School Holidays In The Netherlands 2026-2027 (exact Dates)

This article presents the school holidays in the Netherlands for 2026-2027. It’s important to note that the school year schedule is determined regionally and is subject to change. In addition to school holidays, we’ve also provided a list of public holidays during which educational institutions in the Netherlands will be closed in 2026 and 2027.

Table of Contents

School holidays in the Netherlands 2026 (second half of the 2025/2026 school year)

Below are the 2026 school holidays in the Netherlands, which apply to the 2025/2026 school year. Further down the article, you’ll find the schedule for the 2026/2027 school year.

Northern region

Christmas holidays 2025-2026 – from Saturday, December 20, 2025, to Sunday, January 4, 2026.
Spring Break is from Saturday, February 21, to Sunday, March 1, 2026.
May holidays run from Saturday, April 25, to Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Summer holidays 2026 are from Saturday, July 4, to Sunday, August 16, 2026.

Central region

Christmas holidays 2025-2026 – from Saturday, December 20, 2025, to Sunday, January 4, 2026.
Spring Break is from Saturday, February 14, to Sunday, February 22, 2026.
May holidays run from Saturday, April 25, to Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Summer holidays 2026 – from Saturday, July 18 to Sunday, August 30, 2026.

Southern region

Christmas holidays 2025-2026 – from Saturday, December 20, 2025, to Sunday, January 4, 2026.
Spring Break is from Saturday, February 14, to Sunday, February 22, 2026.
May holidays run from Saturday, April 25, to Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Summer holidays 2026 – from Saturday, July 11 to Sunday, August 23, 2026.

School holidays in the Netherlands 2026-2027

In this section, we publish the officially approved school holidays in the Netherlands for 2026-2027. Please note that the dates for spring and autumn holidays are advisory. The May school holidays may also be extended by one week.

Northern region

Summer holidays 2026 are from Saturday, July 4, to Sunday, August 16, 2026.
Autumn break – from Saturday, October 10, to Sunday, October 18, 2026.
Christmas holidays 2026-2027 – from Saturday, December 19, 2026, to Sunday, January 3, 2027.
Spring Break is from Saturday, February 20, to Sunday, February 28, 2027.
May holidays run from Saturday, April 24, to Sunday, May 3, 2027.
Summer holidays 2027 – from Saturday, July 10 to Sunday, August 22, 2027.

Central region

Summer holidays 2026 – from Saturday, July 18 to Sunday, August 30, 2026.
Autumn break – from Saturday, October 17, to Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Christmas holidays 2026-2027 – from Saturday, December 19, 2026, to Sunday, January 3, 2027.
Spring Break is from Saturday, February 20, to Sunday, February 28, 2027.
May holidays run from Saturday, April 24 to Sunday, May 2, 2027.
Summer holidays 2027 are from Saturday, July 17 to Sunday, August 29, 2027.

Southern region

Summer holidays 2026 – from Saturday, July 11 to Sunday, August 23, 2026.
Autumn break – from Saturday, October 17, to Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Christmas holidays 2026-2027 – from Saturday, December 19, 2026, to Sunday, January 3, 2027.
Spring Break is from Saturday, February 13, to Sunday, February 21, 2027.
May holidays run from Saturday, April 24 to Sunday, May 2, 2027.
Summer holidays 2027 are from Saturday, July 24 to Sunday, September 5, 2027.

Possible changes to the school year schedule

Schools have the right to extend the May holidays by a week; for this purpose, the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science recommends the period from April 18 to 26, 2026. To find out the exact dates, please consult the school’s handbook or website.

School boards can independently change the dates of fall and spring breaks without seeking approval from the Ministry. For example, they can reschedule spring break to coincide with Carnival celebrations. However, for the 2026-2027 academic year, the recommended spring break dates for the Southern Region and Carnival are not the same. If a school decides to change the dates, it must obtain approval from the participation board and include this in the school plan before the summer preceding the relevant academic year.

Schools may provide days off during religious holidays that are not official public holidays. This exemption applies to all students, not just those observing the holiday or fulfilling religious obligations. Examples include days off on Good Friday or Eid al-Fitr.

In certain cases, a student may be excused from school for one day to fulfill obligations related to their religion or beliefs. This is called an exemption from compulsory school attendance due to “obligations related to religion or beliefs.”

