Netherlands public holidays 2026 — official paid days off

Thursday, January 1

New Year’s Day is the first day of the calendar year, celebrated after a night of fireworks, oliebollen and apple beignets. Almost all Dutch employees have the day off; shops, banks and government offices are closed. Many municipalities host a Nieuwjaarsduik (New Year’s swim) in the sea — the Scheveningen plunge with its iconic orange Unox hats is the largest. Many people spend the day quietly with family, brunch, a long walk, or watching the traditional New Year’s Concert from Vienna on TV.

Friday, April 3

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ and is one of the eleven official Dutch holidays — but not a statutory paid day off. Banks, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and postal services close; central government and most private employers operate normally. Whether you have the day off depends entirely on your CAO (Collective Labour Agreement) or employment contract. Some sector CAOs (especially education and finance) grant Good Friday off as standard; others do not. It is traditionally a quiet, sober day for Christians, with evening services in Protestant and Catholic churches.

Sunday, April 5

Easter Sunday is the central Christian holiday of the year, marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because it always falls on a Sunday, even non-religious Dutch families celebrate elaborately. The traditional Easter brunch — with painted eggs, raisin buns, Easter bread, hard-boiled eggs and sweet rolls — is followed by an egg hunt in the garden for children. Many families decorate an Easter branch with coloured eggs, and Protestant and Catholic churches hold festive morning services. Most shops are closed except in tourist areas. For many, Easter is the first real spring festival of the year, coinciding with the bloom of the bulb fields around Lisse.

Monday, April 6

Easter Monday is a paid day off for almost everyone (universal across Dutch CAOs). The combination of Good Friday, the Easter weekend and this Monday produces a 4-day Easter weekend in 2026. A distinctly Dutch tradition is a trip to a meubelboulevard (furniture mall) or home-improvement fair — Easter Monday is one of the busiest shopping days for furnishings. Others head to a market, a nature reserve (the Veluwe, Hoge Veluwe or Oostvaardersplassen are popular), or the Keukenhof tulip gardens. For some schools the May break begins after this day.

Monday, April 27

King’s Day celebrates the birthday of King Willem-Alexander (born 27 April 1967). It has become one of the most recognisable Dutch holidays — a day when the entire country turns orange. Streets and parks fill with vrijmarkt (free-market) stalls where anyone — children especially — may sell second-hand goods, homemade cakes or used toys. In Amsterdam an armada of boats with loud music sails through the canals; Utrecht and The Hague host major orange parties. The royal family visits a different municipality each year. If 27 April falls on a Sunday, King’s Day shifts to Saturday 26 April. In 2026 it falls on Monday — no shift — creating a long orange weekend from Saturday 25 to Monday 27 April.

Tuesday, May 5

Liberation Day on 5 May commemorates the end of German occupation of the Netherlands in 1945. Liberation Festivals run across the country with live music, food trucks and political debates — the National Celebration moves to a different city each year. For most workers, however, 5 May is a paid day off only every five years (lustrum years: 2020, 2025, 2030) — 2026 is not a lustrum year, so most people work that Tuesday. Since 2024 the municipal-sector CAO grants 5 May as a paid holiday every year, as do the banking and automotive CAOs. Workers in other sectors must check their own CAO. The Dutch flag may be flown at full mast on 5 May.

Thursday, May 14

Ascension Day commemorates the ascension of Christ and always falls on a Thursday — exactly 39 days after Easter Sunday. For many employees this means a long weekend, since many employers grant the following Friday off or staff take a brugdag (bridge day). Many schools also close on the bridge day, turning Ascension into a 4-day mini weekend. It is a popular day for hiking, cycling through the bulb region or a short camping trip. Religious families often attend morning services. The day is sometimes called "Father’s Day" in old liturgical traditions but is not the formal Dutch Vaderdag (third Sunday of June).

