Schreeuwen uit je raam in een Amsterdams studentencomplex

Why do Amsterdam students scream out their windows at 10pm?

Schreeuwen uit het raam (“screaming out the window”) at exactly 22:00 became a fixture in Amsterdam student housing during the 2020 COVID lockdowns. With universities online and bars closed, residents in DUWO complexes (the big student-only buildings near campuses) agreed informally to open their windows and let out a collective shout. It started as stress release during isolation. At Houthavens, where this clip is filmed, the ritual lived on past the lockdowns.

This vlog cues the moment: “als je hier rond 10 uur des avonds uit je raam schreeuwt, dan gebeuren er gekke dingen” (“if you scream out your window here around 10pm, things get wild”).