Is This The End Of The Amsterdam Red Light District?

Mayor Femke Halsema Proposes Moving It Out Of Tourist District As Well As Closing The City’s Famous Coffeshops

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Nightlife Blogger

One of the top tourist attractions in a tourist-heavy European city may soon disappear.

As hard as it is to believe, the Red Light District may soon be a thing of the past in Amsterdam. At least in its traditional area, where is has been since the 14th Century.

The Amsterdam City Council has agreed on a proposal by Mayor Femke Halsema to shut down the notorious adult playground and moved the workers to a different – and as yet undetermined – location.

Not only that, the city council is also considering closing its iconic coffeeshops. Which, as any visitor to Europe’s Sin City knows, are not the same coffee shops you find in small-town America.

The do-gooder Halsema first proposed this in 2019 and managed to eliminate guided tours in 2020. So now, after locals who live in the area began to enjoy living there during the pandemic because of the lack of tourists, he’s proposed it for a second time.

Before any action takes places, residents have been asked to offer their opinions on relocation. The city must also consider the considerable cost in the loss of tourism. After all, this part of town – as well as the coffeeshops – are a major reason many tourists visit Amsterdam in the first place.

Halsema said back in 2019 that most tourists don’t actually participate in the adult activities and thus don’t spend money there. But that misses the point – people travel to Amsterdam to see the area and they do spend money in the stores, shops and bars, as well as for the live shows.

Yes, Amsterdam has a lot of attractions and museums worth visiting – the Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank House are just two examples (there is also the Heinekein Brewery tour for PubClubbers, tho you can longer linger there to fill up on free beer) – but it’s major draw for many is the many sins available right out there to see on the streets.

At this time, there is no timetable for when or even this will happen. But with two proposals presented in the past two years and the support of the mayor, city council and some residents, it’s safe to ask if this is the end of Amsterdam’s Red Light District.