Below you’ll find the biggest annual Netherlands festivals and parades taking place in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and elsewhere in Holland.
NOTE: The next date each festival will be held is included in the listing below…
| FESTIVAL | CITY | NEXT EDITION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUROSONIC NOORDERSLAG | Groningen | Jan 2026 | This Groningen music festival in northern Netherlands showcases emerging Dutch and European talents. |
| INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM | Rotterdam | Feb 2026 | This Rotterdam festival is one of the largest film festivals in the world and takes place over 12 days at several venues. The IFFR includes feature films, documentaries, shorts and media art. |
| UTRECHT INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL | Utrecht | Feb-Mar 2026 | This Utrecht comedy festival has grown significantly since its founding in 2012 and is now quite international. The TivoliVredenburg theater in the city center is the main event venue. |
| KEUKENHOF | Lisse | Mar-May 2026 | The Keukenhof tulip park in South Holland is only open for 2 months annually (mid-March to mid-May) but receives over 1 million visitors. Besides the beautiful outdoor gardens, there are flower exhibitions in two indoor pavilions. |
| MOVIES THAT MATTER | The Hague | Mar 2026 | The Hague film festival focuses on human rights films showcasing issues like race, religion, sexual orientation, culture and ethnicity. |
| BOLLENSTREEK FLOWER PARADE | Bulb Region | Apr 2026 | A parade of colorful flower-decorated floats through the Bulb & Dune region. The 40-km route begins in Noordwijk and ends in Haarlem, where the floats are on display the following day (Sunday) throughout the city center. |
| PAASPOP | Schijndel | Apr 2026 | A 3-day Dutch music festival over the long Easter weekend. The festival site (near Den Bosch) includes multiple stages, fun fair and camping area. |
| THE LIFE I LIVE | The Hague | 26 Apr 2026 | King’s Night music festival with multiple stages located throughout The Hague city center, each featuring a different genre of music. This year (2025), King’s Night is Friday 25th April. |
| KING’S DAY | Netherlands | 27 Apr 2026 | King Willem-Alexander’s birthday is 27 April and festivals across the country celebrate the occasion. Since this year the 27th falls on a Sunday, King’s Day will be celebrated on Saturday the 26th April. Each year on King’s Day, the Royal family visits a different Dutch city. This year it will be Doetinchem. |
| KRALINGSE BOS FESTIVAL | Rotterdam | 27 Apr 2026 | The Kralingse Bos music festival is held every year on King’s Day by the lake in Rotterdam’s Kralingse forest. |
| SPRING FUN FAIRS | Delft Haarlem The Hague Hilversum Rotterdam | Apr 2026 Apr 2026 Apr 2026 Apr 2026 Apr 2026 | Many Dutch cities organize spring fun fairs (‘kermis’) that can last from a few days to a few weeks. They usually overlap King’s Day (and sometimes Easter if it falls late that year). |
| LIBERATION DAY | Amsterdam Haarlem The Hague Rotterdam | 05 May 2026 | 14 official festivals celebrate the day in May 1945 when the Netherlands was liberated from German occupation. One festival in each of 12 provinces plus one in Amsterdam and The Hague. |
| NATIONAL WINDMILL DAY | All Cities | May 2026 | Windmills across the Netherlands open their doors to visitors on ‘Nationale Molensdag’ (National Windmill Day). |
| O. FESTIVAL | Rotterdam | May 2026 | The O. Festival (formerly named ‘Operadagen’) showcases the opera music genre and features live performances often in unusual locations around the Rotterdam city center. |
| NORTH SEA REGATTA | The Hague | May-June 2026 | Sailing races in and around Scheveningen harbour and on the North Sea. |
| DAKENDAGEN | Rotterdam | May-June 2026 | During the ‘Rooftop Days’ festival you can visit the rooves of select Rotterdam buildings to see new green energy technology in use, great views of the city skyline and even popup restaurants and live entertainment. |
