There are holidays of cultural, religious, and historical significance throughout the year in the Netherlands. But when should you officially celebrate? (Or take an extra day off from work to have an extended weekend?) Here’s a full guide to all public, national, and school holidays in the Netherlands for 2026.
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 2026
Whether you’re already looking forward to holidays or 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. So sharpen your pencil and grab your agenda.
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January 1, 2026: New Year’s Day
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April 3, 2026: Good Friday
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April 5, 2026: Easter Sunday
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April 6, 2026: Easter Monday
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April 27, 2026: King’s Day
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May 5, 2026: Liberation Day (Only a public holiday every five years… The next one is in 2030.)
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May 14, 2026: Ascension Day
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May 24, 2026: First day of Pentecost
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May 25, 2026: Second day of Pentecost
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December 25, 2026: Christmas Day
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December 26, 2026: Second Day of Christmas
How to make the most of public holidays in 2026
Living in the Netherlands, and you want to maximise your days off in 2026? That involves taking some strategically planned vacation days. Lucky for you, we’ve done the work. 👇
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Easter weekend: Take April 7–10 (4 vacation days) for a 9-day break from April 4–12.
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Ascension Day: Take May 15 off for a 4-day weekend from May 14–17.
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Pentecost: Take May 22 off for a 4-day weekend from May 22–25.
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Christmas and New Year: Take December 22–24, December 29–31, and January 2 (7 vacation days) for a 16-day break from December 20 to January 4.
Other noteworthy national dates in 2026
Even if they’re not national days off, they’re certainly just as important.
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March 30, 2026: Daylight Saving Time starts (set your clocks forward!).
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April 1, 2026: April Fool’s Day
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May 4, 2026: National Remembrance Day
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May 10, 2026: Mother’s Day
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June 21, 2026: Father’s Day
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July 1, 2026: Keti Koti
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October 25, 2026: Daylight Saving Time ends (set your clocks back!)
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December 5, 2026: Sinterklaas
School holidays in the Netherlands
These dates include primary, secondary, and special education in the Netherlands. (As independent schools set their own 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 holidays 2026 (voorjaarsvakantie, carnavalsvakantie, or krokusvakantie)
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North: February 21 – March 1, 2026
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Central: February 14 – 22, 2026
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South: February 14 – 22, 2026
May holidays 2026 (meivakantie)
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North: April 25 – May 3, 2026
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Central: April 25 – May 3, 2026
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South: April 25 – May 3, 2026
Summer holidays 2026 (zomervakantie)
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North: July 4 – August 16, 2026
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Central: July 18 – August 30, 2026
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South: July 11 – August 23, 2026
Autumn holidays 2026 (herfstvakantie)
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North: October 10 – October 18, 2026
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Central: October 17 – October 25, 2026
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South: October 17 – October 25, 2026
Christmas break 2026-2027
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North: December 19, 2026 – January 3, 2027
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Central: December 19, 2026 – January 3, 2027
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South: December 19, 2026 – January 3, 2027
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!
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… 😉
Thanks for sharing these! I always forget to check. Will confirm with our company schedule and see which ones we actually get. Thanks! John
The summer vacation days listed here do not match those published by the Ministry for Education. Please fix!
Hi Jim,
Thanks for pointing this out. The dates have now been corrected in the article.