The Spirit of Amsterdam

What The Spirit of Amsterdam does

The Spirit of Amsterdam is a non-profit cultural organization that produces an annual festival of music, rituals, art, and storytelling staged across more than forty churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples in Amsterdam. Founded in 2023 by Stefan Beek and Robert-Jan Glas, the organization is structured as a hybrid: The Spirit Foundation (formally established 25 April 2025, RSIN: 867915146) develops cultural and social programming, while TSOA B.V., a private limited company, carries out commercial activities such as operating locations, memberships, training courses, and corporate events, with profits returned to the foundation. The first edition, launched in 2024 as part of Amsterdam's 750-year anniversary, attracted 13,000 visitors across 91 programs at 38 locations; the 2025 edition expanded to 80+ programs at 40+ venues. More than 125 artists from theater, music, storytelling, performance, composition, and dance disciplines participate, and programming emphasizes meaning, encounter, and social connection rather than religious affiliation.

The organization's revenue mechanics blend earned and contributed income. Direct-to-consumer ticket sales via the Active Tickets online platform are priced at €15-€35 per program for standard admission, with reduced-price Stadspas tickets (~50% off) for vulnerable Amsterdam residents. A capped Festival Pass (€175, maximum 150 units) provides full access to the festival and a 20% digital discount pass for the following year's events. The foundation receives multi-year institutional support from Kerk en Wereld, PKA (Protestantse Kerk Amsterdam), PKN (Protestantse Kerk Nederland), the Amsterdam municipality, Fonds 21, VSB, vFonds, AFK (Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst), Cultuurfonds, Stichting Woudschoten, Vrijzinnige Fondsen, Porticus, and Insinger Fonds. The Spirit is also incubating two adjacent assets: ZERO BPM, a sensory/silence-based format that has grown into an independent project with performances at Lowlands and ADE, and The Spirit Platform, a digital environment in development to connect audiences and creators year-round.

Name

The Spirit of Amsterdam

Legal name

The Spirit Foundation

Website

https://thespirit.amsterdam

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Spirit of Amsterdam is a non-profit foundation that produces an annual cultural festival of music, rituals, and art across 40+ churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples in Amsterdam, serving general audiences, international visitors, vulnerable residents, and 125+ participating artists, with revenue from ticket sales and institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Festival and Arts Programming

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural & Community Festivals (Ticketed) (THAJAFAI), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Community Music & Dance Festivals (Non-Commercial/Local) (MPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Cultural festival programming
• Interfaith arts events
• Sacred venue events
• Community arts platform
• Nonprofit arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Festival tickets and passes: Revenue from ticket sales for individual programs and Festival Passes. Festival Pass at €175 provides access to all events on November 27-30, 2025 plus a digital discount pass for 2026 events. Single program tickets available at various price points. Special Stadspas ticket pricing for Amsterdam residents with a Stadspas card.
2. Passe Partout (Festival Pass) sales: Limited-edition festival passes sold as crowdfunding contributions. Standard Passe Partout (2024 edition) included a silver chain as memorabilia and access to all festival events plus exclusive opening event. Passe Partout for Life and After Life offered lifetime access plus a 14-karat gold chain, and could be inherited by a loved one.
3. Foundation grants and institutional funding: The Spirit Foundation receives multi-year support from Kerk en Wereld fund, PKA (Protestantse Kerk Amsterdam), and PKN (Protestantse Kerk Nederland). Additional funding from Amsterdam municipality, Fondsen 21, VSB, vFonds, AFK, Cultuurfonds, Stichting Woudschoten, Vrijzinnige Fondsen, Porticus, and Insinger Fonds. Revenue supports programming and free access for vulnerable populations.
4. Commercial activities via TSOA B.V. TSOA B.V. carries out commercial activities including operating its own locations, memberships, training courses, and corporate events. The BV supports the social mission of the foundation, never the other way around. Profits realized in the BV are partly returned to the foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Spirit of Amsterdam produces an annual cultural festival featuring music, rituals, art, and stories held across 40+ churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples in Amsterdam. The 2025 edition runs November 27-30 with 80+ programs. The festival sells a €175 Festival Pass (limited to 150), individual program tickets (€15-€35), and discounted Stadspas tickets. TSOA B.V. conducts commercial activities including memberships, training, and corporate events, with profits supporting the foundation. The Spirit Platform is under development as a digital environment for creators and audiences.