| INTENTS FESTIVAL | Oisterwijk | May 2026 | This large Netherlands dance festival celebrates its 20th edition in 2024. It takes place in Tilburg (North Brabant). |
| AMSTERDAM OPEN AIR FESTIVAL | Amsterdam | June 2026 | Amsterdam Open Air is a 2-day electronic music and visual arts festival takes place in Gaasperpark (near the Planetarium) in the Zuid-Oost district. |
| DAY OF THE CASTLE | Netherlands | June 2026 | The ‘Dag van het Kasteel’ takes place each year on Whit Monday and is a celebration of the historic castles and country homes in Netherlands. Each year has a different theme. Historic buildings and gardens open to public. |
| HOLLAND FESTIVAL | Amsterdam | June 2026 | The largest performing arts festival in the Netherlands. It runs 3 weeks with musical, dance and circus performances at locations throughout Amsterdam. |
| HOLLAND INTERNATIONAL BLUES FESTIVAL | Grolloo | June 2026 | HBF is a newer Dutch music festival in the north of the Netherlands (near Assen) dedicated to the blues genre. 2025 headliners include Bonnie Raitt and Melissa Etheridge. |
| PINKPOP | Landgraff | June 2026 | PinkPop is one of the oldest and most successful music festivals in the world. The event originally took place on Pinksteren (Pentecost) weekend. 2025 acts include Justin Timberlake, Olivia Rodrigo, Muse, The Last Dinner Party and Cypress Hill. |
| VLAGGETJESDAG (FLAG DAY) SCHEVENINGEN | The Hague | June 2026 | Vlaggetjesdag celebrates the season’s first catch of herring (Hollandse Nieuwe). The Scheveningen event is the biggest with lots of fish, boat excursions, marching bands and maritime demonstrations. 2022 was the 75th edition. |
| VARENDCORSO WESTLAND | Rijnland Westland Delfland | June 2026 | The VarendCorso Westland (Floating Parade) takes place over 3 days with boats ornately decorated with flowers and vegetables grown in the Westland region. Each day a different route is followed: Friday – Rijnland, Saturday – Westland, Sunday – Delftland. |
| SPOORPARK LIVE | Tilburg | June 2026 | A week-long music festival in Tilburg’s Spoorpark (city center). 2025 performers include Bryan Adams and Nile Rogers & Chic. |
| CONCERT AT SEA | Brouwersdam | June 2026 | This 3-day music festival takes place on the Brouwersdam (between South Holland and Zeeland). It features Dutch and international artists. Past performers have included Alannis Morrisette, Lenny Kravitz, Passenger and Sting. |
| ROZE ZATERDAG | Noordwijk | June 2026 | Roze Zaterdag (Pink Saturday) is the oldest pride event in the Netherlands, dating back to the late 1970’s. This LGBTQIA+ festival takes place at the end of June (Pride Month) in a different Dutch city each year. It will be held in Noordwijk in 2026. |
| LAKEN FEESTEN | Leiden | July 2026 | This annual 3-day festival celebrates Leiden’s industrial history as a major cloth-producing center. Activities include dragon boat races, fancy boat parade, fun fair and live music performances on outdoor stages around the city. |
| DE PARADE | Rotterdam The Hague Amsterdam Utrecht | June 2026 July 2026 Aug 2026 Aug 2026 | De Parade is a travelling outdoor theater festival that visits the Netherlands largest cities each summer, staying approximately 3 weeks at each locations. Live musical, dance and circus performances take place in big top tents while food and drinks are available on multiple outdoor terraces. |
| NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL | Rotterdam | July 2026 | The world’s largest indoor music festival takes over 3 days in July in Rotterdam. Over 150 performances on 15 stages. 2025 acts include Mary J. Blige, Maxwell, Ezra Collective, Lady Blackbird, The Sacred Souls and Jacob Collier. |
| BOSPOP | Weert | July 2026 | Pop/Rock music festival over 3 days with Dutch and international acts. 2025 acts include Melissa Etheridge, Simple Minds, Roxette, Snow Patrol and Train. |
| WERFPOP | Leiden | July 2026 | A 1-day Leiden music festival founded in 1982. It takes place in the Leidse Hout and attracts over 22,000 visitors, making it the biggest music festival in the region. |
