On Saturday 25 June, during the Amsterdam Dinner, more than 1,100 guests
enjoyed a spectacular evening. That was a record number in the thirty-year history of
the largest gala in the Netherlands. Among them are many acquaintances from the art,
media and business world and prominent politicians. The 30th edition of the
Amsterdam Dinner has raised 1.27 million euros. This year’s proceeds will go to the
Emergency Fund Ukraine, top Dutch research into the cure for HIV and the detection
of HIV in babies and young children in Kenya.

Brandon O’Dell, director of the Amsterdam Dinner Foundation since 2020: ‘I am
moved by the involvement of so many people who are committed to the fight against
AIDS worldwide, a battle that is far from over. Inequality in the world has been driving
this epidemic for 40 years now. The Amsterdam Diner is a celebration of freedom
and diversity, in a world where everyone can be themselves. With the money raised,
equal treatment can be offered to people with HIV, anywhere in the world.’

Amsterdam Dinner Award
A visibly emotional Humberto Tan received the Amsterdam Dinner Award yesterday
for his many years of involvement in the fight against AIDS. He gave an important
voice to the resistance against the stigma surrounding AIDS and discrimination
against people with HIV. Tan, who lost his brother to AIDS, was also present at the
first edition of the dinner in 1992 and presented the Amsterdam Dinner in 2012. The

Amsterdam Dinner Award has been awarded since 2016 to people who are actively
involved in the fight against AIDS.

Notable attendees
Mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema opened the special evening after which singer
Giovanca took over the presentation. There were performances by Eurovision
winners Duncan Laurence and the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra. The couple
actress Victoria Koblenko and former professional football player Evginey Levchenko
were also prominent attendees at the gala.

Princess Mabel van Oranje, who has been making an appearance at the Amsterdam
Dinner for years, surprised the audience with a short speech in which she argues for
an AIDS-free world. The princess then gave a visit for two to the haute couture show
of Viktor & Rolf in Paris, available for the safe, a regular program part of the
Amsterdam Dinner. Newcomers to this year’s event were drag performers Envy Peru
and Vanessa van Cartier, winners of Drag Race Holland.

An AIDS-free world
Part of the proceeds from the Amsterdam Dinner will go to Aidsfonds’ Emergency
Fund Ukraine. Ukraine is one of the countries hardest hit by HIV in Europe. The war
seriously threatens care for the 260,000 people living with HIV and AIDS from
Ukraine. With the emergency fund, Aidsfonds ensures, among other things, that
these people can continue to take their life-saving medicines.

Other projects that are funded thanks to the proceeds of the Amsterdam Diner are
research into a cure for HIV and a project to detect HIV in babies and children in
Kenya.

30 years Amsterdam Dinner
The Amsterdam Dinner was initiated in 1992 when the HIV epidemic hit the
The Netherlands. Since then, it has proven to be one of the most appreciated and
impactful dinners in the Netherlands. Over the years, millions of euros raised
worldwide benefited more than 50 projects on various continents, providing
thousands of people with life-saving HIV medicines. The Amsterdam Dinner is made
possible by donations and the efforts of more than 350 volunteers.

http://amsterdamdinnerfoundation.nl/