Sunday, May 24

Pentecost (Pinksteren) always falls on a Sunday — 49 days after Easter — and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. It is one of the major Christian holidays and is considered the birthday of the Church. The long Pentecost weekend is popular for short breaks: many families go camping, visit a music festival, or head to the eastern provinces for Pinksterdrie festivals. Pinkpop in Landgraaf (Limburg), with more than 60,000 visitors per day, is the best-known Dutch festival, traditionally featuring a mix of Dutch and international acts. Protestant churches hold festive morning services decorated with greenery.

Monday, May 25

Whit Monday is a paid day off for almost everyone (universal across all Dutch CAOs). Like Easter Monday, the day is traditionally used for family visits, gardening, day trips and — typically Dutch — a trip to a furniture boulevard or garden centre. Garden centres and home boulevards see their busiest day of the year on Whit Monday. It is also a popular day for a polder bike ride, a visit to the Hoge Veluwe, or the first beach walk of the season. Many people extend the Pentecost weekend with a Tuesday off for a 4-day weekend.

Friday, December 25

Christmas Day is traditionally spent with immediate family around an elaborate Christmas dinner. In many Dutch households gourmetten — small electric grills on the table where everyone cooks their own meat and vegetables — is the standard, or steenoven (stone-oven) cooking. The Christmas dinner is typically a 3- or 4-course menu with fish, meat or vegetarian main course, followed by a festive dessert (chocolate cream cake, Bûche de Noël). Almost all shops and businesses are closed. Religious families attend the Christmas Eve service or Christmas morning service. In 2026 Christmas Day falls on a Friday — perfect for a long Christmas weekend.

Saturday, December 26

Boxing Day (Tweede Kerstdag) is a distinctively Dutch tradition (shared with Germany, Denmark and Belgium): a second full-status holiday on 26 December. Many families use the day for extended-family visits — to grandparents, uncles and aunts — often with a second elaborate Christmas dinner or a leftover lunch. Restaurants are open and almost fully booked. Shops may legally open on Boxing Day, but most stay closed. For the sporty, traditional Christmas runs are held in many cities. In 2026 Boxing Day falls on a Saturday — which unfortunately means full-time workers do not gain an extra weekday off, but they do get a long weekend from Friday to Sunday.

Saturday, February 14

Valentine’s Day in the Netherlands is a popular day for couples to celebrate their love with red roses, chocolate, romantic dinners and small gifts. Florists and restaurants experience their busiest day of the year — flower auctioneers at Aalsmeer work overtime. Unlike in the US, in the Netherlands it is mainly a commercial tradition, not a school festival. Not an official holiday or flag day.

Sunday, February 15

Carnaval is a multi-day folk festival in North Brabant and Limburg that begins on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and ends Tuesday evening. In the south of the Netherlands — Den Bosch, Maastricht, Eindhoven, Tilburg, Roosendaal, Bergen op Zoom — there are parades with floats, costumes and locally elected Prinsen Carnaval. Brabant’s Bourgundian style is open-spirited, while Limburg’s Rhinelandic style is more organised. Schools and many businesses effectively close for three days, even though it is not officially a free day. In the Randstad and the north, Carnaval is barely visible.

Tuesday, February 17

Vastenavond is the last day of Carnaval — the evening before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. In Brabant and Limburg this day closes the Carnaval weekend with the final parades and parties in the carnival cellars. In some places, "Carnaval is buried" at midnight with a symbolic ash-strewing ceremony. Lent begins the next day. Officially not a free day.

Wednesday, February 18

Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Catholic Lenten period — 40 days of reflection before Easter. In Catholic churches (especially in Brabant and Limburg) believers receive an ash cross on the forehead as a symbol of mortality. For modern Dutch people it is often a "fitness resolution day": many people start a diet on this day, or join the IkPas alcohol-free 40-day initiative. Not a free day.

Thursday, April 2

Maundy Thursday is the first of the three holy days before Easter (Triduum) and commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. In Catholic and some Protestant churches the Eucharist is celebrated. The Dutch name "Witte Donderdag" refers to the white robes traditionally worn. Not an official free day, but an important day for many churchgoers.

