Advancing Platform Engineering: AI, K8s & Product Mindset
π Nela Restaurant, Beethovenstraat 515
RSVP βKubeCon Sunset Social on the Waterfront
π Zuidpool, Europaplein 22
RSVP βKubeCon Europe Surfβs Up Social
π Strandzuid, Europaplein 22
RSVP βBuilders Happy Hour
π The Harbour Club, Apollolaan 2
RSVP βCloud Cruise
π Oceandiva, Centraal Station
RSVP βThe Ultimate Cloud Native Escape Room Party
π Amsterdam (venue TBA)
RSVP βKubeCon EU 2026 Side Events β The Unofficial List
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 takes over Amsterdam from 24β27 March, but the real action starts days earlier. Below is a curated, date-sorted rundown of every side event, party, and meetup happening around the conference. Bookmark this page β Iβll keep it updated as new events drop.
Pro tip: Most events are free but cap attendance fast. Register now β donβt wait until youβre in Amsterdam.
TrueFullstaq x Sidero Labs β KubeCon Afterdrinks π§
Unwind after a full day of KubeCon with authentic Dutch gezelligheid: cheese and charcuterie boards, bitterballen, craft beers, and fellow Kubernetes enthusiasts. Hosted by TrueFullstaq and Sidero Labs (the team behind Talos Linux). Free β but limited capacity.
RSVP on Eventbrite βPlatform Engineering MeetUp | Human Intelligence
Kick off the KubeCon week early with the Amsterdam Platform Engineering community. Great way to ease into the week and meet local practitioners.
RSVP on Meetup βCloud Native Rejekts EU 2026
The beloved βunconferenceβ for talks that didnβt make the KubeCon cut β often some of the most interesting, unfiltered content of the week. A must-attend.
Visit Website βπ KubeTrain β Travel to KubeCon Together, Sustainably
Why fly when you can ride? KubeTrain brings the cloud-native community together before KubeCon even starts β boarding shared trains from ZΓΌrich, London, and Paris, all converging on Amsterdam. Think of it as the conference hallway track, but at 300 km/h with better scenery. Youβll make friends, swap war stories, and shrink your carbon footprint β all before you check into your hotel. Past rides have become legendary for the connections made between stations. Donβt just arrive at KubeCon β arrive together.
Red Hat OpenShift Commons Gathering Amsterdam 2026
A full-day gathering for the OpenShift community β expect deep-dive sessions, customer stories, and hands-on demos. Starts early, so set your alarm!
RSVP βGoogle Container Day @ KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026
Googleβs flagship co-located event at KubeCon Europe. Expect deep dives into GKE, Kubernetes, and container innovations from Google Cloud engineers and the community. A must-attend for anyone running containers on Google Cloud.
RSVP βAzure Day with Kubernetes Amsterdam 2026
Microsoftβs AKS Day co-located with KubeCon Europe. Sessions covering Azure Kubernetes Service, cloud-native development on Azure, and Kubernetes best practices from Microsoft engineers and MVPs.
RSVP βKubeAuto Day Amsterdam: Making Kubernetes Smarter through AI-Driven Automation
A full-day event exploring AI-driven automation for Kubernetes. Discover how to make your clusters smarter with cutting-edge automation techniques. Approval required β register early as spots are limited.
Request to Join βKubernetes Platform Blueprint: From Multi-Tenancy to AI Infrastructure
Hands-on session covering multi-tenancy patterns, AI infrastructure on Kubernetes, and platform blueprint design with vCluster. Invite-only β request access early.
Request an Invite βCast AI β Get Free Access to AβDAM LOOKOUT!
Panoramic views of Amsterdam while chatting Kubernetes cost optimisation. Cast AI runs this activation across multiple days β check below for additional time slots.
Enter Raffle βStop the AGI Apocalypse: A Kubernetes CTF Competition
Put your Kubernetes security skills to the test in this Capture The Flag competition. Request an invite β spots are limited.
RSVP on Luma βNutanix Canal Cruise
Cruise the Amsterdam canals with Nutanix. A relaxing way to kick off KubeCon week with great company and views.
RSVP βPlatform Engineering Workshop: Building an Agentic Engineering Platform
Hands-on workshop for platform engineers and engineering leaders. Learn how to transform a traditional IDP into an Agentic Engineering Platform β building AI agents that can release features autonomously with human-in-the-loop oversight.
RSVP on Luma βKubeQonnect 2026
Connect with the cloud-native community over food and drinks at Strand Zuid, hosted by ITQ, Dell Technologies, and NVIDIA.
