Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in the Netherlands

Festivities on Dam Square, Amsterdam
Historical costumes brighten Amsterdam's squares on big national holidays, such as King's Day (April 27).
  • Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the festival dates on the festival's website or with a local tourist information office. For more information about these and other events, visit the official tourism site for the Netherlands.
  • This list includes major festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout the Netherlands. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays — keep it in mind when planning your itinerary. Note that this isn't a complete list; holidays can strike without warning.
  • See upcoming holidays and festivals across Europe

2024

October 30–November 2:  Crossing Border Festival, The Hague (books, music, spoken word; much of it in English)

November 2:  Museum Night Amsterdam

November 13–24:  International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

November 17:  Sinterklaas Procession, Amsterdam (when Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet arrive from Spain)

November 28–January 19, 2025:  Amsterdam Light Festival

December 5:  St. Nicholas' Eve (Sinterklaasavond, when Dutch children get their presents from Sinterklaas)

December 25:  Christmas (Kerstmis; closures)

December 26:  "Second Day" of Christmas (Tweede Kerstdag; closures)

2025

January 1:  New Year's Day (closures; icewater swims across the Netherlands, most notably in Scheveningen)

Through January 19:  Amsterdam Light Festival

January 18:  National Tulip Day, Amsterdam (official start of tulip season; tulips fill Dam Square and are free for the picking in the afternoon)

January 23–26:  Jumping Amsterdam (international equestrian competition)

February–March:  Carnival (Mardi Gras) celebrations in various towns, mostly in the south

March 20–May 11:  Keukenhof flower show, near Lisse (huge gardens in bloom)

April 9–13:  Bloemencorso (25-mile flower parade from Noordwijk to Haarlem)

April 12–13:  Rotterdam Marathon

April 20 & 21:  Easter Sunday and Monday (closures)

April 26:  King's Day (observed) (Koningsdag, King Willem-Alexander's birthday; party in the streets of Amsterdam and elsewhere)

April 30–May 4:  KunstRAI Art Amsterdam (contemporary-art exhibition)

May 4:  Remembrance of WWII Dead (Dodenherdenking; laying of wreaths and two-minute silence)

May 5:  Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag; closures; Liberation Festival in Amsterdam with live music)

May 29:  Ascension (closures)

June:  Holland Arts Festival, Amsterdam (concerts, theater, etc.)

June 8 & 9:  Pentecost and Whit Monday (closures)

June 20:  Grachtenloop run around canals, Haarlem

June 20–22:  Pinkpop, near Maastricht (rock festival)

June 22 (likely):  Amsterdam Roots Festival (ethnic food, music, world culture)

July 11–13:  North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam

July 25–26:  Rotterdam Unlimited (street festival with live performances)

July 26–August 3:  Amsterdam Pride

July 26–August 10:  De Parade Theatre Festival, Amsterdam (outdoor theater with some "language no problem" performances for non-Dutch speakers); also held earlier in the year in four other Dutch cities

August 1–9 (likely):  Pluk de Nacht Utrecht (outdoor film festival on the site of an old harbor)

Two weekends in August (iffy):  HALO International Fireworks Festival, Scheveningen

August 14–16:  Haarlem Jazz & More (free jazz festival on Grote Markt)

August 15:  Assumption (closures)

August 15–24:  Grachtenfestival (music and festivities on Prinsengracht barges, Amsterdam)

August 20–24:  SAIL Amsterdam (historic ships sail into the city; performances and concerts)

August 20–30 (likely):  Pluk de Nacht Amsterdam (outdoor film festival on the site of an old harbor)

September 2–3 (likely):  Jordaan Festival, Amsterdam (neighborhood street party)

September (first week):  Flower parade on canals, from Aalsmeer to Amsterdam

September 13–14 (likely):  Open Monumentendag (normally closed historical sites open and free to the public)

October 1–2:  Yom Kippur (some closures of Jewish-history sights, including Anne Frank House and Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam)

October 19:  Amsterdam Marathon

October 22–26:  Amsterdam Dance Event (electronic music)

October 29–November 1 (likely):  Crossing Border Festival, The Hague (books, music, spoken word; much of it in English)

November 1 (likely):  Museum Night Amsterdam

November 12–23 (likely):  International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

November 16 (likely):  Sinterklaas Procession, Amsterdam (when Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet arrive from Spain)

November 27–January 18, 2026 (likely):  Amsterdam Light Festival

December 5:  St. Nicholas' Eve (Sinterklaasavond, when Dutch children get their presents from Sinterklaas)

December 25:  Christmas (Kerstmis; closures)

December 26:  "Second Day" of Christmas (Tweede Kerstdag; closures)