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

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

Through January 21:  Amsterdam Light Festival

January 20:  National Tulip Day, Amsterdam (official start of tulip season; tulips fill Dam Square and are free for the picking in the afternoon)

January 25–28:  Jumping Amsterdam (international equestrian competition)

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

March 21–May 12:  Keukenhof flower show, near Lisse (huge gardens in bloom)

March 27–April 1:  KunstRAI Art Amsterdam (contemporary-art exhibition)

March 31 & April 1:  Easter Sunday and Monday (closures)

April 13–14:  Rotterdam Marathon

April 17–21:  Bloemencorso (25-mile flower parade from Noordwijk to Haarlem)

April 27:  King's Day (Koningsdag, King Willem-Alexander's birthday; party in the streets of Amsterdam and elsewhere)

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 9:  Ascension (closures)

May 19 & 20:  Pentecost and Whit Monday (closures)

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

June 13–16:  Festival Classique, Scheveningen

June 21:  Grachtenloop run around canals, Haarlem

June 21–23:  Pinkpop, near Maastricht (rock festival)

June 23 (likely):  Amsterdam Roots Festival (ethnic food, music, world culture)

July 12–14:  North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam

July 23–27:  Rotterdam Unlimited (street festival with live performances)

July 27–August 4:  Amsterdam Pride

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

August 2–10:  Pluk de Nacht Utrecht (outdoor film festival on the site of an old harbor)

August 14–18 (likely):  Haarlem Jazz & More (free jazz festival on Grote Markt)

August 15:  Assumption (closures)

August 16–September 1:  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 21–31:  Pluk de Nacht Amsterdam (outdoor film festival on the site of an old harbor)

August 23–September 1:  Grachtenfestival (music and festivities on Prinsengracht barges, Amsterdam)

August 29–31:  Jazz in the Canal (Jazz in de Gracht), The Hague

September 27–28 (likely):  Jordaan Festival, Amsterdam (neighborhood street party)

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

September 7–8 (likely):  Open Monumentendag (normally closed historical sites open and free to the public)

September 24–25:  Yom Kippur (some closures of Jewish-history sights, including Anne Frank House and Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam)

October 16–20:  Amsterdam Dance Event (electronic music)

October 20:  Amsterdam Marathon

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

November 28–January 19, 2025 (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)