WonderJam in Amsterdam 2010

We are honored to announce that WJA 2010 has more nights and days of activities than ever before, including meet-n-greets, intimate gatherings, guided tours, and music with some seriously talented musicians. Just have a look! And now… WonderJam in Amsterdam is proud to present the travel line-up for 2010 … drum roll please!

7th Annual Fans and Bands Tour

- this is our tentative line-up for events and subject to change based on growth of more possible fun!

Once again, it is time for WJA 2010, and we are going over the top this year… our biggest plans ever and more changes to past years style in the planning for this blowout 7th Anniversary. The event is bigger and better than ever: WJA 2010 is ready to step up to a whole new level of serious fun! Yes… we have great musicians ready to bring our messages of rhyme and reason, packaged in these bottled songs, to the shores of Amsterdam. Musical artists will share many intimate, private evening with the group, including private meet-n-greets with all the musicians, intimate acoustic performances by some, full band shows, and much more. Each day will have a planned event or tour for the group. These plans are subject to change as opportunities for bigger venues, more full band nights, more sponsor offers, or other enhancements, become available later to our group.

Check out the plans:

SUNDAY 8/1

Our group departs for Amsterdam from stateside. WJA uses e-tickets, so all you need is your passport to board the plane. No paperwork to forget! Now remember, it is your responsibility to get yourselves to the airport, WJA will take care of the rest once you check-in. In past years, we have informally helped travelers make arrangements to carpool and such, but this is ultimately the responsibility of the traveler. WJA will have a private waiting room at the airport for our group. Details on location and more in-depth info will come later as part of the traveler info packet (sent in April).

MONDAY 8/2

We arrive in Amsterdam early in the morning and will have a private shuttle to take us to the hotel from the airport… a big help after flying ten hours. We will check-in to the hotel and have the afternoon to relax and explore our new neighborhood for the week. For the early evening, WJA will host a group orientation in the hotel or a nearby establishment (especially helpful to first timers). This will be a casual evening since we have just arrived and will need to catch up on sleep for the week. A great way to start off the week and give everyone a chance to meet new friends in the group and make plans for the rest of the tour.

TUESDAY 8/3

Hopefully everyone got some sleep and is feeling themselves again. Just to be sure, we will have a relaxing day with informally planned tours around town, hosted by musicians… a great way to discover places unknown. Informal fun will abound… another chance to meet others and wander around town exploring the sites and taking in the scene. These day and night tours are meant more for the newbie, since so many people have been here before, with WJA or on their own, and a great way to enjoy the wonders of Amsterdam. Of course, along the way, other sites of interest will abound, including delicious restaurants, curious shops, and areas of town, such as museum district and the floating flower market are all along the way.

By popular demand… we have unofficially done these run-about-town tours by word of mouth, but now it is official. D. Brown Fisher (WJA Hosting Artist) will lead these tours, as he has in past years, around to some of his favorite places. We will meet his friends that own and work in various professions; the group is treated quite graciously by our Amsterdam brethren. During the day, Fisher will host fans around to CoffeeShops and so much more. This is a unique aspect of the Amsterdam community and worth exploring the cultural significance of a society functioning differently than our own. In the evening, Fisher will take anyone interested down into the infamous Red Light District. A fun way to explore the city at night and see the reality behind many a myth about this profession. These tours are by popular demand from past WJA travelers. Fisher has informally done these tours in past years (calling them coffeeshop 101 and red light 101 tours, jokingly) at the request of the fans. Now these are official, but as all WJA events, not required.

WEDNESDAY 8/4

This event, first done in WJA 2008, and was a huge hit with the fans and demanded for this year by them. In the past, we did not have any events booked these first nights, but the fans have shown they can keep up all week, so here we go.

A VIP private party – meet & greet – with artist and fans is hosted this evening by WJA. Not only will we relax in a styling little lounge/wine bar, enjoying each others company… but as an added bonus, musical artists will perform in various arrangements (solos, duets, and more) acoustically in this intimate setting. This is a new favorite of past travelers and brought tears to the eye (it is an intimate, very personal way to experience a life with music). Most importantly, it gives a chance for all the travelers to meet again and share notes on the first nights of the trip. Everyone has a chance to exchange tips for places of interest and more…

THURSDAY 8/5 & FRIDAY 8/6

Possible daytime tours TBA… we are taking suggestions now as to the most popular ideas for these next 2 days. Most often, by this point in the tour, our fans have taken over Amsterdam and need little help finding such great sites as the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, Flower Markets, Heineken Brewery, and many other places around town. Of course, if assistance is needed in locating these places, we have plenty of help from experienced travelers, friends in Amsterdam, and the hotel staff (often the best way to go – that is why WJA includes tips just for this service). But to be sure, the informal tours will abound within our ranks. In the evening, our fans will be enjoying some great shows hosted by WJA in Amsterdam, usually sharing the stage with our friend musicians friends too. . Our show details will be announced later as we get closer to our travel dates. The WJA artists performing these shows will include Austin Volunteer Orchestra, D. Brown Fisher, Meagan Heavlin Ochoa, and more…

SATURDAY 8/7

What a week! Today is the last day… so finish up your shopping and make sure you have covered all those plans by today. Last minute running around and fun for all. There will be no formal day tours planned. Everyone will be quite capable of handling themselves around town by now. A chance to catch your breath and get ready for our blowout farewell party in the evening. We will have a casual, relaxing evening of acoustic performances by Fisher, Ochoa, and others. This is a chance for WJA to thank the patron-fans that toured with us this year, and a chance for new friends to exchange info to stay in touch for the future. We will finish early since we have a very early departure for home the next day. Please remember that the shuttle bus for the airport will depart very early in the morning on Sunday, so party smart tonight!

SUNDAY 8/8

The shuttle bus will depart very early this morning for the airport. Everyone must be on time for the shuttle, we cannot hold up the group for a few stragglers (you will be left to your own wits to get to the airport – take the train from central station, not that difficult). Our flight will depart Amsterdam in the later morning and arrive back in the states in the afternoon that same calendar day, thanks to the time zone changes. Once back stateside, everyone is on their own and we hope all make a safe journey home! Make sure you have some down time upon return… remember, WJA is not a vacation, it is an adventure, so you may need some rest afterward! Plan accordingly…

Most of us fans already support these same artists in their music stateside and are ready to share the wealth of talent with the rest of the world, one party at a time. Remember, all travelers are patrons of the arts with proceeds going directly to artists’ travel expenses. Simply put, WonderJam in Amsterdam is the audience-driven idea that talented people, on and off stage, taking the challenge to create original arrangements, with musicians and fans, from many walks of life, will treat us all to once-in-a-lifetime live musical experiences, over and over again…and we are in Amsterdam to boot: maybe the hippest metropolis on the planet! WJA 2010 has arranged more nights with VIP events and day tours for the patron traveler!  Past travelers will notice the changes and additions to our group tour… WJA has listened and responded to your desires! Check out the write-ups for our days of fun this year in Amsterdam. There will be more added to this information, so check in often for updates.

Stay tuned for more details as they develop!

THANKS…WJA 2010