American life in Amsterdam: Pilgrims, football and turkey on a Saturday

The Netherlands has a claim on American history that most newcomers don't know about: the Pilgrims lived in Leiden for almost twelve years before the Mayflower. Today Amsterdam has a big, mixed American crowd of tech workers, DAFT freelancers, students, academics and retirees. You won't lose your traditions here. You'll just schedule them around a Dutch workweek.

The short version

• Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026) and the Fourth of July are regular workdays in the Netherlands. Americans celebrate in the evening or on the weekend.
• Leiden's Pilgrim Museum tells the story of the Pilgrims who lived there from 1609 before sailing on the Mayflower [1]. It's an easy day trip by train.
• Democrats Abroad Netherlands runs events around the country [2]. Republicans Overseas lists no Netherlands chapter on its leadership page, so contact the national group [3].
• The American Women's Club of Amsterdam and the American Women's Club of The Hague are both FAWCO member clubs [4].
• The US Consulate in Amsterdam at Museumplein 19 handles all consular services in the Netherlands [5].

Holidays: bring your own turkey

Thanksgiving, with a Dutch twist

Thanksgiving hits different here. The Pilgrims arrived in Leiden in 1609 and lived there for almost twelve years, mostly around the Pieterskerk, working as weavers, printers and hatmakers. Their minister, John Robinson, was buried in the church in 1625. Part of the community left in 1620 and sailed from Plymouth on the Mayflower [1].

The Pilgrim Museum in the old sextons' house at Kloksteeg 16 is open Wednesday to Sunday afternoons. Tickets were EUR 7.50 (about USD 8) when we checked, card only, and an English-language guided tour runs on Wednesdays [1]. Going the weekend before Thanksgiving is a nice way to explain the holiday to Dutch friends.

For the dinner itself, most Americans do one of three things:

1. Host a Friendsgiving on the Saturday after. Dutch friends are usually curious and happy to try pumpkin pie.
2. Cook on Thursday night after work, if you're brave and your oven is big enough. Dutch ovens are often smaller than the ones back home.
3. Join a group dinner run by a club or community group. Democrats Abroad Netherlands, for example, tells members about Thanksgiving dinners and Fourth of July celebrations [2].

Order a whole turkey from a butcher a few weeks ahead; supermarkets mostly sell parts. Canned pumpkin and cranberry sauce turn up in international stores and online. Our guide to American food, restaurants and bars in Amsterdam covers where to shop.

The Fourth of July

July 4, 2026, was a Saturday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, so the parties were bigger than usual. In a normal year it's a workday. Expect park picnics in Vondelpark or Westerpark, courtyard barbecues and events run by clubs and political groups. Fireworks are a New Year's Eve thing here, not a July thing.

Football and game day

American football has a long history in the Netherlands, mostly at the amateur and club level.

• Amsterdam Crusaders: founded in 1984, the club has played at Sportpark Sloten since then and is one of the most decorated teams in Dutch football, with 22 Tulip Bowl national titles (including 2025) and two Eurobowls in the early 1990s [6]. Games are friendly and a fun way to spend a weekend afternoon. If you played in high school or college, ask the club about joining.
• Watching the NFL: Sunday 1 p.m. Eastern games kick off at 7 p.m. in Amsterdam, and the Super Bowl ends around sunrise. Sports bars around the city show the big games.
• Other sports: baseball, called honkbal here, has a real Dutch following, and there are amateur basketball and softball clubs too. Ask around at work; coworkers are often the fastest route onto a team.

Politics: both parties' groups

Plenty of Americans in the Netherlands stay involved in US politics. We list both parties' groups side by side, without endorsing either.

• Democrats Abroad Netherlands is the country committee. Its site lists regular lunches and events in Groningen, Leiden, Utrecht and The Hague, and a youth caucus. We didn't see a separate Amsterdam chapter [2].
• Republicans Overseas names a vice president for Europe on its leadership page but doesn't list a Netherlands chapter [3]. If you want to connect with Republicans in Amsterdam, contact the national organization.

Whatever your politics, the key step is the same: send a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every year to register and request your absentee ballot from your last US state. See our guide to voting from abroad.

The consulate and the embassy

The US mission has two parts [5]:

• US Consulate Amsterdam, Museumplein 19, right by the Rijksmuseum and the Concertgebouw. All consular services in the Netherlands happen here: passports, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, notarials and help for Americans in trouble.
• US Embassy The Hague, now at John Adams Park 1 in Wassenaar, just outside The Hague. That's the diplomatic side, not where you renew a passport.

For emergencies, Americans can call the mission at +31 (0)70 310-2209 and press 3 [5]. Enroll in STEP so the consulate can reach you. When we checked on November 6, 2026, the State Department rated the Netherlands Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, due to terrorism), in the advisory updated August 18, 2026 [7]. Our guide to STEP and help from US embassies explains what the consulate can and can't do.

Clubs, churches and books

• American Women's Club of Amsterdam: a member-run club listed by FAWCO, the worldwide federation of American and international women's clubs [4]. The American Women's Club of The Hague is another FAWCO member [4], and Democrats Abroad has held events there [2].
• American Protestant Church of The Hague: an English-language congregation with a Sunday service at 10 a.m., at Esther de Boer-van Rijklaan 20 [8]. In Amsterdam itself, several international churches hold services in English; check service times directly.
• The American Book Center: an independent, family-owned bookstore with stores in Amsterdam, The Hague and Leidschendam [9]. A good place for English-language books and community notices.
• US college alumni clubs and professional networks are another easy way in.

Finding your people

Most American life in Amsterdam is informal: coworkers at international companies, running groups in Vondelpark, parents at the international schools and the person behind you at the city office who also brought the wrong document. The Dutch are famously direct. It isn't rudeness; it's efficiency. Learn some Dutch, even though everyone switches to English. It changes how people treat you, and you'll need it for the civic integration exam if you stay long-term.

When you're new, our community group for Americans in the Netherlands is a good first stop. Ask who's hosting Friendsgiving, where to watch the Patriots on a Sunday night or how to order a turkey in Dutch.

Sources

1. Pieterskerk Leiden: Pilgrim Museum
2. Democrats Abroad Netherlands
3. Republicans Overseas: Leadership
4. FAWCO: Member clubs
5. US Embassy and Consulate in the Netherlands: Contact us
6. Wikipedia: Amsterdam Crusaders
7. US Department of State: Netherlands Travel Advisory
8. American Protestant Church of The Hague
9. The American Book Center

Keep reading

• American food, restaurants and bars in Amsterdam
• King's Day, directness and Dutch customs
• Voting from abroad: the FPCA and FVAP
• STEP and help from US embassies