Throughout the year, there are holidays of cultural, religious and historical significance in the Netherlands — but when should you officially celebrate? No worries, we’ve got the full guide to all public, national, and school holidays in the Netherlands for 2023. 📆
So, get ready to jot some of these dates down in your calendar — you surely don’t want to miss King’s Day in the Netherlands or have your mom remind you about Mother’s Day. 😅
Public holidays in the Netherlands in 2023
Whether you’re already looking forward to holidays or you are trying to find out when you can get a day off work, we’ve compiled a list of official holidays in the Netherlands for this year. Relax, sit back, sharpen your pencil, and grab your agenda.
- January 1, 2023: New Year’s Day
- April 7, 2023: Good Friday
- April 9, 2023: Easter Sunday
- April 10, 2023: Easter Monday
- May 5, 2023: Liberation Day
- May 18, 2023: Ascension Day
- May 28, 2023: First day of Pentecost
- May 29, 2023: Second day of Pentecost
- December 25, 2023: Christmas day
- December 26, 2023: Second day of Christmas
Other noteworthy national dates
Even if they’re not national days off, they’re certainly just as important.
- March 26, 2023: Daylight saving time begins — remember to set your clocks forward by one hour. ⏰
- April 1, 2023: April Fools Day 🃏
- May 4, 2023: National Remembrance Day
- May 8, 2023: Mother’s Day (very important)
- June 19, 2023: Father’s Day (just as important as Mother’s day!)
- July 1, 2023: Keti Koti
- October 30, 2023: Daylight Savings Time ends — time to set your clocks back one hour.
- December 5, 2023: Sinterklaas
School holidays in the Netherlands
These dates include primary, secondary, and special education — independent schools set their own personal dates.
READ MORE | Going camping with kids: the ultimate Dutch holiday guide
When it comes to school holidays in the Netherlands, it’s key to remember that the holidays are generally divided into three regions (North, Middle, and South), so that the whole country doesn’t go on holiday in the same week.
Spring holiday 2023 (voorjaarsvakantie, carnavalsvakantie, or krokusvakantie)
- North: February 25 – March 5, 2023
- Central: February 25 – March 5, 2023
- South: February 18 – February 26, 2023
May holidays 2023 (meivakantie)
- North: April 29 – May 7, 2023
- Central: April 29 – May 7, 2023
- South: April 29 – May 7, 2023
Summer holidays 2023
- North: July 22 – September 3, 2023
- Central: July 8 – August 20, 2023
- South: July 15 – August 27, 2023
Autumn holidays 2023 (herfstvakantie)
- North: October 21 – 29, 2023
- Central: October 14 – 22, 2023
- South: October 14 – 22, 2023
Christmas break 2023-2024
- North: December 23, 2023 – January 7, 2024
- Central: December 23, 2023 – January 7, 2024
- South: December 23, 2023 – January 7, 2024
Note: the above dates come from the Ministry for Education, but individual schools may have slight deviations. We advise double-checking dates with your school before booking any tickets!
What will you be doing over this year’s holidays? Letting the kids escape, or escaping the kids? Tell us in the comments below!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in January 2021, and was fully updated in March 2023 for your reading pleasure.
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You’ve forgotten to inform that Dutch companies decide on which public holidays will be non-working. The list above doesn’t apply to everyone, it’s different per company. Also, number of Dutch holidays compared to other countries, Austria with 15, Germany with 14 non-working days… 😉