Saturday, April 4

Holy Saturday is the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday — Jesus in the tomb, before the resurrection. In Christian tradition it is a day of mourning and reflection; Protestant and Catholic churches hold Easter Vigil services in the late evening, often with the first proclamation "Christ is risen". For many Dutch people it is simply the Saturday of the long Easter weekend, used for shopping, preparations for Easter brunch, and family visits.

Monday, May 4

On 4 May at 8:00 PM the entire Netherlands observes two minutes of silence to commemorate victims of World War II (1940-1945) and all later conflicts and peace operations involving Dutch military personnel. For two minutes, public transport halts, radio and TV pause broadcasting, football and sports matches are interrupted. King Willem-Alexander lays a wreath on the National Monument on Dam Square in Amsterdam, followed by a national speech. The flag flies at half-mast from 6:00 PM to sunset. In municipalities throughout the Netherlands there are also local commemorations at war memorials and military cemeteries.

Sunday, May 10

Mother’s Day in the Netherlands falls on the second Sunday of May, following the American pattern (not the British Mothering Sunday in March). Flowers — especially roses and freesias — breakfast in bed, handmade gifts from children and restaurant visits are standard. Florists and restaurants see their second-busiest day of the year (after Valentine’s Day). It is tradition for primary-school children to make crafts — often a hand puppet, a tile or a poem.

Sunday, June 21

Father’s Day falls on the third Sunday of June and is celebrated more modestly than Mother’s Day. Primary-school crafts, tools, a nice bottle of beer or wine and breakfast in bed are popular gifts. Unlike Denmark (where Father’s Day is on Constitution Day) or the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands follows the American pattern — third Sunday of June.

Tuesday, September 15

On Prinsjesdag (third Tuesday of September), King Willem-Alexander officially opens the parliamentary year. In a festive procession he rides in the Glass Coach from Noordeinde Palace to the Ridderzaal in The Hague, accompanied by a military honour guard. There he delivers the Troonrede (Speech from the Throne) — the government’s policy plan for the coming year, written by the cabinet but read by the King. The Minister of Finance then presents the budget memorandum in the Lower House. The Queen traditionally wears a special hat; the royal family appears on the balcony of Noordeinde Palace. Not a free day, but a major national tradition since 1814.

Saturday, October 31

Halloween is a relatively recent American import that gains ground every year in the Netherlands, mainly among children and in urban areas. Trick-or-treating is not yet fully mainstream as in the US, but Halloween parties at primary schools, pumpkin decoration, costume parties in cities and Halloween-themed escape rooms are. The Efteling theme park hosts an annual "Efteling Halloween Week" in October, and supermarkets sell large quantities of pumpkins and Halloween candy. In the Catholic tradition it is also All Hallows’ Eve.

Wednesday, November 11

On Saint Martin’s Day, children — mainly in the north of the Netherlands (Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe), eastern Netherlands and parts of the Randstad — walk door-to-door in the evening with handmade lanterns, sing Saint Martin songs and receive sweets, mandarins or fruit. The tradition is much older than Halloween — Saint Martin of Tours lived in the 4th century. In Brabant and Limburg, Saint Martin’s Day is barely celebrated. In Utrecht (where Saint Martin is the city’s patron saint) there are extra large parades with big paper lanterns.

Saturday, December 5

Pakjesavond is the main gift-giving night for many Dutch families — often celebrated more elaborately than Christmas itself. In the evening, children receive presents from Sinterklaas, who has come down from the roof with his Pieten (Pieter helpers) — having arrived around 16-17 November on the Stoomboot from Spain (the "Pakjesboot 12"). Adults exchange surprises (handmade themed packages with a hidden surprise) accompanied by self-written rhyming poems with a personal note or joke. Pepernoten, kruidnoten, taaitaai, marzipan and chocolate letters are the standard sweets. Sinterklaas departs again for Spain on 6 December. In 2026 Saint Nicholas Eve falls on a Saturday — perfect for an extended family evening.

Thursday, January 1

Friday, April 3

Sunday, April 5

Monday, April 6

Monday, April 27

Tuesday, May 5

Thursday, May 14

Sunday, May 24

Monday, May 25

Friday, December 25

Saturday, December 26