What to expect this weekend
By / On / In Appsterdam
In addition to the announcements from @appsterdamrs and the schedule that will be posted on the upcoming site, I thought I would give you a detailed idea of what to expect this weekend. All events are open to RSVP’d attendees and their partners.
Getting here
We have a crew of volunteers ready to meet people at the Schiphol airport and the Amsterdam Centraal train station. If you’d like someone to meet you, let us know by filling out the arrivals form.
Friday night
Friday night is all about getting here. There’s no set time or anything formal like that. The idea is that, as people trickle into the city, get checked in, and head out for the evening, that there be a place to go where they will meet other developers. This is like flying in the night before a conference, and sending the shout out: “where are people drinking?”
Pubs in Amsterdam tend to be clustered into groups (which I call “bar pods”). There are several such pods in the city, usually centered around a square (usually denoted in Dutch as “plein”s). The choice of pod, and the choice of bar within that pod, are arbitrary.
The current plan is to head over to Nieuwmarkt at 18.00 on Friday night and figure out who has room. You can show up any time after that. Just look for the Appsterdam logos or check Twitter.
If we fill one bar, we’ll overflow into the next bar and so forth. As this is an informal gathering, plan to bring money for drinks and snacks: around €20-50.
Saturday midmorning
During the day on Saturday you’ll go on a walking tour of the city. Local Appsterdammers have put together some really nice tours according to several areas of interest. Plan on meeting your tour group in the late- to mid-morning and being on your feet until the late afternoon.
With 7 tours planned all over the city, you’re sure to find something that interests you. For more information, including including times, places, and expected expenses, visit the tour RSVP form. Hurry—space is limited!
Saturday night
The big event! The Appsterdam Launch Party, sponsored by Igluu and Vodafone, will be at Panama at 18.30. There will be a keynote at 19.00, lasting about an hour, wherein we’ll introduce all the great things we have planned for the Summer of Appsterdam.
Drinks and snacks are provided by our good friends at Igluu and Vodafone, so you don’t need to bring anything but your sweet self—though if you have an app, bring it along as well. The party lasts until 22.00. I don’t think the restaurant will throw you out at 22.00, but you’re on your own for drinks past that point.
Sunday midmorning
If you’ve done the weekend right you should be completely exhausted by this point. We’ll stumble into the late morning sun and find our way to hydration and nourishment.
What better place to have a picnic than at our new Appsterdam Official Hangout at NDSM-Werf, featuring a traditional Dutch breakfast of bread and things that go on bread.
We’ll provide drinks, bread, and our favorite sandwich fixings, but if you’re a local, plan on bringing your favorite broodje toppings as well—the more the merrier!
There is a free ferry to NDSM-Werf behind Centraal Station. We will stage a volunteer at both ferry docks to keep you pointed in the right direction.
If the sun is shinning, we can put out blankets on the artificial beach. If it starts to rain, we’ll move the party indoors.
Late nights
In addition to being the City of Apps, you may be aware of some other things Amsterdam is known for. You may even be interested in experiencing such things. On Friday and Saturday nights we will have informal expeditions into other side of Amsterdam. Call it Appsterdam After Dark.
Because of the nature of these expeditions, you must be at least 18 years old—bring ID. We’ll be out from the end of festivities at 22.00 until around 02.00. We’ll play it by ear, so how much money to bring depends on how crazy you are. I’d plan on €20-100.