Product overview

The Spirit of Amsterdam is a festival, platform, and network that brings people together around art, meaning, and social themes. The core offering is the annual festival featuring music, rituals, art, and stories held in churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples across Amsterdam. The 2025 edition features over 80 programs at 40+ venues. Ticket products include Festival Passes (€175 for full access), Stadspas discounted tickets, and legacy Passe Partout passes (2024 edition). The organization is developing The Spirit Platform as a digital discovery tool, and has spun off the ZERO BPM program as an independent sensory experience format. Programs span diverse categories including music, theater, performance, ceremony, rituals, mindfulness, storytelling, philosophy, workshops, and dinner events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Spirit of Amsterdam Festival An annual cultural festival featuring music, rituals, art, and stories held in churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples across Amsterdam. The 2025 edition (November 27-30) features over 80 programs at 40+ locations. The festival is non-religious but uses sacred spaces to explore meaning, art, and social connection. Programs span music, theater, performance, ceremony, rituals, mindfulness, storytelling, philosophy, workshops, dinner events, and walks. Admission is via individual program tickets (€15-€35), Festival Passes (€175), or discounted Stadspas tickets.
• Festival Pass A premium access pass priced at €175 offering access to all festival events over the 3-day weekend (November 27-30, 2025), plus a digital discount pass with 20% discount for all Spirit events in 2026. Limited to 150 passes total; each pass holder can reserve up to 10 programs. Sold through Active Tickets online ticketing platform.
• Passe Partout (2024 edition) A limited-edition silver necklace serving as both souvenir and festival admission ticket for the 2024 edition. Included access to all festival events plus an exclusive opening event. Proceeds supported makers and free access for vulnerable visitors.
• Passe Partout for Life and After Life A lifetime access pass to all festival events, transferable once to a chosen person (overdraagbaar aan dierbare), accompanied by a 14-karat gold necklace as a keepsake and admission token (toegangsbewijs).
• ZERO BPM Program An independent project combining silence, soundscapes, and sensory experiences, with its own identity outside the festival. Has performed at Lowlands, ADE, and during The Spirit 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13,000 visitors attended the first edition (2024) across 91 programs at 38 locations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, operational and minor.

• Protestant Church Amsterdam (PKA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Faith community and religious partner. Multiple Protestant churches serve as festival venues. PKA provides multi-year financial support to The Spirit Foundation.
• Protestant Diaconie AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Faith community partner providing venue access (including De Kas location) and social organization collaboration. Dirk van Hoven, director at Protestant Diaconie, serves as treasurer on The Spirit Foundation board.
• Boomerang AgencyoperationalImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCreative and operational partner providing campaign and content services for the festival.
• De AdministratieoperationalImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides bookkeeping and financial administration services for The Spirit.
• WeInsureoperationalImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInsurance provider for The Spirit.
• Atelier L&DminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and knowledge partner for The Spirit.
• De Nederlandsche BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuns a program for homeless people in collaboration with The Spirit.
• KRO-NCRVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTV program and podcast partner for De Verwondering Masterclass event.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Oerol Festival: Dutch multidisciplinary arts festival on Terschelling using unique island and landscape venues. Comparable as a place-based arts festival using non-traditional sites, mixing music, theater, ritual, and performance — though outside Amsterdam.
• Holland Festival: Amsterdam's flagship international performing arts festival. Both are Amsterdam-based multidisciplinary arts festivals using non-traditional venues and international programming — Holland Festival uses theaters and unusual spaces, Spirit uses sacred spaces. Most comparable by city, scale, and category.
• November Music: Dutch contemporary music festival in Den Bosch. Comparable multidisciplinary music and arts programming model with venue-based experience focus, similar scale and Dutch regional footprint.
• IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam): Amsterdam-based annual cultural festival. Same city, similar annual-cycle festival model, similar reliance on municipal and institutional funding, comparable scale of audience and program breadth.
• Wonderfeel Festival: Dutch outdoor classical music and arts festival. Comparable as a Dutch cultural festival combining music with meaningful experience, and similar scale and audience profile.
• Festival Oude Muziek (Utrecht): Major Dutch early and sacred music festival in Utrecht. Comparable in combining music programming with sacred/historical heritage venues and similar reliance on institutional funding.

Others

• Stichting DOEN: Dutch social-purpose funding organization (Marc Rasmussen, Spirit's board chair, works at DOEN). Comparable as an ecosystem player — both operate in the Dutch social/cultural funding landscape and connect Spirit's mission-driven model to institutional capital.

Broad incumbents

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The world's largest arts festival — much larger and global, but comparable as a citywide, multi-venue cultural festival mixing ritual, performance, music, and meaning. Serves as a benchmark for Spirit's city-as-stage model.

Regional players

• Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE): Major Amsterdam-based festival (October) focused on electronic music. ZERO BPM has performed at ADE. Comparable in scale and Amsterdam geography but specialized in electronic music rather than multidisciplinary cultural/ritual programming.
• Lowlands: Major Dutch music and arts festival where ZERO BPM has performed. Comparable in mixing music with broader arts programming, but much larger scale and traditional festival grounds rather than citywide sacred spaces.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/The-Spirit-of-Amsterdam/61561359235535
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-spirit-of-amsterdam
• Instagraminstagram.com/thespirit.amsterdam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Spirit of Amsterdam