This year, all young people up to the age of 18 can visit the Panorama Mesdag museum for free. The Municipality of The Hague is making €537,000 available for this purpose annually for the next three years. Free entry already applied to children aged 0–12; now, young people aged 13–18 can also admire the Panorama free of charge.
Museum Panorama Mesdag has been a national museum since January 1, 2026, and consequently receives support from the central government. The Municipality of The Hague has – as agreed with the central government – decided to use funds previously allocated to the museum within the Multi-Year Policy Plan for Art and Culture 2025–2028 to make the museum more accessible to young people.
Alderman for Culture, Saskia Bruines: “With this step, more young people can view both the unique Panorama of Scheveningen and the special museum collection of the artist couple Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten. Everyone who lives in The Hague or visits the city should definitely see the Panorama at least once. I am pleased that this contribution ensures that the special collection of Museum Panorama Mesdag can also inspire the new generation!”
Museum Director Minke Schat: “The unique Panorama is the centerpiece of our museum and the oldest worldwide still in its original historical setting – not without reason also called the ‘Night Watch of The Hague’. Thanks to the generous gesture of the municipality, we can welcome even more young people and introduce them to art, heritage, and the history of our city in an accessible way.”
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Caption: Alderman Saskia Bruines (left) and museum director Minke Schat (right) on the cherry picker at the Panorama of Scheveningen. Photo: Freek van den Bergh / Museum Panorama Mesdag
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?
This article features a number of ideas for activities in and around The Hague for English speaking teenagers. Do you have any others to add? Please contact us.
American Book Center
Do you love to read? The American Book Center is the perfect place to spend ages browsing through the seemingly endless number of books they carry. They also offer a 10% discount for both students and teachers with a valid ID-card.
Beach
If it’s warm out (for once!) you might be interested in going slightly outside of the city centre to check out the nearby beaches like Kijkduin or the notoriously difficult to pronounce Scheveningen. Both beaches are about a 15-minute drive from the city centre or a half-hour cycle.
Movie theatre
The classic outing on a day with less nice weather, many films are shown in English with Dutch subtitles. The most popular film theatre here is Pathé. There are many locations, one of them right in the centre of The Hague. Be sure to double-check though before you buy tickets, most films also have dubbed showings that are completely in Dutch.
Filmhuis
Literally translated to film house the Filmhuis The Hague is the perfect place to go if you want something similar to the regular movie theatre. It has smaller theatres, so it is better for people who find regular movie theatres overwhelming.
Thrift shops
In Dutch these are called kringloopwinkel and they are the perfect way to buy new clothes or other items without breaking the bank. There are a lot of them in and around The Hague. One of the largest ones is Rataplan, they have multiple locations including in Ypenburg (suburb of The Hague) and Delft.
Bubble tea
Bubble tea is a drink originally from Taiwan, it has however become popular over the whole world. There are about 5 different bubble tea stores in the centre of The Hague, making this the perfect drink for if you’re looking for something fun when thirsty!
Westfield Mall of the Netherlands
If you feel like venturing further out of the centre for a nice day of shopping, you could go check out the Westfield Mall of the Netherlands. It’s the largest indoor mall of the Netherlands and it’s only 20 minutes by public transport from the Hague centre.
Photos & text by Sophia Veldman (15), as part of her high school internship at The Hague Online.