Register βTulips & Taps: Welkom to KubeCon Happy Hour π·
Start KubeCon week at the Heineken Experience with tulips, taps, and the cloud-native community. A perfect warm-up social.
RSVP on Luma βKubeCon Europe Kickoff
Kick off KubeCon Europe with drinks, food, and networking at The All Out Amsterdam.
RSVP on Luma βThe Auto-Pilot Mixer: Day-0 After Party
The official after party for KubeAuto Day β continue the conversations from the day sessions with drinks and networking at the Amstel Boathouse.
RSVP on Luma βIaCConf Connect Amsterdam
Infrastructure-as-Code community meetup with axe-throwing and darts at Oche. Perfect for Terraform, Pulumi, and IaC enthusiasts in town for KubeCon.
RSVP on Luma βSignal Overflow: Observability in the Age of AI
KubeCon special by SRE NL at Booking.com β talks on OpenTelemetry best practices for large systems and observability in the AI-native age, plus food, networking, and book signing. Bring a valid ID.
RSVP on Luma βHouse of Kube Amsterdam
Late-night vibes with three strong communities under one roof. Address revealed after registration β mystery is part of the fun.
Get the Secret Location βMeetup on AI, K8s, & the Product Mindset
Panel discussion on platform engineering trends from the State of Platform Engineering Report Vol. 4, AI infrastructure with open source, Kubernetes foundations for open app platforms, and Platform as a Product. Moderated by Luca Galante (PlatformEngineering.org). Networking with refreshments and food.
RSVP on Luma βNordic Night Out at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU
The Nordic cloud-native community gathers for a social evening at Market 33. Great for connecting with fellow Nordics (and honorary Nordics) in town for KubeCon.
RSVP βKubeAuto Day: Making Kubernetes Smarter through AI-Driven Automation
π Amstel Boathouse, Amsteldijk 223
RSVP βStop the AGI Apocalypse: Kubernetes CTF Competition
π Rosarium Amsterdam, Amstelpark 1
RSVP βKubeQonnect 2026
π Strand Zuid (Zuidpool), Europaplein 22
RSVP βObservability AI Agents & AI in Incident Management
π Elasticsearch, Inc., Keizersgracht 281
RSVP βTulips & Taps: Welkom to KubeCon Happy Hour
π Heineken Experience, Stadhouderskade 78
RSVP βKubeCon Europe Kickoff
π The All Out Amsterdam, Europaboulevard 1B
RSVP βAzure Day with Kubernetes Amsterdam 2026
Microsoftβs annual Kubernetes-focused community event alongside KubeCon. Deep dives on AKS, Azure Arc, cloud-native development, and the latest Azure container innovations.
Register βPlatform Engineering Executive Roundtable
Bringing together practitioners and leaders from enterprises like Airbus, Stellantis, SNCF, CaixaBank, and Ahold Delhaize. Discussion on platform engineeringβs impact on AI success β no presentations or product demos. Moderated by Luca Galante and Nigel Douglas.
Request Invite βHotservability Challenge
Can you handle the heat? Stop by Dash0βs booth for an observability-meets-hot-sauce challenge at the expo hall.
RSVP on Luma β#KubeCrawl + #CloudNativeFest
The official KubeCon party. Roam the expo halls with food, drinks, and live demos. The single biggest networking opportunity of the week.
View on Schedule βKubeCon Europe Unwind
Unwind after Day 1 of KubeCon at Strandzuid with drinks and good company.
RSVP on Luma βCortex Canal Cruise β Engineering Leaders Dinner
An intimate canal cruise dinner for engineering leaders, hosted by Cortex. Limited capacity β request an invite early.
Request an Invite βGerman Stammtisch β KubeCon Edition
The traditional German Stammtisch tradition comes to KubeCon Amsterdam β a relaxed evening of beer, pretzels, and Kubernetes conversations. Willkommen!
Register βCast AI β AβDAM LOOKOUT (Tuesday)
Future of Kubernetes: Cloud and AI Infra
Explore the future of Kubernetes infrastructure for cloud and AI workloads at this vCluster-hosted evening event.
RSVP on Luma βDevTool GTM Mixer
A mixer for developer tool builders and go-to-market teams. Great for connecting with the devtool ecosystem.
RSVP on Luma βMCP Connect Amsterdam with Orq.ai, Prosus & Alpic
For developers, practitioners, and enthusiasts working with the Model Context Protocol and AI agents. Talks on building MCP servers and integrating them into agentic workflows, followed by networking. Hosted at AI House Amsterdam by Prosus.
