Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 20/06/2026 18:27:00

Inside a nineteenth-century harbour power station on Amsterdam's eastern docks, Panama is a multi-functional nightclub, theatre and restaurant overlooking the IJ waterway. It occupies a striking building on the Oostelijke Handelskade, opposite the Java Eiland, and has operated as an entertainment venue since 2001 after more than a century of industrial use. The building dates from 1885, when it was constructed as a hydraulic power station to drive the cranes and machinery of the surrounding port, designed under the city architects B. de Greef and W. Springer. It was converted to electrical generation in 1899 and continued in service, latterly as a rectifier station, until 1951, and is now protected as a national monument. Reopened as Panama in March 2001, the old power hall became a trendy, multi-purpose complex combining a nightclub, theatre, cafe-restaurant and terrace. The venue can host gatherings ranging from intimate groups of around 25 up to 1,300 people, making it suitable for club nights, live music and theatre shows as well as corporate events, product launches and fashion shows. At its peak the club earned international recognition, being voted among the best in the world by a leading dance-music magazine's poll of globally active DJs. Alongside its dance programme, the space stages live music and theatre, while the cafe-restaurant and terrace let visitors combine dinner with a night in the club or theatre. Set in the regenerated Eastern Docklands, a short distance from Central Station and surrounded by striking waterfront architecture, Panama blends industrial heritage with a varied nightlife offer. Its conversion of a historic power station into a club, theatre and restaurant gives it a distinctive place on Amsterdam's scene. Its location in the regenerated Eastern Docklands, an area transformed from working harbour into a district of modern housing, cultural venues and waterfront promenades, places it among Amsterdam's more architecturally striking nightlife spots. The contrast between the heavy nineteenth-century industrial shell and the contemporary club, theatre and restaurant inside is central to the venue's appeal, and the riverside terrace offers views across the IJ.