6 October 2026
BAJES will open its 2,900-capacity venue with a programme running throughout ADE from October 21 to 25
Amsterdam’s former Bijlmerbajes prison is being transformed in part into BAJES, a cultural venue spanning three spaces.
With a combined capacity of 2,900, the new venue will host club nights, concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events. Its opening programme will coincide with Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), running from October 21 to 25, with CHRIS STASSY b2b Job Jobse, Eris Drew & Octo Octa, Avalon Emerson and Interplanetary Criminal, among others.
The Bijlmerbajes complex operated as a prison until 2016. Levenslang Amsterdam, which opened at the site in 2023, will close as part of the transition.
BAJES is being run by a new team comprising members of De Eeuwige Jeugd, the operators behind Levenslang, alongside Bulb Agency and Amsterdam-based event organiser Artists for President.
Announcing the new venue on Instagram, BAJES Amsterdam wrote: “A building once centred on keeping people behind closed doors is opening up. To the city, to nightlife and to creative minds.
“BAJES is a new cultural venue housed within part of the former Bijlmerbajes prison complex in Amsterdam-Oost. Concerts, club nights, exhibitions and other cultural programming will bring together internationally established artists and emerging talent.
“The spaces once used for cooking, dispatch and heating will soon make way for dancing, creativity and art. BAJES begins its next chapter on 21 October.”
BAJES will officially begin its programme on October 21, with sign-ups for updates on upcoming events now open.
