Last updated: 24 September 2026. We will keep adding dates as festivals announce them.
The Netherlands might be small, but it punches way above its weight when it comes to music festivals. From techno in a forest to rock in a Limburg valley and jazz in Rotterdam, there is a festival for every taste almost every weekend from Easter to the end of summer. If you grew up on Oppikoppi or Rocking the Daisies, you are going to be very happy here.
This is our calendar of the big Dutch music festivals in 2027, with every date that has been officially announced so far. Many festivals announce next year’s dates at the end of this year’s edition, and tickets for the biggest ones sell out fast, so it pays to plan early.
Short answer: Confirmed 2027 dates so far include DGTL Amsterdam and Paaspop (26 to 28 March), Best Kept Secret (11 to 13 June), Pinkpop (18 to 20 June), Defqon.1 (24 to 27 June), Down The Rabbit Hole (2 to 4 July), Awakenings and North Sea Jazz (9 to 11 July), Zwarte Cross (15 to 18 July), Lowlands (20 to 22 August) and the return of Mysteryland (27 to 29 August).
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Dutch music festivals 2027: the calendar
| Dates 2027 | Festival | Where | Music |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 to 28 March | DGTL Amsterdam | NDSM, Amsterdam | Electronic |
| 26 to 28 March | Paaspop | Schijndel | Pop, rock, hip hop, everything |
| 5 May | Bevrijdingspop Haarlem | Haarlemmerhout, Haarlem | Pop and rock, free |
| 11 to 13 June | Best Kept Secret | Beekse Bergen, Hilvarenbeek | Indie and alternative |
| 18 to 20 June | Pinkpop | Landgraaf | Rock and pop |
| 24 to 27 June | Defqon.1 | Biddinghuizen | Hardstyle |
| 2 to 4 July | Down The Rabbit Hole | Beuningen | Alternative, pop, hip hop |
| 9 to 11 July | Awakenings Festival | Hilvarenbeek | Techno |
| 9 to 11 July | North Sea Jazz | Ahoy, Rotterdam | Jazz, soul, funk, hip hop |
| 15 to 18 July | Zwarte Cross | Lichtenvoorde | Rock, motocross and chaos |
| TBA (usually late July or early August) | Dekmantel | Amsterdamse Bos | Electronic |
| TBA (usually August) | Haarlem Jazz and More | Grote Markt, Haarlem | Jazz, free |
| 20 to 22 August | Lowlands | Biddinghuizen | Alternative, everything |
| 27 to 29 August | Mysteryland | Haarlemmermeer | Electronic |
| TBA (usually early September) | Into The Great Wide Open | Vlieland | Indie and folk |
| TBA (October) | Amsterdam Dance Event | All over Amsterdam | Electronic |
Want these in your calendar? Many of them are also on our events calendar, along with markets, fairs, runs and expat events.
Spring festivals
DGTL Amsterdam
DGTL kicks off the festival season every Easter on the old shipyard at NDSM in Amsterdam Noord. It is known for big stage designs, a strong line up of house and techno, and a serious focus on sustainability. There are day programmes plus night sessions, so you can go as hard as you like.
Dates: Friday 26 to Sunday 28 March 2027 (Easter weekend)
Where: NDSM Docklands, Amsterdam Noord
Music: Electronic, house and techno
Tickets: Pre-registration is open, with ticket sales expected at the end of 2026
Website: dgtl-festival.com/en/dgtl-amsterdam
Paaspop
Paaspop is the other big Easter tradition. It is one of the oldest festivals in the country and has a proper Brabant party atmosphere, with a mix of Dutch and international acts across lots of stages and a big campsite. Expect cold nights, so pack warm.
Dates: Friday 26 to Sunday 28 March 2027 (Easter weekend)
Where: Schijndel, North Brabant
Music: Pop, rock, hip hop, dance and everything in between
Tickets: Check the website for ticket sales
Website: paaspop.nl
Bevrijdingspop Haarlem
Every year on 5 May, the Netherlands celebrates Liberation Day with free festivals all over the country. The one closest to us is Bevrijdingspop in the Haarlemmerhout park in Haarlem, one of the biggest free festivals in the region. It gets very busy, so arrive early or cycle.
Dates: Wednesday 5 May 2027 (Liberation Day)
Where: Haarlemmerhout, Haarlem
Music: Pop, rock and Dutch acts
Tickets: Free entry
Website: bevrijdingspop.nl
June festivals
Best Kept Secret
Best Kept Secret is set on a lake next to a safari park, which makes it one of the prettiest festival sites in the country. The line up leans towards indie, alternative and interesting electronic acts, and the crowd is relaxed. You can camp next to the lake.
Dates: Friday 11 to Sunday 13 June 2027
Where: Beekse Bergen, Hilvarenbeek
Music: Indie, alternative and electronic
Tickets: Check the website for ticket sales
Website: bestkeptsecret.nl
Pinkpop
Pinkpop is the oldest annual pop festival in the world that is still running, and a Dutch institution. It brings the big rock and pop headliners to the hills of Limburg every summer. Organisers say the first line up news and ticket presales are expected from autumn 2026.
Dates: Friday 18 to Sunday 20 June 2027
Where: Megaland, Landgraaf, Limburg
Music: Rock and pop
Tickets: Presale expected from autumn 2026
Website: pinkpop.nl
Defqon.1
Defqon.1 is the biggest hardstyle festival in the world, and the 2026 edition was cancelled because of an extreme heat warning. Organiser Q-dance offered 2026 ticket holders a rollover to 2027 or a refund. If you have never experienced a Defqon.1 closing ceremony, it is quite something.
