Dutch Public Holidays and Traditions: An Expat's Calendar for 2026 and 2027

New to the Netherlands? Words with a dotted line have a short explanation. Tap or click them.

A public holiday is a special day in the calendar, like Christmas or New Year's Day, when many people don't work. The Netherlands has fewer public holidays than most European countries. And here is a surprise for many newcomers: a holiday in the calendar doesn't automatically mean you get the day off work. At the same time, some days matter much more to the Dutch than any official list shows. On King's Day the whole country wears orange. On the evening of 4 May the whole country goes silent. And for children, Sinterklaas is a bigger party than Christmas. This guide lists the public holidays for 2026 and 2027, explains your rights at work, and walks you through the traditions and everyday customs you will meet in your first year.

Dutch public holidays in 2026 and 2027

In some countries, like the UK or Belgium, a holiday on a weekend moves to a weekday. Not in the Netherlands. So in 2027, Christmas gives you no extra days off at all. King's Day is the only exception: when 27 April is a Sunday, it moves to Saturday 26 April. Many people take the Friday after Ascension Day off to make a long weekend, so offices are often quiet then.

Do you get public holidays off?

Dutch law doesn't say your employer must give you the day off, or pay you extra when you work on a public holiday. What you get is written in your work contract, your company's staff handbook, or the collective agreement (cao) for your type of work. In practice:

• Most office workers are free on New Year's Day, Easter Monday, King's Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday and both Christmas days.
• Good Friday is a normal working day for most people.
• Liberation Day is a day off every year in more and more cao's, but many only give it every five years (2025, 2030). In 2030, 5 May is a Sunday.
• Shops, restaurants, hospitals and public transport often work on public holidays. Many cao's then pay extra, or give you another day off instead.

Public holidays don't come out of your normal holiday days. By law, you get at least four times your weekly working hours as paid holiday each year. That is 20 days for a full-time job. Many employers give 25 days or more. You also get at least 8% extra pay as holiday allowanceIn Dutch: vakantiegeld. Extra pay of at least 8% of your yearly salary, usually paid once a year in May. (vakantiegeld), usually paid in May. Our payslip guide shows where you'll see it.

Shops, transport and services

Supermarkets and most shops are open on Easter Monday, King's Day, Ascension Day and Whit Monday, often for shorter hours. On Christmas Day and New Year's Day, most shops are closed. On 24 and 31 December they close early, usually around 16:00 to 18:00. Trains and buses run their Sunday timetable on public holidays. Government offices, banks and family doctors are closed. But there is always an emergency doctor service for evenings and holidays (huisartsenpostThe out-of-hours doctor service. Call them when your own family doctor is closed and you can't wait until the next working day.). Read more in our guide to GPs (family doctors) in the Netherlands.

Traditions through the year

Carnival (February or March)

In the Catholic south, especially the provinces of Limburg and Noord-Brabant, Carnival (carnaval) is the biggest party of the year. It's four days of costumes, parades and brass bands before LentThe 40 days before Easter, when many Christians traditionally eat less or give something up.. In 2027 it runs from Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February. Some cities even change their name for those days: Den Bosch becomes Oeteldonk and Breda becomes Kielegat. In the north of the country you'll hardly notice it. It isn't an official holiday, but in the south many people take the days off.

King's Day (27 April)

King's Day celebrates the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. Everyone wears orange, the colour of the royal family. Cities fill with street parties and boats full of people on the canals. The whole country turns into one big flea market (vrijmarkt): anyone can sell old things on the street without a permit. Children sell old toys and play music for coins. The evening before, King's Night (Koningsnacht), has concerts and parties, especially in The Hague and Utrecht. Amsterdam is extremely crowded, so if you live there, plan your cycling and shopping around it.

Remembrance Day and Liberation Day (4 and 5 May)

On 4 May (Dodenherdenking), the Netherlands remembers the people who died in the Second World War and in later wars. At 20:00, the whole country is silent for two minutes: trains stop, traffic stops, and people stop talking in the street, in restaurants and at home. Flags hang halfway down the pole from 18:00 until sunset. It isn't a holiday, but people expect you to join the silence, and they appreciate it. On 5 May, the mood changes to celebration: the day the country was freed in 1945 is celebrated with liberation festivals (Bevrijdingsfestivals) in every province.

Keti Koti (1 July)

Keti Koti means "broken chains" in Sranan Tongo, a language of Suriname. It marks the end of slavery in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean in 1863. There is a national ceremony in Amsterdam's Oosterpark, followed by festivals. It isn't an official public holiday, but some employers and towns give the day off.

Prinsjesdag (third Tuesday of September)

On Prinsjesdag, the King reads out the government's plans for the next year in The Hague and rides through the city in a golden coach pulled by horses. For expats, it matters mainly because this is the day when next year's changes to taxes, allowances and benefits are announced. In 2027 it is on Tuesday 21 September.

