Public holidays in the Netherlands 2022-2026

Almost half of the Dutch population belongs to Christianity, so it is not surprising that the Dutch calendar is also largely made up of Christian holidays.

Typical Dutch holidays also belong to the calendar year, in which there is usually a lot of celebrating. In terms of numbers, there are very few holidays in the Netherlands, which are also laid down by law. And even on these days, depending on the region, the shops are sometimes even open.

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Non-movable holidays

Non-statutory holidays are written in gray.

date	holiday	Local name
Jan, 1st	New Years Day	Nieuwjaarsdag
Apr, 27th	King's Day	Koningsdag
Apr, 30th	Queen's Day	Koninginnedag
May, 4th	Remembrance of the dead	Nationale Dodenherdenking
May, 5th	Liberation Day	Bevrijdingsdag
Jul, 11th	Flemish Community Day	Feestdag van Vlaanderen
Oct, 2nd	Groninger relief (Groningen only)	Gronings Ontzet
Nov, 11th	St. Martin's Day (regional only)	Sint Maarten
Dec, 5th	Santa Claus Eve	Sinterklaasavond
Dec, 6th	Santa Claus	Sinterklaas
Dec, 24th	Christmas Eve	Kerstavond
Dec, 25th	Christmas Day	Eerste Kerstdag
Dec, 26th	Christmas Day 2	Tweede Kerstdag
Dec, 31st	New Year's Eve	Oudejaarsdag

Moving Holidays in the Netherlands

holiday	Local name	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Mardi Gras	Vastenavond	Mar, 1st	Feb, 21st	Feb, 13th	Mar, 4th	Feb, 17th
Ash Wednesday	As woensdag	Mar, 2nd	Feb, 22nd	Feb, 14th	Mar, 5th	Feb, 18th
Good Friday	Goede Vrijdag	Apr, 15th	Apr, 7th	Mar, 29th	Apr, 18th	Apr, 3rd
Easter Sunday	Eerste Paasdag	Apr, 17th	Apr, 9th	Mar, 31st	Apr, 20th	Apr, 5th
Easter Monday	Tweede Paasdag	Apr, 18th	Apr, 10th	Apr, 1st	Apr, 21st	Apr, 6th
Mother's Day	Moederdag	May, 8th	May, 14th	May, 12th	May, 11th	May, 10th
Ascension of Christ	Hemelvaartsdag	May, 26th	May, 18th	May, 9th	May, 29th	May, 14th
Pentecost Sunday	Eerste Pinksterdag	Jun, 5th	May, 28th	May, 19th	Jun, 8th	May, 24th
Pentecost Monday	Tweede Pinksterdag	Jun, 6th	May, 29th	May, 20th	Jun, 9th	May, 25th
Father's Day	Vaderdag	Jun, 19th	Jun, 18th	Jun, 16th	Jun, 15th	Jun, 21st
Prince's Day	Prinsjesdag	Sep, 20th	Sep, 19th	Sep, 17th	Sep, 16th	Sep, 15th

Royal festivities

Probably the most important festival of the Dutch is the King's Day on 27 April. To ensure that it really remains a free holiday, the holiday is simply brought forward to 26 April if necessary, should it fall on a Sunday. Everyone in the country wears orange on that day. The evening before, there is a free pop concert for the population in The Hague. Since 2019 the royal family no longer lives in The Hague, but now in Amsterdam. Perhaps this festival will also move there in the coming years.

The Queen and the Princes also have their own holiday. Neither of them is legally established and therefore no days off from work. On Prince's Day, the third Tuesday in September, the entire royal family with their golden carriage and richly decorated entourage drives to the Knights' Hall in The Hague. There the King reads out the speech from the throne, which is politically significant in that it contains the guidelines for the coming year.

Typically Dutch

Often unknown in other countries, there are several customs that make the Netherlands special. For example, the new year begins on 1 January, but with a jump in the deep end. New Year dives are very popular here.

On 4 May, the day of national mourning, people "remember" - but they do not just mourn. Instead, concerts and festivals take place in several cities. And the first catch of herring is celebrated in Scheveningen in June as Flag Day ("Vlaggetjesdag") with a big street festival.

Sinterklaas and Kerstman

The custom of giving gifts at Christmas is a little different than in many countries. Christmas is also a celebration of the family, but much more important is Santa Claus ("Sinterklaas"), which is celebrated on the evening of December 5th. So the presents are also already distributed at Sinterklaas. In fact, by the way, it was really St. Nicholas of Myra in the 4th century A.D. to whom this custom goes back. It only lost its significance with the Reformation and was replaced over the centuries by the Christ Child or Santa Claus.

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