Amsterdam celebrates 25 years of equal marriage with historic weddings
Amsterdam marks a quarter-century of marriage equality by reenacting the first same-sex weddings held in 2001. This milestone highlights the Netherlands' pioneering role in LGBTQ+ rights, impacting thousands of couples and setting a global precedent for equality.
| Key Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | 25th anniversary of marriage equality in the Netherlands |
| Date | April 1, 2026 |
| Location | Amsterdam City Hall |
| Officiating Mayors | Femke Halsema (current), Job Cohen (2001) |
| First Marriages | 4 same-sex couples married at midnight on April 1, 2001 |
| Global Impact | Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage |
| Anniversary Marriages | 3 same-sex couples to be married in 2026 |
| Related Event | Amsterdam hosts WorldPride 2026 |
The City of Amsterdam plays a pivotal role in promoting LGBTQ+ rights and visibility, both locally and internationally. As the capital, it often sets the tone for progressive policies and cultural milestones, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2001.
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Amsterdam made history: 25 years of marriage for everyone
On April 1, at exactly midnight, Amsterdam will do it again. In the city hall, Mayor Femke Halsema will officiate marriages between three same-sex couples, 25 years after the Netherlands became the first country in the world to open marriage to everyone.
The first marriages took place in the same council chamber. At the time, Job Cohen was mayor. He looks back on what may well have been the highlight of his nine years as mayor: “Amsterdam, and the Netherlands, showed the world that love is for everyone.”
Just after midnight
On April 1, 2001, the Netherlands became the first country where same-sex couples could marry. In Amsterdam, this happened immediately after midnight, with four marriages. Cohen officiated the ceremonies himself.
As State Secretary for Justice, he had already been involved in the introduction of the law. Everything came together for him in the city hall: “I already knew I would become mayor of Amsterdam and really wanted to officiate the first marriages.”
A packed council chamber
It wasn’t until he walked into the council chamber that he truly realized how significant the event was. It was filled with journalists, cameras, and onlookers. “I hadn’t imagined it would be like that,” Cohen recalls. “It was incredibly busy.”
“Just before midnight, my speech was ready, but the law hadn’t come into effect yet,” he remembers. “So we had to count down: 10, 9, 8, 7… a bit of stretching.” Once it was April 1, he could confirm the marriages, Cohen explains. He makes a gesture as if tapping a gavel on the table.
What started with eight loved ones grew into a global news story that night. Amsterdam suddenly found itself at the center of international attention.
More than a legal change
Years of preparation preceded the opening of marriage. Activists, lawyers, and politicians worked on the amendment, which was passed by the House of Representatives and Senate in 2000. For the couples themselves, it meant far more than a legal step, Cohen noticed in the conversations beforehand. “When you talk to people getting married, you hear their stories,” he says. “Then you see what it means to them.”
One conversation stayed with him. One of the brides became visibly emotional at the idea of being able to marry. “Then you feel that it’s about more than just that. It’s about justice.”
Amsterdam marks the jubilee
That the first marriages took place in Amsterdam was no coincidence. The city wanted to make the introduction visible at the very first moment it could. Twenty-five years later, it’s happening again.
In the night of April 1, Mayor Halsema will once again officiate marriages, in reference to that first night. The jubilee is also the reason Amsterdam is this year host city of WorldPride, an international event focused on LGBTQ+ rights and visibility.
A lasting milestone
For Cohen, that night remains special, even compared to other events from his time as mayor. For example, he later officiated the wedding of Willem-Alexander and Máxima. “Don’t get me wrong, the royal wedding was also very special. But this is something only one person in the world could do—being the first to officiate a marriage between two people of the same sex.” He dryly adds: “Kings always get married.”
Since 2001, tens of thousands of same-sex couples have married in the Netherlands. What was new then is now part of daily life. The first marriages in Amsterdam remain an important moment in the history of equal rights.
Want to know more about the jubilee marriages?
For more information about the historic event, visit the page Getting married for everyone.
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