Top 5: Festivals in The Netherlands

Check out these traditional festivals and celebrate like the locals in the Netherlands

Nieuwjaarsduik (New Year’s Day Dive)
Blast away your New Year’s Eve hangover by taking a refreshing dip at one of the 209 dive locations across the country. If you want to celebrate with a whole crowd, swim in the North Sea at the Hague, where around 60,000 people go each year.

Opening of Keukenhof Gardens
The huge flower gardens at Keukenhof open each year some time in March and it’s definitely a date to put in your diary. There are around 8 million flowers on display, spread across 32 hectares.

King’s Day
This annual festival is held in honor of King Willem-Alexander, king since 2013. There are huge street parties wherever you go, and the country fills with stalls and special street performances.

Holland Festival
This cultural bonanza spreads across the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht at the end of May, with a program of music, theater, film, opera and dance.

Scheveningen International Fireworks Festival
Each year in August the seaside town of Scheveningen hosts a four-day festival of fireworks, which you can watch from one of the charming beachfront cafés.