World Port Days at Plein
Plein transforms into a place where the migration history of Katendrecht comes to life. All day long, you can enjoy a programme filled with stories, traditions, and cultures that have shaped this neighbourhood.
The event is free, and everyone is welcome.
The Kaap
Stories are written on the streets of Katendrecht. This is where Europe’s first Chinatown emerged, Surinamese jazz musicians played in nightclubs, and Greek merchants sold goods from their boats. Eastern European migrants, Cape Verdean seafarers, and today’s refugees also left their mark here. Nowhere else in Rotterdam speaks so powerfully of leaving and coming home as Katendrecht.
Programme
Get ready for a day packed with creativity, rhythm, and flavour. Learn to send your name in Morse code, paint Chinese porcelain, or try your hand at acrobatics. Music lovers can join workshops to make their own instruments, while those who prefer to listen can enjoy live Cape Verdean music, complete with matching snacks.
Kapie Maken - Walking Tour through Katendrecht
In collaboration with Verhalenhuis Belvédère
Join a guide from Verhalenhuis Belvédère and discover Katendrecht through the eyes of migrants. Walk past the places where people arrived, departed, and started anew.
Please note: this walking tour is in Dutch.
Age: 12+
Sat & Sun, 11:00 AM – 5:15 PM, buy your tickethere
Make your own music instrument
Workshop by Muziekspeeltuin
Create your own instrument in just half an hour: a drum box, tiktok, clapper, shaker, or slide horn. All instruments you can start playing right away. Each workshop ends with a short performance.
Age: 4–12 years
Sat & Sun, 12:00 PM–1:30 PM; 2:00 PM–3:30 PM, limited spots available
Make Your Own Chinese Scented Tea Bag
Workshop by Fenmei from Space101
In the past, Chinese people carried small bags of tea leaves as perfume, a beautiful “accessory” that spread a lovely scent. In this workshop, you’ll make your own scented tea bag, for yourself or as a gift. We’ll work with needle and thread, and of course, we’ll also enjoy a cup of tea!
Age: 7–12 years
Sat & Sun, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM, limited spots available
Chinese Porcelain – Create Your Own Unique Rice Bowl
Workshop by Fenmei from Space101
When Chinese people greet each other, they don’t just say hello - they also ask if you’ve eaten. In Chinese, “eating” literally means “eating rice,” and it often happens three times a day. It’s no wonder that the rice bowl is the foundation of every place setting.
In this workshop, you’ll give a simple white rice bowl your own story. Decorate it in the style of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain or Delftware, and create a unique piece to take home.
Age: 7–12 years
Sat & Sun, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM, limited spots available
Morse Code – Discover the Exciting Secrets of Morse
Workshop by Morse Academy
Morse code is the language people once used to send messages from ships across the world. Together with experienced radio operators, you’ll explore the Morse alphabet. Start with your own name and maybe soon you’ll be sending secret messages to your friends!
Each participant will receive their own signaling key to use during the workshop.
Age: 10+
Sat & Sun, 12:30 PM–1:00 PM; 2:00 PM–2:30 PM; 3:30 PM–4:00 PM, limited spots available
Cape Verdean Stories – Let yourself be carried away by the sounds of Cape Verde
Performance by Bernadette Pires
Singer, theater maker, and children’s book author Bernadette Pires takes you on a musical journey through the stories of Cape Verdeans in Katendrecht. Accompanied by a guitarist, she delivers an intimate performance where music, poetry, and personal stories come together. With her warm voice, rooted in soul, jazz, and her Cape Verdean heritage, Bernadette draws inspiration from legends like Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin – and you can feel it in every note.
Age: all ages
Sat & Sun, 1:00 PM–1:30 PM; 2:30 PM–3:00 PM; 4:00 PM–4:30 PM
Beats & Shapes
Workshop by Rass King
In this active workshop, children explore how to create and perform rhythms in a playful way. Using simple shapes and sounds, we build patterns together, which we then combine into a complete musical piece.
Age: 8–12 years
Sat & Sun, 12:00 PM–1:30 PM; 1:30 PM–2:00 PM; 3:00 PM–3:30 PM
Circus Playground – Learn the skills of a real circus performer
Workshop by Circus Rotjeknor
Tightrope walking, balancing balls, unicycling, stilt walking, plate spinning, diabolo tricks, and of course, juggling – everything is possible in the circus playground of Circus Rotjeknor. Children (and parents) can come and go freely, trying out the skills under the guidance of an instructor.
Age: 4+
Sat & Sun, 12:00 PM–5:00 PM