Public holidays in the Netherlands in 2026 and 2027

IMPORTANT! Below are lists of public holidays in the Netherlands. There are 11 such days each year, but not all of them are mandatory days off. Good Friday is not a day off, so students must attend school.

Public holidays in the Netherlands in 2026

January 1, 2026, Thursday – New Year.
April 3, 2026, Friday – Good Friday.
Sunday, April 5, 2026 – Easter Sunday.
Monday, April 6, 2026 – Easter Monday.
Monday, April 27, 2026 – King’s Day.
May 5, 2026, Tuesday – Liberation Day.
May 14, 2026, Thursday – Ascension Day.
May 24, 2026, Sunday – Trinity.
May 25, 2026, Monday – Monday after Trinity.
December 25, 2026, Friday – Christmas (first day).
December 26, 2026, Saturday – Christmas (second day).

Public holidays in the Netherlands in 2027

January 1, 2027, Friday – New Year.
March 26, 2027, Friday – Good Friday.
March 28, 2027, Sunday – Easter Sunday.
Monday, March 29, 2027 – Easter Monday.
Tuesday, April 27, 2027 – King’s Day.
May 5, 2027, Wednesday – Liberation Day.
May 6, 2027, Thursday – Ascension Day.
May 16, 2027, Sunday – Trinity.
May 17, 2027, Monday – Monday after Trinity.
December 25, 2027, Saturday – Christmas (first day).
December 26, 2027, Sunday – Christmas (second day).

The division of the Netherlands into Northern, Central and Southern regions

The administrative and territorial structure of the Netherlands is constantly changing. Between 2000 and 2025, the number of municipalities decreased from 537 to 342. However, the boundaries of the Northern, Central, and Southern regions remained unchanged. To ensure complete information about school holidays in the Netherlands in 2025-2026, we will describe the territories within them:

Northern region

Province of Drenthe – All municipalities.
Province of Flevoland – All municipalities except Zeewolde.
Province of Friesland – All municipalities.
Province of Gelderland — Municipality of Hattem.
Province of Groningen – All municipalities.
Province of North Holland – All municipalities.
Province of Overijssel – All municipalities.
Province of Utrecht – Municipality of Emnes and the area that was formerly the municipality of Abkoude.

Territories of the Netherlands that are part of the North region.

Central region

Province of Flevoland – Municipality of Zeewolde.
Province of Gelderland – Municipalities of Aalten, Apeldoorn, Barneveld, Berkelland, Bronkhorst, Brummen, Buren, Culemborg, Doetinchem, Ede, Elburg, Epe, Ermelo, Harderwijk, Heerde, Lochem, Montverland (except what used to be the municipality of Diedam), Neder-Betuwe (except what used to be the municipality of Dodewaard), Nijkerk, Nunspeet, Oldebroek, East Gelre, Oude IJsselstreek, Putten, Scherpenzeel, Tiel, Vorst, Wageningen, West Betuwe, Winterswijk and Zutphen.
Province of North Brabant – Municipality of Altena (except the centres of Hank and Dussen).
Province of Utrecht – All municipalities except Emnes and the area that was formerly the municipality of Abkoude.
Province of South Holland – All municipalities.

Territories of the Netherlands that are part of the Centre region.

Southern region

Province of Gelderland – Municipalities of Arnhem, Berg-en-Dal, Böningen, Dusburg, Druten, Duiven, Heumen, Neder-Betuve (only what used to be the municipality of Dodewaard), Lingevaard, Maasdriel, Montferland (only what used to be the municipality of Diemweden, Overmegen), Renkum, Reden, Rosendahl, Rheinwaarden, Westervoort, West Meuse Waal, Weichen, Saltbommel and Seevenaar.
Province of Limburg – All municipalities.
Province of North Brabant – All municipalities except Woudrichem and the centres of Sleeuwijk, Nieuwendijk and Werkendam in the municipality of Altena.
Province of Zeeland – All municipalities.

Territories of the Netherlands that are part of the South region.

Useful links

In this post, we covered the topic of school holidays in the Netherlands in 2026-2027. We provided the exact start and end dates for the Christmas, spring, May, summer, and fall holidays. We also explained which holidays most educational institutions in the Netherlands are closed on. Don’t forget to share this post with your friends!