Instead of the first Friday in June, as in the past 25 years, the Children’s Animal Party in ARTIS will take place on Friday 23 May 2025. After all, from June onwards, many police and other emergency services are busy with large and challenging events such as Sail Amsterdam and the NATO summit. In order to be able to complete the Children’s Animal Party successfully and safely, the support of the police and emergency services is needed.
For many Amsterdam residents it is a familiar phenomenon: the long lines of police cars, ambulances and fire trucks full of waving children on their way to ARTIS. The Children’s Animal Party is a unique party for children in North Holland, Flevoland and Leiden with a disability or care need. Together with their parents, brothers and sisters, they are invited by hospitals and institutions for an exclusive evening opening in ARTIS. The guests are transported in a unique way with various emergency vehicles. During the Children’s Animal Party, a large group of enthusiastic volunteers is ready to give the guests a free, carefree and above all unforgettable evening.
The families will be transported from a central collection point on the outskirts of Amsterdam by vehicles from ambulances, fire brigades, defence, police and the Red Cross. Vessels from the rescue brigade will also be deployed. Anyone who sees the convoys driving through Amsterdam on this Friday evening need not be alarmed or call an emergency number, because the motto of the KinderBeestFeest is: ‘Nothing wrong, but do move aside!’.
Consequences for traffic in the neighbourhood
To ensure the safety of all families and children, a number of streets around ARTIS will be closed to all traffic, including cyclists, between 4:00 PM and 11:00 PM on Friday 23 May. A parking ban will apply on some streets to allow all emergency vehicles to park. The Entrepotdok will also be busier and the Nijlpaardbrug can only be used as a footpath (with a bicycle in hand).
ARTIS will be open to the general public until 5:00 PM on Friday 23 May. The official opening for the KinderBeestFeest guests will be at 5:30 p.m.
More information can be found at www.kinderbeestfeest.nl/verkeer.