The new year begins with good resolutions. That is why we asked residents of the Municipality of Amsterdam about their New Years wishes. For themselves, for the city, and for everyone who lives here.
Stay close to each other
Zabih Etemadi was born in Iran. But the former footballer, lawyer, and player agent now lives in Weesp and is regularly found in Amsterdam for work and football. According to him, the city is a mix of ideas, cultures, opinions, and paces.
“Sometimes that clashes, but often it takes us further. Freedom is what binds us, the space to be different and still move forward together.” Etemadi hopes that Amsterdam and its residents maintain that connection. “With warmth, courage, and especially with an eye for each other. Stay close to each other, especially when we are so different. Because that makes Amsterdam so strong.”
We have to do it together
The Amsterdam presenter and journalist Suse van Kleef also has a message for all Amsterdammers. “I hope for a year in which we do it together. In which there is a lot of laughter and in which we are very satisfied with our city and everyone who lives there.”
Roll up your sleeves, yallah
One and a half years ago, Lotfi El Hamidi moved to Amsterdam. “Best wishes to my fellow citizens in Rott... uh, I mean Amsterdam (sorry, force of habit).” We dont blame him. Moving from Rotterdam to Amsterdam is a big but beautiful step. “I wish the city a heroic 2026, with more determination in the fight against injustice and more compassion in dealing with the less fortunate. The sleeves can also be rolled up a bit more here. Yallah.”
A year full of light in the theater
Carlo van Munster wants to see full theaters in Amsterdam in 2026. The actor, folk singer, and city council member says: “In a world that is sometimes so dark, where people destroy everything, the theater is the place where you can enjoy the beautiful, touching, and funny things other people have made together. In the darkness of the hall, you can find your own light. And I therefore wish you a year full of light.”
Watch out for boomers
When we asked writer and columnist Henk Spaan for a New Years wish, he had to think about it for a moment. But in the end, he had a wish mainly directed at younger Amsterdammers. “No more cycling on the sidewalk when a boomer is coming. Are you thinking that? Brats.”
Hope that Ajax will do well again
Rapper and poet MC Lost is a proud Amsterdammer, he says himself. He has a simple New Years wish: “I wish that Amsterdam becomes that cheeky, fun, colorful city again. Not that we lost it, but it could be a bit more.” According to him, that can be done in various ways. For example, by listening to each other more. More understanding, empathy, and conviviality with each other. And of course, he hopes that Ajax will do well again. “Those are my wishes. See you in 2026.”
Its about who you are
Art book publisher Pia Pol also misses the cheekiness a bit in the city. Besides all the best and a healthy new year, she especially hopes that “we can make Amsterdam the raw city it should be. A city where it doesnt matter where you come from or what you have. But where it matters who you are and what you do.”
What is your New Years wish for the city?