Starting on January 14th, a new scheme is trialling a safe space location for the LGBT+ community partying in Amsterdam.

The pilot project named Dress & Dance has transformed Who Cares, a local hair salon, to offer a space for members of the LGBT+ community who do not feel safe in the city to dress and wear makeup before going out for the night. Free taxi rides were also available so people “don’t have to walk down the street in their party outfit.”

The initiative was organised by students at the InHolland University and Maud Gussenhoven, who manages the city's central Reguliersdwarsstraat street, where many gay venues are located.

"It is sad that this is needed but there have been incidents that have made people feel unsafe," said Gussenhoven.

Amsterdam is known as an extremely tolerant and open city, which will host World Pride in 2026, however a Dutch government report showed that of the 823 reports of discrimination made to the Amsterdam police in 2021, 310 were based on sexual orientation.