Immerse yourself in a sizzlingnight night full of art, music, and magic
Festival de Verwondering is back with the very first Night of Wonder
On Saturday, September 20, 2025, Gouda will host the Night of Wonder festival. During this special evening, cultural venues throughout the city will open their doors for a night filled with art, music, theater, and unexpected encounters—from sunset until late into the night.
Night of Wonder is an initiative of the Goudse Schouwburg and is organized in collaboration with all major cultural institutions in the city, including Museum Gouda, Cultuurhuis Garenspinnerij, and Gouda Library. This new initiative is an offshoot of the successful Festival de Verwondering, which will return in 2026 in its familiar form: a three-day cultural festival that immerses the city in wonder and imagination. Admission to the festival is partially free.
During this first nighttime edition, the public will have the chance to experience familiar places in a new way. The program during Night of Wonder is diverse: interactive art, rebellious puppet theater, an atmospheric theater dinner, colorful kids’ discos, festive house parties, creative workshops, and musical encounters for all ages. Can’t decide? Check out the interactive schedule!
The Night of Wonder will become a permanent fixture on Gouda’s cultural calendar and will alternate annually with the biennial Festival of Wonder. This creates a rhythm in which Gouda can come and marvel anew every year—whether it’s a bustling festival weekend or an enchanting night at various locations throughout the city.