Suggest visiting Amsterdam for a stag weekend and you’ll most likely be accused of wanting to go purely for the, shall we say ‘seedier’ side of the city; however there is more to the ‘Venice of the North’ than meets the eye on a casual first inspection.

Amsterdam is a cultural hub in Europe, and with over 90 festivals taking place in the city each year it offers something for everyone. So if you’re considering Amsterdam for your stag do I’ve compiled five of what I think would be the best festivals for your Amsterdam stag weekend. You can find out more about Amsterdam stag parties with The Stag Company.

Electronic music lovers looking for a festival should consider Mysteryland. The 20^th edition of Mysteryland takes place on 24^th August 2013 at the Floriade terrain Haarlemmermeer, and if previous years are anything to go by the festival can expect around 80,000 attendees this year to see over 100 performing artists.

In 2011 Mysteryland branched out and held its first edition in the South American country of Chile. The 2012 edition of the Festival saw 12 stages host a plethora of acts set in 163 acres of land. If you’re visiting the city in August you absolutely must attend the festival.

The 2013 line up is to be announced soon, and previous performers at Mysteryland include Avicii, Fedde Le Grand, Martin Solveig, Loco Dice, Eats Everything, Simian Mobile Disco, A-Trak and Drum & Bass legend Goldie.

The Amsterdam Fringe Festival takes place in September this year and showcases a wide array of arts and talents from around the world. There is a large ‘No Language No Problem’ section to the fringe, with over 50% of the programs and performances on offer being in either English or with no speaking at all.

You can see these performances in theatres, clubs, on the streets of Amsterdam and even residents’ living rooms! Set across 10 days the Fringe Festival celebrates the international arts, with a mix of international and home grown talents performing.

Now its time to look at a festival with a difference, Nuit Blanche. Taking place overnight between the hours of 7pm and 7am, Nuit Blanche gives you a chance to view obscure and interesting projects throughout the city that you might otherwise have overlooked, or missed entirely.

Originating in Paris the festival has grown and branched out to many other cities, Nuit Blanche is best described as a ‘cultural all-nighter’, where a number of collaborators will come together to create what can only be described as a weird and wonderful selection of art.

The 2013 edition of Nuit Blanche is set to take place in June again, and if out of the ordinary is your thing then there is no better way to spend a night in the ‘dam.

While I’ve been focusing on music and the arts, it’s time to look at a food festival for the food lovers out there. This festival, taking place in May works well as one for the family as well as being a suitable place for a stag party to spend the day.

Rolling Kitchens sees a wide range of mobile kitchens (what else?) descend upon the park at the Westergasfabriek for a weekend of food and fun! That is what this weekend is all about, fun. You’ll find reasonably priced food at the mobile kitchens, and with the weather usually faring better than it does in the UK at the same time of year, you’ll probably be able to enjoy some great weather too.

Once the evening comes there is usually the chance to view a film out in the open air as well, after you’ve found a mobile kitchen offering whatever style of food you fancy on the day. This is a great, laid back festival that is ideal for spending a lazy afternoon.

Finally we have the 5 Days Off Festival, inspired by the 10 Days Off Festival in Belgium it was the first electronic music festival to take place over multiple days.

While the festival focuses mainly on music you can also find all manner of other arts on display at the festival, including film, photography, graphic design, fashion and more. These displays and installations add to the atmosphere of the festival, and can also provide some useful hints and tips [the night photography workshop is a great example of this].

Of course the music on offer is also of top quality, 2013’s line up featured Hudson Mohawke, Booka Shade, Modeselektor, a five hour DJ set from Mr. Scruff and a Hospital Records club night, with DJ sets from Netsky, Fred V & Grafix, S.P.Y, and Camo & Krooked! Previous performers include Flying Lotus, SBTRKT, Daft Punk, Gaslamp Killer, Dizzee Rascal, Jeff Mills and more.

The best part, it’s just €85 for a five day ticket. The 2013 edition took place in March, so you’ll need to wait until this time next year if this festival is the one you want to attend.

See, Amsterdam stag weekends aren’t all coffee shops and sex shows!

About the author: Lee is a Web Content Editor at thestagcompany.com, a company which offers stag parties and stag weekends throughout the UK and Europe. You can also follow Lee on Twitter.