The red light district is located in the oldest part of Amsterdam.
An area with a dodgy reputation, full of prejudices and dark sides.
In Behind the Red Light District we visit people who make an honest living here...
and see the neighbourhood from their perspective.
Behind the Red Light District
The Bachelor Party
One group of people is inextricably linked to the red light district: tourists.
They're welcome, loud, and always in the way. You either love or hate them.
There are different kinds of tourists, like old married couples or businessmen.
The most striking are the groups that come to have their bachelor party.
They're often seen as reckless groups which cause a lot of nuisance.
There are actually people who have the honourable task of guiding them around.
We'll be joining Fun Amsterdam's Steve. He'll be guiding a pub crawl, today.
He's going to tell us what it's like to take a drunk group to the red light district.
Hello. I'm looking for Steve. -It's early. He's not here yet.
Really? -Just kidding. It's me.
Steve, nice to meet you. -I'm Gwen.
Can I get you something to drink? -Sure. I'll skip that for now.
Water? Coffee? -Water.
We have all this and you choose water?
What is your ritual? Do you drink beforehand?
Want to take some shots? -Sure. Let's go.
Is this a standard ritual?
I always offer drinks to guests. -We're doing a Smurf bar crawl today.
Is that a standard service? -It's an extra. We do pub crawls.
For a substantial amount more, we turn it into a dress-up party.
Why do people want this? -It's for people about to get married.
That's the majority of our clientele. It's about embarrassing the hen or stag.
You're going to dress up as a smurf? -Yes.
He'll be topless. You'll be surprised how many women want a picture with him.
Really? Where are we headed? -The red light district.
It's my favourite neighbourhood and I always bring my groups there.
Let's take a shot. It will loosen you up. -Okay. Here we go.
This is a standard ritual. -Cheers. Here we go.
Are you dressing up as a smurf? -You can paint his back. Lucky you.
You want me to paint his back? -Yes.
What are you going to wear today? -Just a cap and some handcuffs.
So you'll be cuffed to the bachelor? -Correct.
What if he's a real asshole? -We'll see.
Fun Amsterdam organises about 1000 bachelor parties per year.
The groups come from all over the world.
From boat cruises to strippers to having a smurf attached to your wrist.
Drinks? Ready to party?
How do you like the group so far? -We got lucky.
You never know what the group is like until the last minute.
I had a good feeling about this group from the start. As you can see.
They take care of me. I got beer.
Isn't it intense to come here every day?
At first, I drank every day.
It's easy to get caught up with people who are on holiday.
It's easy to lose yourself. That's what I did. I drank every day.
I realised I couldn't do that if I wanted to keep on doing this.
I don't drink during the week now, no matter the circumstances.
Nothing at all? -Nothing.
Even sober, it's better than other jobs. In the weekend I can drink if I want.
I can work while I'm drunk. Many people would envy me.
How do you deal with taking such a loud group to the red light district?
The red light district is an entertainment area.
You can go a bit crazy here, but you have to keep it in check.
When we go through residential areas, I tell everyone to keep it down.
I make jokes about it, but they do understand.
In the red light district, there are many prejudices against such groups...
and how disrespectful they are towards the area at times.
What's your opinion? -They just get carried away.
There's no harm intended, but if there is, I'd say something about it of course.
This is my neighbourhood. They need to respect it.
We're going to Nelly's. We'll stop by later.
John needs to go to the toilet. Are you allowed to be uncuffed then?
Is that the only time you're uncuffed? -That's right.
I got Steve-ed.
The tour is almost over. What's next? -The same thing but with another group.
Tonight? -Again.
You're also going again? -I am and so is Johnny.
You're going to do the whole tour again? -Yes. Get the party started again.
Sometimes it takes a while, but usually we get everyone to go along.
I even got you to go along.
I got Steve-ed. -You got Steve-ed.
No matter how much fun it was, there's much debate about these groups.
Steve thinks the red light district is suitable for this kind of behaviour.
The next group is waiting for him. How did it go tonight?
If I didn't have a booking now, I would've gone partying with them.
Can you understand that people see them as a drunk and noisy nuisance?
If these groups stayed away, half the district would have to close shop.
It creates jobs and it generates money for Amsterdam.
If you decide to live here, you have to expect some noise.
Have you noticed any changes in the red light district?
It's being patronised.
I don't smoke weed, but there used to be ten coffee shops in the Warmoesstraat.
They're all gone now, save two.
The city wants to gentrify the area with restaurants and cheese shops.
That's nice, but it's not the red light district people expect to see.
Some people might, but not my crowd. That's a shame.
What's it going to be like in ten years?
It would be great if the district could stay the way it is now.
Our job is done and now we start over. -You're going to guide another group?
I have to say, your stamina is impressive. -Thank you.
Really. Good luck.
Subtitling: EinionMedia.com