Canal Festival of Classical Music.

1721 August 2005. Every summer towards the end of August, the strains of classical music waft over Amsterdams canals. The annual Grachtenfestival, canal festival, this year offers over 70 concerts in 20 different locations along two of Amsterdams main canals. Local and international musicians, including soloists from the Opera Studio Nederland will be performing 5 days of indoor and outdoor concerts whose theme this year is curiously Silence. The highlight of the event is the Prinsengracht concert to be held on the evening of 20 August. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend. Fairy lights are strung along the canals and hundreds of craft throng the waterways to see famous soloists performing from the floating stage which is moored on the Prinsengracht canal. There is also a childrens Grachtenfestival with concerts and shows. An unusual feature of the canal festival is the involvement of generous canal-side residents who host free performances in their gardens and homes and on their roof terraces, making this a truly popular event. Admission is free and the Prinsengracht concert starts at 20.00.