The Netherlands
Nederland1 region
The Netherlands suits a visitor who wants an unusual market and short hops between towns. In Valkenburg two Christmas markets sit inside caves under the town from 13 November 2026, and Maastricht's Vrijthof market is a short train ride away from 27 November. Amsterdam's Christmas Village on Museumplein runs from 3 to 27 December. Dutch children get their presents from Sinterklaas on 5 December, and several of the big markets shut on 27 December, so plan an early trip.
How The Netherlands keeps Christmas
- SinterklaasSinterklaas brings the presents on pakjesavond (present evening), 5 December. The gifts often come disguised as a surprise with a teasing poem attached, and the table fills with chocolate letters, pepernoten and speculaas.
- KerstmanSome Dutch families have moved their gift-giving to Christmas, when the Kerstman (Father Christmas) takes the role.
Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat on the first Saturday after St Martin's Day on 11 November, in a different Dutch port each year, and the national arrival goes out live on television. In the weeks that follow children leave a shoe by the chimney or the radiator, with a carrot or some hay for his horse and a bowl of water, and sing a Sinterklaas song before bed. The next morning they find sweets or a small present.
The figure of Zwarte Piet has divided the country. The traditional Piet was played in blackface, and in 2015 a UN committee said that many people of African descent see him as a vestige of slavery. The national arrival and the NTR's Sinterklaasjournaal have had no Zwarte Pieten since 2019, and most cities and broadcasters now use roetveegpieten (Piets with soot smudges from the chimney). Some towns keep the old figure, and the argument has turned violent at times, with clashes between demonstrators in Staphorst in 2022 and in De Lier in 2023.
Christmas itself has two days in the Netherlands. Eerste kerstdag on 25 December and tweede kerstdag on 26 December are both public holidays. Several of the big markets close soon after, with Magisch Maastricht on the Vrijthof and Amsterdam's Christmas Village on Museumplein both ending on 27 December.
Market in The Netherlands
Town in The Netherlands
Light festival in The Netherlands
Event in The Netherlands
Stay in The Netherlands
Quick answers about The Netherlands
What happens on pakjesavond?
On 5 December Dutch families hand out presents said to come from Sinterklaas and his helpers. Each gift usually comes disguised as a surprise with a teasing poem, and there are chocolate letters and pepernoten on the table.
Is Zwarte Piet still part of Sinterklaas?
The national arrival and the NTR's Sinterklaasjournaal have used no Zwarte Pieten since 2019, and most cities and broadcasters now use roetveegpieten (Piets with soot smudges from the chimney). Some towns still keep the blackface figure, and the debate goes on.
Who brings the presents in The Netherlands?
In The Netherlands, Sinterklaas or Kerstman brings the presents. Sinterklaas brings the presents on pakjesavond (present evening), 5 December. The gifts often come disguised as a surprise with a teasing poem attached, and the table fills with chocolate letters, pepernoten and speculaas.
When do the Christmas markets run in The Netherlands?
In The Netherlands, the cave markets in Valkenburg open first, on 13 November 2026, and run to 30 December, with WinterGlow in the town until 3 January 2027. Magisch Maastricht fills the Vrijthof from 27 November to 27 December, and Amsterdam's Christmas Village on Museumplein runs from 3 to 27 December.