From sleep to celebrating peace: 11 great things to do in May

If you are looking to make the most of May, you’ve got a packed programme of exhibitions and events ahead.

Celebrate Liberation Day The Netherlands is celebrating 81 years of peace this year and organisers across the country are gearing up for the annual Bevrijdingsfestivals, or liberation festivals on May 5. This year’s ambassadors La Fuente, the Jostiband, Karsu and Rolf Sanchez – will be making flying visits to all 14 of them. There is more May 5 fun at Mike’s Badhuis in Amsterdam. Website

Watch the car crash break up You have just time to catch the Orange Theatre’s final performance of the musical The Last Five Years at KIT in Amsterdam. Two different people, two different versions of a breakup. May 3. Website

Come to the fair in Soestdijk If you like your outings a bit more sedate, why not visit the splendid Paleis Soestdijk, where the garden forms the backdrop to a three-day Summer Fair. Fashion, home ware, garden stuff, food all combine for a right royal shopping spree. May 14-17. Website

It’s all in the game in Rotterdam Game event Twitchcon will be descending on Rotterdam this month, where gamers can game their hearts out, actually meet other gamers in the flesh, find out about new games, meet game makers and do lots of other game-related activities. May 30 and 31. Website

Raise a glass with the Romans The Allard Pierson archaeological museum in Amsterdam has extended its exhibition of Roman glass. 200 gorgeously coloured, beautifully shaped pieces explain the history and art of Roman glass-making.

Glassblowing was “likely discovered by accident”, the museum says. The exhibition also shows the results of modern techniques used to analyse the ancient glass. Glass, made in antiquity is on until November 1. Website

Catch a glimpse of old Europe Dutch painter Isaac Israels (1865 -1934) caught the traveling bug at the tender age of 13 when his parents took him on a tour of Europe. He later reacquainted himself with several European countries, sketching and painting as he went in his characteristic impressionist style.

The Kröller Müller museum, located in the Hoge Veluwe natural park, has brought together 23 paintings and almost 300 drawings, showing the Europe of the first half of the 20th century. Isaac Israel’s Europe runs until August 30. Website

Open your eyes to the response to the colonial gaze The Eye Film Museum invited 11 artists to respond to the museum’s collection of 2,000 films made in the former colonies Suriname, Indonesia and Africa. In one of the video installations, Becoming Opaque, Portuguese artist Paula Albuquerque bombards the harrowing pictures of Dutch anthropologist Paul Julien measuring people’s skulls in Sierra Leone with pixels, freeing them from his clutches. Eye(s) Open is on until September 6. Website

Leave the hammer at home The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam is exploring what makes a man a man in a time when bashed-in cheekbones and misogyny are gaining traction. Beyond the Manosphere – Masculinities Today shows the multiple aspects of masculinity, including sexual orientation, milieu, class, intimacy, vulnerability and the portrayal of men in the media. Until August 2. Website

Feel the chill at the Nieuwe Kerk The Nieuwe Kerk once again hosts the World Press Photo exhibition featuring testimonies from war zones Gaza and Ukraine, and the United States’ own chilling domestic ICE warlike raids, which produced the winning photo. Talk to some of the photographers on May 30, when the church organises a meeting about trust and transparency in photojournalism. Until September 27. Website

Have a snooze in Zeeland Short on sleep? Head over to Slaap Lekker! (sleep tight) at the lovely Terra Maris natural history museum and park in Zeeland. The exhibition is all about why a snooze, nap, forty winks, or hibernation is important for man, beast and plant. How do fish fit in a power nap and how do jellyfish relax? Slaap Lekker! has the answer. Until March 15, 2027. Website

Get scared in Leiden Another nice one for the kids and one guaranteed to keep them awake at night is the Monsters & Mythical Creatures exhibition at the Leiden Archaeological Museum. The exhibition combines information about the creatures of lore with a great story of bored, locked-up monsters in need of cheering up by visiting children, while scaring the pants off them, of course. Until January 3. Website