Sint Maarten (11 November)

On the evening of 11 November, children go from door to door with home-made lanterns, sing songs and get sweets or fruit. This happens especially in Utrecht, the north and parts of Limburg. Keep some treats ready if you live in a neighbourhood with many families.

Sinterklaas (mid-November to 5 December)

Sinterklaas is an old bishop with a long white beard and a red cape. According to the story, he arrives by steamboat from Spain in mid-November. His arrival is shown live on national TV. In the weeks after, children put a shoe by the door or the chimney. The next morning they find small gifts and sweets in it, such as pepernoten (small spiced biscuits) and chocolate letters. The main party is present evening (pakjesavond) on 5 December. Adults often draw names in their family or at work, buy one present each, and add a funny poem (gedicht) that gently teases the person who gets it. Sometimes the present is hidden inside a big home-made creation called a surprise. You may also hear people talk about Sinterklaas's helpers. The old helper "Zwarte Piet" had a black-painted face, which many people saw as racist. He has now mostly been replaced by helpers with just a few smudges of chimney soot on their faces (roetveegpieten).

Christmas (25 and 26 December)

Christmas is quieter and is more about family and food than presents, because many families already gave presents at Sinterklaas. Two days off means two family visits, often one with each side of the family. A popular Christmas dinner is gourmetten: everyone cooks small pieces of meat and vegetables on a little grill in the middle of the table. Many employers give their staff a Christmas box with food and gifts (kerstpakket), or a gift card, in December.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day

On New Year's Eve (Oud en Nieuw), people eat oliebollen: balls of fried dough with powdered sugar, sold from street stalls all December. Many watch a comedy show on TV (oudejaarsconference). Until recently, Dutch people also set off huge amounts of fireworks themselves. That has changed. Since 1 August 2026, people may no longer set off, buy or own fireworks, except small ones such as sparklers (called F1 fireworks). Bringing fireworks from Belgium or Germany is a crime. Instead, many towns organise a professional fireworks show. On 1 January, thousands of people run into the icy North Sea for a New Year's swim, the Nieuwjaarsduik. The most famous one is at Scheveningen.

Birthdays: the Dutch circle party

Dutch birthdays have their own rules, and they surprise almost every expat:

• The circle party (kringverjaardag): guests sit in a circle in the living room. They drink coffee with a slice of cake, and later have beer, wine and snacks such as cheese cubes and sausage.
• Congratulate everyone: when you arrive, shake hands with every guest and congratulate them too. For example: "congratulations on your sister's birthday" (gefeliciteerd met je zus).
• Bring your own cake to work: on your birthday, you treat your colleagues, not the other way around.
• The birthday calendar (verjaardagskalender) often hangs in the toilet, so nobody forgets a date.
• Big birthdays: when someone turns 50, friends may put a big doll of a man with a beard (Abraham) or an old woman (Sarah) in front of their house.

Everyday customs worth knowing

• Plan ahead: Dutch people live by their agenda. Friends often plan dinners and visits weeks ahead. Visiting someone without asking first is unusual.
• Directness: Dutch colleagues say what they think, including criticism. They mean it to be honest and save time, not to be rude. It's fine to be direct back.
• Splitting the bill: paying for your own part is normal, even on a date. Friends often send a payment request through an app such as TikkieA popular Dutch app for sending payment requests. You tap the link and pay with your bank app. afterwards.
• Early dinner: most families eat around 18:00, and lunch is often a quick sandwich at your desk.
• Greetings: a handshake for people you meet for the first time. Friends and family often greet each other with three kisses on the cheek: left, right, left.
• Friday drinks (vrijdagmiddagborrel): many workplaces end the week with drinks and snacks. Joining is a good way to get to know your colleagues.

Your first-year calendar checklist

1. Check your contract or cao to see which public holidays you get off, and whether 5 May is one of them.
2. Buy something orange before King's Day, and plan around the crowds if you live in a big city.
3. Write down 4 May at 20:00 for the two minutes of silence.
4. Look up your region's school holidays before you book any trips with children.
5. Have treats ready for Sint Maarten, and ask colleagues if your team does a Sinterklaas present draw.
6. Leave fireworks out of your New Year's Eve plans, and look up your town's fireworks show instead.

Official sources and useful links

• Rijksoverheid: school holidays by region (Dutch)
• Rijksoverheid: the national fireworks ban (Dutch)
• Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei: Remembrance Day and Liberation Day
• Rijksoverheid: holiday days and holiday allowance (Dutch)

This is general information. Whether you get a public holiday off, and what you are paid when you work on one, depends on your work contract and collective agreement. Local customs are also different in each region.