertjan and Maurice have been making kites since childhood, and Liesbeth now also churns them out one after another. ‘Kite-flying itself is hugely enjoyable – and so is making them; I simply can’t stop’, laughs Bertjan. They’re keen to share this joy with as many people as possible. ‘Where I’m normally protective of my design work, I’m completely open about how we build our kites’, explains Bertjan. ‘That’s why at Voorlinden you can watch us at work and drop-in with your questions about kites. If you’ve made a kite that won’t fly properly, bring it along and we’ll see if we can fix it.’ The Kite Club has also just published the book One Single Kite, in which they guide readers step-by-step through the kite-making process.
The city program BinnenhofBuiten, curated by Mary Hessing, has donated a monumental work of art by The Hague artist Marleen Sleeuwits to Flora Restaurant and Filmhuis. The work, consisting of three large light objects, was previously on display during the Spiegelfestival. During this festival, which started in January, mirrors transformed the public space around the Binnenhof into an enchanting, reflective environment.
Sleeuwits: “Every time I visited my work on the Lange Vijverberg, someone was photographing themselves or each other at the work. It’s so nice to see how my work connects people.”
Marleen Sleeuwits ‘ artwork fits in seamlessly with the vision ofFlora: a place where imagination and encounter are central. Three mirrored objects, each two by three metres, form the impressive centrepieces in the hall of the new Flora Filmtheater and Café Restaurant Flora .
Initiators Bo Maerten and Marijn Veltman recently embarked on an inspiring adventure: transforming an empty, monumental building – the former KPN telephone exchange – into a vibrant meeting place for film and culture lovers in The Hague. The eponymous catering establishment in the characteristic building is run by brothers Sjoerd and Sijbren Bartlema.
Also in the Private Dining area of the restaurant, a work by Sleeuwits can be admired. This mural was created in collaboration with the Fotomuseum Den Haag , where her solo exhibition Enter the Cube was on display until 5 May.
Hessing: “With BinnenhofBuiten we are trying to create a fresh sound in the Museum Quarter, Flora is an equally creative and fresh initiative that was launched through crowdfunding. We are happy to contribute to that.”
With this donation, Sleeuwits’ artwork will find a new and permanent home at Flora, a new meeting place in The Hague where film, creativity and gastronomy come together. It can be viewed now. The entrance is at De Constant Rebecquestraat number 55, then take the elevator to the sixth floor.
City programme BinnenhofBuiten organises events and activities during the renovation of the Binnenhof, such as BlowUp Art The Hague and the Spiegelfestival , and is a project by The Hague & Partners for the municipality of The Hague.
Featured Photo: Jan Willem Kaldenbach / The Hague & PartnersFrom left to right: Mary Hessing (programmer BinnenhofBuiten), Marijn Veltman (Flora Filmhuis), Marleen Sleeuwits, brothers Sjoerd and Sijbren Bartlema (Flora Restaurant) and Bo Maertens (Flora Filmhuis) with son. (Photo: Jan Willem Kaldenbach / The Hague & Partners)
