Public holidays in the Netherlands

Further information: Carnival in the Netherlands

The national holidays in the Netherlands are:

Date English name Dutch name Notes
1 January New Year's Day Nieuwjaarsdag

[ˈniujaːrzˌdɑx] ⓘ

March or April Good Friday Goede Vrijdag

[ˌɣudəˈvrɛidɑx] ⓘ

This is a national holiday, but not a mandatory paid holiday and a normal workday for most employees.[1] It is a popular day off due to the Easter weekend, especially the combination with Easter Monday.
March or April Easter Pasen

[ˈpaːsə(n)] ⓘ

The Netherlands have a two-day holiday, called Eerste Paasdag on Sunday and Tweede Paasdag on Monday (lit. First Easter Day and Second Easter Day)
27 April King's Day Koningsdag

[ˈkoːnɪŋzˌdɑx] ⓘ

If 27 April falls on a Sunday, King's Day is celebrated on the 26th.
5 May Liberation Day Bevrijdingsdag

[bəˈvrɛidɪŋzˌdɑx] ⓘ

This is a national holiday, but not a mandatory paid holiday for everyone.[2] It is customary for many employers to grant a paid holiday every five years on this day. [3]
40 days after Easter Ascension Day Hemelvaartsdag

[ˈɦeːməlˌvaːrtsˌdɑx] ⓘ

The subsequent Friday is a popular day off for many people, though it is not a paid holiday.[4]
7 weeks after Easter Pentecost Pinksteren

[ˈpɪŋ(k)stərə(n)] ⓘ

A two-day holiday (Sunday and the subsequent Monday), called Eerste Pinkstersdag and Tweede Pinksterdag (lit. First Pentecost Day and Second Pentecost Day)
25–26 December Christmas Day Kerstmis

[ˈkɛrs(t)mɪs] ⓘ

Like Easter and Pentecost, the Netherlands celebrate two days of Christmas, called Eerste Kerstdag and Tweede Kerstdag (lit. First Christmas Day and Second Christmas Day)

While there are other holidays that are widely celebrated, these are not officially recognised national holidays. They are as follows:

  • While Saint Nicholas's Eve (the eve of Sinterklaas, also called Sinterklaasavond or Pakjesavond) on 5 December is not a national holiday, it is widely celebrated. Saint Nicholas's traditional name day is on 6 December; it is however Saint Nicholas's Eve, the day before, which is the focus of celebrations in the Netherlands.
  • In the south and east of the Netherlands, Carnival is celebrated on the three days before Ash Wednesday. The earliest possible date is on 1 February, the latest possible date is 9 March. Though not an official holiday, many people, particularly in the south, take the week off to celebrate. Schools in both regions schedule their spring holiday at the same time.[5]
  • There has been some debate over whether the Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr (Suikerfeest in Dutch, lit. 'Sugar festival') should be a national holiday. This was met by opposition from right-wing political parties such as the PVV and SGP. For now, Eid ul-Fitr is not an official national holiday, but it usually justifies a day off for Islamic employees. Those opposed to this proposition say that there are enough national holidays as it is. Schools are still able to give additional days off for this purpose.[5]
  1. ^ Is Goede Vrijdag een vrije dag? in Dutch, on rijksoverheid.nl
  2. ^ Is Bevrijdingsdag (5 mei) een vrije dag? in Dutch, on rijksoverheid.nl
  3. ^ "Public holidays in the Netherlands".
  4. ^ Is Hemelvaartsdag een vrije dag? in Dutch, on rijksoverheid.nl
  5. ^ a b On which public holidays are schools closed in the Netherlands? Rijksoverheid (Dutch government)