| TILBURG FAIR | Tilburg | July 2026 | The Tilburg Kermis (Fair) runs for 10 days and is one of the biggest annual summer events in the south of the Netherlands. |
| ROSE MAANDAG | Tilburg | July 2026 | The ‘Pink Monday’ festival takes place at the Tilburg Fair and celebrates LGBT diversity. |
| ROTTERDAM UNLIMITED | Rotterdam | July 2026 | RotterdamUnlimited celebrates the city’s wide cultural diversity. Two of the biggest events within the festival are the ‘Battle of the Drums’ and the Caribbean-flavored ‘Summer Carnaval’ street parade. |
| DELFT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL | Delft | July 2026 | This 10-day classical music festival takes place at various locations in and around the Delft city center with the Prinsenhof Museum as the main venue. |
| MILKSHAKE FESTIVAL | Amsterdam | July 2026 | This colorful Amsterdam dance and electronic music festival is all about love and acceptance. It draws thousands and takes place in the Westerpark with rides to boot. |
| AMSTERDAM PRIDE | Amsterdam | Aug 2026 | Amsterdam Pride, celebrating the LGBTQ community, is one of the largest festivals in the Netherlands and one of the largest gay events in the world. Amsterdam Pride takes place over 7 days with the premiere event being the canal boat parade which takes place on the second to last day (Saturday). |
| NORTH SEA SUMMER FESTIVAL | Katwijk | Aug 2026 | This week-long beach festival in the coastal town of Katwijk aan Zee (near Leiden) includes music, water sport competitions, demonstrations and workshops for all ages. |
| SNEEKWEEK FESTIVAL | Sneek | Aug 2026 | Sneekweek is the largest inland waterway sailing regatta in Europe and takes place on the Sneekermeer lake in Friesland (northern part of the Netherlands). The accompanying festival includes live music performances, a fun fair and fun watersport activities. |
| BLIJDORP FESTIVAL | Rotterdam | Aug 2026 | The Blijdorp Festival is a 1-day festival combining ‘art, music and happiness’. It takes place in the Roel Langerakpark located in Rotterdam’s Noord district. |
| LOWLANDS FESTIVAL | Biddinghuizen | Aug 2026 | A Camping Flight to Lowlands Paradise festival has been around for over 30 years and attracts approximately 55,000 attendees. The focus is music but also offers standup comedy, cinema, circus and dance performances. The Dutch version of Britain’s Glastonbury. |
| NOORDERZON FESTIVAL | Groningen | Aug 2026 | A summer performing arts festival combining theater, dance, music and literature with social commentary and interaction. It attracts around 135,000 visitors and takes place in Groningen’s Noorderplantsoen city park. |
| GRACHTEN FESTIVAL | Amsterdam | Aug 2026 | The Grachtenfestival (Canals Festival) has been taking place for over 25 years. It includes 200+ concerts in Amsterdam over 10 days. |
| SAIL AMSTERDAM | Amsterdam | Aug 2030 | The SAIL festival celebrates tall ships of the past and takes place once every 5 years. Over 600 historic antique tall ships moor in Amsterdam’s IJ harbor. 2025 is the first edition in 10 years (2020 was cancelled due to Covid) and coincides with Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary. SAIL is Europe’s largest public maritime event. |
| JAZZ IN THE CANAL | The Hague | Aug 2026 | Live jazz music performances on boats passing along The Hague’s city center canal ring. |
| REDHEAD DAYS | Tilburg | Aug 2026 | This festival celebrates the uniqueness of redheads and is for those who have red hair, their families, friends and all others who appreciate redheads. |
| WORLD PORT DAYS | Rotterdam | Sept 2026 | World Port Days celebrates the key role the Port of Rotterdam has played in the city’s history, development and on-going culture. Activities take place in and around the harbour including maritime demonstrations, ship tours, port excursions and the Saturday night fireworks presentation. |
| SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL | The Hague | Sept 2026 | The Spotlight Festival replaced the Uit Festival, but the focus remains the same… the upcoming year’s (Fall ’25-Spring ’26) cultural offering by music, dance and theater organizations in The Hague. |
