Bank Holidays
| 2021 | 2022 | ||
| New Year’s Day | 1-January: Thursday | 1-January: Wednesday | Nieuwjaar |
| Good Friday | 29-March | 18-April | Goede Vridag |
| Easter Monday | 1-April | 21-April | Pasen |
| King’s Day* | 30-April: Tuesday | 26-April: Saturday | Koninginnedag |
| Liberation Day** | 5-May: Sunday | 5-May: Monday | Bevrijdingsdag |
| Ascension Day | 9-May: Thursday | 16-May: Friday | Hemelvaartsdag |
| Sinterklaas (not official public holiday) |
5-December: Thursday | 5-December: Friday | Sinterklaas |
| Christmas Day | 25-December: Wednesday | 25-December: Thursday | Kerstmis/Eerste Kerstdag |
| Boxing Day | 26-December: Thursday | 26-December: Friday | Tweede Kerstdag |
New Year’s Day (Nieuwjaar) – Like in many places around the world, you will find a great celebration taking place to welcome in the New Year, beginning on the Eve of the 31st, and continuing into New Year’s Day. Generally, most businesses are closed, though a few stay open to cater to the celebration that will be going on all around, inside and outside in the city.
Good Friday (Goede Vrijdag) – On Good Friday, many businesses will stay open, while schools and governmental organizations will close.
Easter Monday (Pasen) – In the Netherlands, Easter is celebrated on Sunday, as well as on the following Monday, which is the second day of Easter.
Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag) – This holiday commemorates the liberation of the Dutch that took place after WWI.
**It is a public holiday every five years, though it is a festive event every year. The next time it will be an official bank holiday will be in 2025.
Ascension Day (Hemelvaartsdag) – This public holiday is celebrated 40 days after Easter.
Whit Monday/ Pentecost Monday/ (Pinksteren) – This holiday takes place seven weeks after the second day of Easter (Easter Monday). Just like both days of Easter are public holidays for the Dutch, both days that follow the holiday are treated as such.
Christmas Day (Eerste Kerstdag) and the second day of Christmas (Tweede Kerstdag) – In the Netherlands, Christmas day and the second day of Christmas are considered bank – or public – holidays, and this means that schools and governmental institutions are also closed. However, you might be surprised by how many other businesses remain open during these holidays, which is due to the fact that many Dutch families actually celebrate Sinterklaas (Dec 5 & 6 – not an official bank holiday–for more information, see the section “Specific Events”) in a way that is comparable to how many other people are accustomed to experiencing Christmas.
