What’s on

Events in the Netherlands

Runs, markets, food festivals, family days out, record fairs, culture and festivals worth leaving the house for. Filter by type, or subscribe at the bottom of the list to add them all to your own calendar.

Gouda bij Kaarslicht 2026

Gouda switches off the electric lights and glows by candlelight for one magical evening in December.
Canal reflecting lights at night in a town

Gouda bij Kaarslicht is one of the loveliest winter traditions in the country. On the second Friday of December, the historic centre of the cheese city puts its faith in candles: thousands of them light up the windows around the Markt, and a giant Christmas tree is lit in front of the Gothic town hall.

There is a full-day programme for all ages, and the highlight is the tree ceremony at 19:00, with carols and a big crowd. The 2026 programme may be adjusted because of renovation work on the town hall.

  • When: Friday 11 December 2026, with the tree ceremony at 19:00
  • Where: Historic centre of Gouda, around the Markt
  • Tickets: Free
  • Getting there: Direct trains run to Gouda from Utrecht, Rotterdam and Den Haag; the Markt is a 10-minute walk from the station

Good to know: Get there well before 19:00 for a good spot near the tree, and wrap up warm.

More Christmas markets: Best Christmas markets in the Netherlands 2026.

More chaos you might enjoy

People walking through an art museum gallery

The Bull at the Mauritshuis

A spring exhibition at the Mauritshuis on our age-old fascination with the bull, home of Paulus Potter's famous painting.…
Read the rest
Visitor looking at a painting in a museum

Drawing! at the Rijksmuseum

More than 100 drawings by Goltzius, De Gheyn and their circle reveal a revolution in Dutch drawing around 1600.…
Read the rest
Person looking at paintings in a grand hall

Hals and Rembrandt at the Frans Hals Museum

The first exhibition devoted to Frans Hals and Rembrandt side by side, with nineteen paintings in Haarlem.…
Read the rest
Gallery room filled with paintings

Masters from Madrid at the Mauritshuis

Twenty-five masterpieces from Madrid, including Van Eyck and El Greco, visit the Mauritshuis in a one-off exchange.…
Read the rest
Visitor in front of paintings

Willem de Kooning at Work at the Rijksmuseum

A major Willem de Kooning retrospective at the Rijksmuseum, with his famous Woman paintings in the Gallery of Honour.…
Read the rest
People in front of a painting

Yoshitoshi. Master of the Moon at the Van Gogh Museum

Yoshitoshi's moonlit woodblock series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon on show at the Van Gogh Museum for the first time.…
Read the rest