RSVP on Luma βBetter Stack Amsterdam Canal Cruise π’
An evening canal cruise through central Amsterdam β lit bridges, crooked canal houses, and some of the best views the city has to offer. Cold beers, Dutch snacks, great conversations. No agenda, no talks β just a relaxed evening for founders, engineers, and builders. Space is strictly limited and approval required.
π’ RSVP on Luma βKuberoke Spring Party Amsterdam π€
Karaoke + Kubernetes = Kuberoke. A KubeCon tradition with open bar and snacks. Bring your lanyard for check-in and your best rendition of βContainers in the Deepβ (or, you know, actual songs). Review the Code of Conduct before attending.
π€ Sign Up to Sing βTurn Coffee Into Code β Infra-Founder Breakfast
A morning meetup for infrastructure founders and builders. Great coffee, great conversations, right next to the RAI. Perfect before heading into KubeCon Day 2.
RSVP on Luma βThe New Stack / Dynatrace / Akamas β KubeCon Reception on the Waterfront
Sunset drinks, conversations, and networking on the waterfront at Zuidpool. Free entry β reserve your spot.
RSVP on Eventbrite βKubeCon Europe Surfβs Up Social π
Catch the wave at Strandzuid for a beachside social with drinks, food, and the cloud-native crew.
RSVP on Luma βOOPS!β¦ Itβs An Incident Again
An evening for SREs and incident responders. Great lineup of sponsors β expect war stories, drinks, and shared trauma from on-call rotations.
RSVP on Luma βInsert Coin: Arcade Night Amsterdam
Retro arcade games at Picnicβs HQ β a unique venue for a KubeCon evening event. Compete for high scores while networking with fellow cloud-native engineers.
RSVP on Luma βAWS & Octopus Deploy β Happy Hour at the Amstel Boathouse
Exclusive happy hour at the Amstel Boathouse, co-hosted by AWS and Octopus Deploy. A relaxed waterfront setting for mid-week KubeCon networking.
Register βKuBBBecon 2026 β Benelux Bowling Borrel π³
Bowling, beers, and Benelux cloud-native folks. Casual and fun.
Sign Up βCast AI β AβDAM LOOKOUT (Wednesday)
Cloud Cruise π’
A boat party on the IJ river. Need I say more? π
π’ Board the Cruise βThe AI Foundry Academy: βFinance: The Basics So You Donβt Get in Troubleβ
A practical session on finance fundamentals for tech founders and engineers.
RSVP on Luma βThe Ultimate Cloud Native Escape Room Party π
Combine escape rooms with cloud-native networking for a unique late-night experience in Amsterdam.
RSVP βLangChain x KubeCon: The Rise of Autonomous Systems
π TBA
RSVP βThe Path to Excellence β A Cortex Bike Tour
Start the final day of KubeCon the Dutch way β on a bike! Cortex hosts a morning cycling tour around Amsterdam before the conference sessions begin.
Request an Invite βThe Rise of Autonomous Systems β LangChain NL Community Event
Post-KubeCon wind-down with the Dutch LangChain community focusing on autonomous AI systems.
RSVP on Luma βCast AI β AβDAM LOOKOUT (Thursday)
Databricks Community Night β MLOps Edition
Community-led evening focused on running ML and GenAI systems in production on Databricks. In-depth talks on MLOps / LLMOps followed by pizza, beers, and networking. Free but limited capacity.
RSVP on Meetup βBetter Stack Beer Tasting at Brouwerij βt IJ πΊ
A gezellig tasting night next door to Brouwerij βt IJ β one of Amsterdamβs most iconic spots, right under the windmill. Sample a lineup of award-winning beers brewed just meters away. No formalities, no networking awkwardness β just an easy evening with people building interesting things. Spots are limited.
πΊ RSVP on Luma βSurvival Tips
Register Early
Most side events cap attendance and fill within days. Donβt procrastinate.
Plan Your Route
Amsterdam is bike-friendly, but events are spread across the city. AβDAM Lookout is a short ferry ride from Centraal Station.
Pace Yourself
Events run from morning till past midnight. Pick your battles wisely.
Network Intentionally
Side events are more intimate than the main conf. Come with a conversation starter.
Bookmark This Page
Iβll update this list as new events are announced. Check back often!
Pack for Dutch Weather
March in Amsterdam means layers, a waterproof jacket, and hope for the best.
Useful Resources
KubeCon EU 2026
Official schedule and registration
Conference Parties
Community-curated party list
My KubeCon Talk
My speaking session at KubeCon EU 2026
