The building which currently houses Paradiso was built from 24 May 1879 to 2 May 1880 by
De Vrije Gemeente (English: The Free Congregation), a modern
theologic religious group. The construction site was located next to a prison and a court. It served as a religious building and a meeting centre for the faith. In 1965, De Vrije Gemeente moved to the
Buitenveldert neighbourhood and sold the building, which was originally to be repurposed into a hotel built by famous Dutch architect
Gerrit Rietveld. This did not come to be and it was briefly used as a carpet store. In October 1967, the building was squatted by hippie music fans, led by Willem de Ridder, Koos Zwart, Matthijs van Heijningen and Peter Bronkhorst, who wanted to turn it into a cultural venue.After attempted police crackdowns, city officials granted the group permission to convert the space into a club. On 30 March 1968, it officially opened as
Cosmisch Ontspanningscentrum Paradiso (English: "Cosmic Relaxation Center Paradiso"). Less than two months after its opening, the English rock band
Pink Floyd played the venue on 23 May 1968, not long after announcing the departure of
Syd Barrett. The 1970s were a grittier era for Amsterdam and Paradiso; a
Rolling Stone report recalled how "dope, music and atmosphere were cheap and abundant" until August 1970. Amsterdam allowed for the smoking of
hashish and
marijuana inside Paradiso, and in 1971,
The New York Times reported that it had become a "night time mecca" for American youths traveling to Amsterdam. Drug abuse led to an aggressive atmosphere and declining attendance numbers, but the venue saw a "golden age" with the rise of
punk rock. The latter show was
Glen Matlock's final with the band. During a 1979 gig, American singer
Iggy Pop was beaten up on stage at Paradiso by a
Hells Angels biker gang which had become venue regulars.In 1974, hospitality entrepreneur Nicolaas Bouwes announced plans to construct a 49,000-square meter hotel complex on the
Leidseplein, requiring the demolition of Paradiso. It was met with negative reception by the
Amsterdam city council, who criticised it as an unimaginative "piece of
Manhattan". Bouwes' proposals never went through. On 16 September 1980, Paradiso was added to the
Rijksmonumentenregister (English: National Monuments Registry), preserving it from ever facing demolition. In 2000, Paradiso became one of the first venues to stream free, live and on-demand concerts through
Fabchannel.com, an Amsterdam-based company which ultimately shut down in 2009. From 2003–04, Paradiso underwent renovations which added a second balcony floor, increasing capacity to 1,500. This was inspired by
the Rolling Stones' 1995 concerts at Paradiso, which required a second makeshift balcony for the recording equipment. After 2008, smoking was banned in most areas of Paradiso, including the main hall, in accordance with national law. In September 2014, Paradiso opened a concert hall in Tolhuistuin, a cultural centre in
Amsterdam-Noord, which was known for a few years as
Paradiso Noord. In addition to Tolhuistuin, the Paradiso organization currently sponsors events in several smaller venues in Amsterdam and Amsterdam Noord. In 2022, Paradiso bought a dilapidated plot of land adjacent to the venue for €3.5 million, with plans to build a €30 million five-storey extension to the venue consisting of an exhibition space, new offices and services for artists in residence. In 2023, Paradiso reported a record number 727,000 attendees. In July 2025, protestors threatened to riot at Paradiso for hosting the duo
Bob Vylan after they led a controversial "death to the
IDF" chant at
Glastonbury. == Notable shows ==