| EMBASSY FESTIVAL | The Hague | Sept 2026 | The festival celebrates the diversity of national foods, music, dance and culture with embassy tents along the Lange Voorhout in The Hague. |
| ZUNDERT FLOWER PARADE | Zundert | Sept 2026 | The biggest flower parade in the world with over 8 million dahlias used to decorate the floats. The parade route is 5km and there are events in the days leading up such as visiting tents where the floats are being constructed. |
| MOOI WEER SPELEN | Delft | Sept 2026 | A circus arts and street performer festival that takes place in Delft’s Poptapark. |
| HERITAGE DAYS | All Cities | 13-14 Sept 2025 | Held on the second weekend of September, Heritage Days (also called Open Monumentendag in the Netherlands) is a celebration of Dutch heritage. Buildings and monuments across the country not usually accessible to the public, open their doors to visitors. |
| PRINSJESDAG PARADE | The Hague | 16 Sept 2025 | On Prinsjesdag, the King gives a ‘speech from the throne’ to Parliament asking them to work together to achieve its major goals during the new session. A grand parade takes place to lead the King from Noordeinde Palace to the Binnenhof and back. |
| NEDERLANDS FILM FESTIVAL | Utrecht | 26 Sept-03 Oct 2025 | The week-long Nederlands Film Festival celebrates Dutch film, television and interactive production. A special program for English-speakers has been developed. The festival presents awards for best movie, director and student film and the nominated works are screened. |
| 3OCTOBER | Leiden | 03 Oct 2025 | This festival celebrates the day (03 October 1574) when the Spanish army’s months-long siege of Leiden was finally broken. The festival includes food, music, fun fairs, parade and a remembrance service for the thousands that died from starvation during the siege. |
| LEIDEN INTL FILM FESTIVAL | Leiden | 09-19 Oct 2025 | The 10-day LIFF film festival includes both mainstream and art house movies, feature length and short films. It has become one the Netherlands biggest film festivals in recent years. |
| AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT | Amsterdam | 22-26 Oct 2025 | The 4-day ADE electronic music festival in Amsterdam includes over 1000 events taking place at 200 different venues. |
| DE BETOVERING FESTIVAL | The Hague | Oct 2025 | De Betovering (‘The Enchantment’) festival in The Hague is a children’s arts festival which takes place during Herfsvakantie (the Autumn school break). Over 500 performances and workshops across multiple venues. |
| GLOW EINDHOVEN | Eindhoven | Nov 2025 | Started in 2006, this annual week-long light festival in Eindhoven features illuminated artworks and installations by international and local artists. |
| INTOCHT SINTERKLAAS | All Cities | Nov 2025 | The arrival of Sinterklaas is a major event each November, with every city celebrating with their own arrival festival. Most are on the third Saturday in November with the remainder on the third Sunday or fourth Saturday. Sinterklaas arrives by boat and then travels to the city/town center on horseback in a fun parade. |
| AMSTERDAM LIGHT FESTIVAL | Amsterdam | Dec 2025- Jan 2026 | The Amsterdam Light Festival features illuminated artworks on and over the city’s historic canals. |
| NIGHT OF LIGHTS | Delft | Dec 2025 | The Night of Lights festival takes place on Markt square in the Delft city center and features musical performances, market and lighting of the Delft Christmas tree. |
| GOUDA BY CANDLELIGHT | Gouda | Dec 2025 | The ‘Gouda by Candlelight’ event culminates with the lighting of the city Christmas tree on a dark Markt square, lit only by hundreds of candles in the windows of the Gothic town hall and surrounding shops. A festive celebration. |
| NYE NATIONAL FIREWORKS | Rotterdam | 31 Dec 2025 | This New Year’s Eve festival takes place around the Rotterdam harbour and finishes with a breathtaking fireworks show over the Maas river which is broadcast throughout the Netherlands. |
More Netherlands Events…