Carnaval 2025
We all know the famous images of the colourful celebration of Carnival in Brazil. In the Netherlands we also celebrate Carnival in summer as in Rotterdam for example. But our main Carnival celebration or most commonly known as “Carnaval” in Dutch, takes place during the cold winter! Most commonly celebrated in the southern regions of the Netherlands, Carnaval stands for the most creative costumes, parades, 'hossen' a typical Dutch carnaval dance, lots of drinks and crazy Dutch music. Be sure to join a group of Dutchies and don't miss out on these celebrations!
Celebrations
Carnaval is a Catholic celebration that takes place six weeks before Easter Sunday. Carnaval officially begins on Sunday and lasts three days. In 2025, Carnaval starts on Sunday 2 March. Nowadays the holiday might have lost some of the more traditional religious elements, but originally carnival marked the beginning of Lent - the 40-day fasting period ahead of Easter which kicks off on Ash Wednesday. The holiday is mainly celebrated in the south of the country, but also in some Eastern parts of The Netherlands. Here, normal life comes to a near stop, because everyone dresses up in a costume and goes to party. The three-day festival involves a reversal of social norms where revellers wear costumes, cities temporarily change their names, a Prince of Carnival is chosen, and daily life is put on hold to make way for parties!
Dutch carnival traditions
Dutch Carnival knows a lot of old traditions. The carnival celebrations start after the mayor symbolically hands over the key to the city to Prince Carnival. For three days, Prince Carnival controls the city.
The highlight of the carnaval festivities is the Carnaval Parade, in which a tour of large floats organised by local carnival associations pokes fun at established authorities and social conventions. Each city has its own parade designed by local associations and volunteers.
A bit like during Halloween, carnaval in the Netherlands is THE occasion to dress up, there are no themes or whatsoever so let your creativity flow!
Where to go
If you would love to join carnival, you should try going to the bigger cities in Limburg and Noord-Brabant. These cities are being transformed in true carnival cities, including different names. Five great options are:
- Den Bosch (during carnival called Oeteldonk)
- Maastricht (during carnival called Meesrech)
- Eindhoven (during carnival called Lampegat)
- Breda (during carnival called Kielegat)
- Tilburg (during carnival called Kruikenstad)
Sadly - but perhaps unsurprisingly for anyone familiar with Dutch Public Holidays, carnaval is not a holiday in the Netherlands. Some companies located in the provinces known for their carnaval celebrations (most notably North Brabant and Limburg) might be generous enough to give their employees a day or two off, but carnival is not a national public holiday.