Nothing clears a New Year’s Eve head like the North Sea in January. The Nieuwjaarsduik (New Year’s Dive) is a proper Dutch tradition: at noon on 1 January, thousands of people in matching orange Unox beanies charge into water of around 5 degrees, scream, and charge straight back out again. Scheveningen hosts the biggest and most famous one.
For South Africans used to a braai on the beach at New Year, it is a rather different way to see in the year, but it is weirdly joyful and you will have a story for life.
- When: Friday 1 January 2027. Registration opens at 10:30, warm-up at about 11:45, and the dive is at 12:00
- Where: Scheveningen beach by the Pier (Scheveningen Bad), Den Haag
- Tickets: €4 per diver, paid on site by card or cash; no advance booking. Everyone gets an Unox hat
- Getting there: train to Den Haag Centraal, then tram to Scheveningen. Parking is very limited.
Good to know: bring a towel, a warm robe and dry clothes that are easy to pull on. Lockers can be rented at the APCOA car park on Nieuwe Parklaan. The dive can be called off in storms.
Planning your year? See everything on the events calendar.
