Other : The Lara Festival
The annual 'Over IJ Festival' held in Amsterdam took on a Tomb Raider theme. It ran from 23rd June to the 3rd July 1999. There were many events - such as a dance group, some Lara line dancing, comedy and even some special foods. Here is some information taken from the official IJ Festival website, the 'Official Lara Croft Magazine' and The Croft Times.

The Scene
​The venue was made to look like a rusty shipyard with cranes, rusty machines and pigeons - made to look like a scene from Tomb Raider 2. A replica of Lara's Norton Streetfighter bike was hung from the ceiling above the restaurant area.

Food
Starter
Watermelon with serrano ham
Beans on toast
Spicy Thai salad with shrimps

Main course
Shanghai duck with stir-fried bok choy and egg noodles
Baked salmon with rosti and herb
salad Dutch asparagus with chervil, new potatoes and beurre blanc

Dessert
Waffle with strawberries and whipped cream
Various cheeses

~ menu posted on the website and it may have changed at the festival ~

Events & Things To Do
- PlayStation booths to play Tomb Raider 3, individually and competively.

​- A mosaic on the floor of Lara wearing a halo - 6m x 6metres

- Projections of the Tomb Raider games on every wall.

- T-shirts and posters were available for fans to take home.

- Stand-up comedy presented by Sanne Wallis de Vries

- Lara in Glass - Arno Coenen, René Bosma, Sander Snijper and others created a large 6x6 metres mosaic from glass chips, which was showcased in the NDSM hall.

- 24th June & 1st July - Lara Line Dancing - "On the two Thursday evenings, the audience can learn Lara's typical motor skills, led by dancers (including Massimo Molinari and Tim Persent) from dance group Krisztina de Châtel and a few experienced DJs. This is done in a modern interpretation of another all-embracing phenomenon: line dancing. The movements, seen in the performance and Tomb Raider, are put into practice here."

- 25th & 26th June & 2nd & 3rd July - Dance event - "Interactive cyber dancing is all about modern people. On Friday and Saturday evenings, this is possible in the foyer, after the performance. Of course Lara will also leave her mark on this. VJs and DJs from the video collective Captain Video provide a swinging commentary on the virtual phenomenon with music and images."

- Saturday night 26th June - A Lara look-a-like competition was held. The contestants not only dressed like Lara but also had to take part in a quiz and test their weapon skills by shooting at balloons. It was hosted by Albert Kampermann of The Dutch Croft Times website and the jury included a dancer from de Châtel, Dutch comedienne Adelheid Roosen and a volunteer out of the audience. The winner was given the title 'Ms Croft Holland 1999'. Two winners were chosen: 11 year old Sanne de Vries and 14 year old Geert Woets, both from Belgium, and they both received the prize of a Lara statue and were interviewed by Dutch Television and national newspapers.

- 27th & 28th June - LOMO - "The Lomo camera is a new international phenomenon, which is particularly popular with young people. The Lomo photographer ignores all existing laws of photography and is distinguished by out of focus shots and color distortions. Lomo and Lara combine to create a bold and irresistible combination of cool perfection and raw imperfection. Where Lara experiences adventures in the most beautiful, artificial worlds, Lomo gives an unusual picture of the grim everyday reality. During the festival, visitors can record their own Lara on Lomo every day. It's not about who most resembles Lara, but who has the same unshakable charisma and sheer strength. The lomos are exhibited during the festival in the form of lomo plates and slides."

- 27th & 28th June - A Lara Croft dance, by dance company Krisztina de Châtel, which had premiered a year prior, in 1998. The performance showed a kid playing a Tomb Raider game, which was projected on a screen (11 x 25 meters in size), but he was unaware that he was also controlling the actions of the dancers. "What they do is determined by the level or the game stage at which he logs in". 

- Tuesday 29th June - The video artists of Captain Video showed how some people were fans of Lara, and they juxtapose Lara with other female heroines from the film and advertising world.
Sources:
  • web.archive.org/web/20010420095543/http://www.cubeit.com:80/ctimes/news/199907/news0428.html
  • web.archive.org/web/20000819111003/http://www.ijfestival.nl/1999/
  • The Official Lara Croft Magazine