Dates: Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 June 2027
Where: Biddinghuizen, Flevoland
Music: Hardstyle and hard dance
Tickets: On sale dates to be announced
Website: q-dance.com
July festivals
Down The Rabbit Hole
Down The Rabbit Hole is a camping festival with a great mix of big names and discoveries, good food and a lake to swim in. The 2027 edition will be the 12th. Line up and ticket news usually follows in November.
Dates: Friday 2 to Sunday 4 July 2027
Where: De Groene Heuvels, Beuningen, near Nijmegen
Music: Alternative, pop, hip hop and electronic
Tickets: Line up and tickets expected around November 2026
Website: downtherabbithole.nl
Awakenings Festival
Awakenings is one of the most important techno festivals in the world, with huge stages and a line up of the biggest names in techno. There is camping on site.
Dates: Friday 9 to Sunday 11 July 2027
Where: Beekse Bergen, Hilvarenbeek
Music: Techno
Tickets: Tickets are on sale now
Website: awakenings.com
North Sea Jazz
North Sea Jazz is one of the biggest indoor festivals in the world, with hundreds of concerts across many stages in Rotterdam Ahoy over one weekend. Despite the name, the line up goes far beyond jazz. It is the festival to take someone who does not like camping.
Dates: Friday 9 to Sunday 11 July 2027
Where: Rotterdam Ahoy
Music: Jazz, soul, funk, blues, R&B and hip hop
Tickets: Check the website for ticket sales
Website: northseajazz.com
Zwarte Cross
Zwarte Cross calls itself the biggest motor festival in the world and is completely unique: part motocross competition, part music festival, part village fete gone wild. Think farmers, stunt shows and very loud bands. If you want to see the Dutch let loose, this is it.
Dates: Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 July 2027
Where: Lichtenvoorde, Gelderland
Music: Rock, Dutch acts, motocross and stunts
Tickets: Presale starts on Friday 20 November 2026
Website: zwartecross.nl
Dekmantel
Dekmantel has built a reputation as a festival for music lovers, with a deep line up of house, techno and more experimental sounds in the Amsterdam forest. The festival has confirmed it returns to the Amsterdamse Bos in 2027.
Dates: To be announced (usually around late July or early August)
Where: Amsterdamse Bos, Amstelveen
Music: House, techno and experimental electronic
Tickets: Check the website
Website: dekmantelfestival.com
August festivals and later
Lowlands
Lowlands is the biggest and best known Dutch festival, with a line up that covers just about every genre plus theatre, comedy, film and science talks. The dates were announced during the 2026 edition, and tickets usually go on sale around the start of the year and sell out fast.
Dates: Friday 20 to Sunday 22 August 2027
Where: Walibi Holland site, Biddinghuizen
Music: Alternative, rock, pop, hip hop, electronic, plus comedy, film and art
Tickets: Ticket sales usually start in late January or early February
Website: lowlands.nl
Mysteryland
Mysteryland is the longest running dance festival in the Netherlands. After a final edition in its old format in 2025 and a break in 2026, it returns in 2027 with a new concept. It is also the big festival closest to Haarlem and Zandvoort. Pre-registration is open, and the festival is 18+.
Dates: Friday 27 to Sunday 29 August 2027
Where: Haarlemmermeer
Music: Electronic
Tickets: Pre-registration open
Website: mysteryland.nl
Into The Great Wide Open
A small and much loved festival on the island of Vlieland, usually in early September, mixing indie and folk music with nature, art and island life. The 2027 dates have not been announced yet.
Amsterdam Dance Event
ADE takes over Amsterdam every October with hundreds of club nights, concerts and a conference. Read our ADE 2026 guide from Haarlem and Zandvoort to see how it works.
Festivals near Haarlem and Zandvoort
If you live in Kennemerland like us, you do not have to go far. Mysteryland is in Haarlemmermeer, Bevrijdingspop is in the Haarlemmerhout, Haarlem Jazz and More fills the Grote Markt for free every summer, and Amsterdam festivals like DGTL and Dekmantel are an easy train ride away. For something different, keep an eye on beach parties at the Zandvoort beach clubs in summer.
Festival tips for newcomers
- Buy early. Lowlands, Pinkpop, Down The Rabbit Hole and other big festivals often sell out quickly. Sign up for presale newsletters.
- Use the official resale platforms. Most Dutch festivals have their own ticket swap system. Avoid random sellers on social media, because fake tickets are common.
- Take the train or shuttle. Many festivals have shuttle buses from nearby stations and limited parking. Check the NS journey planner.
- Pack for four seasons. Dutch summer can be 30 degrees one day and 14 degrees and raining the next. The heat is real too, as the cancelled Defqon.1 in 2026 showed.
- Bring a card. Most festivals are cashless and use bank cards or a festival wallet.
- Check the age limit. Many dance festivals are 18+, and you will need ID.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest music festival in the Netherlands?
Lowlands is the best known multi genre festival, while Defqon.1, Awakenings and Zwarte Cross are among the biggest in their own genres. North Sea Jazz is one of the largest indoor festivals in the world.
When is Lowlands 2027?
Lowlands 2027 takes place from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 August 2027 in Biddinghuizen.
When is Pinkpop 2027?
Pinkpop 2027 takes place from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 June 2027 in Landgraaf.
Is Mysteryland coming back in 2027?
Yes. After a break in 2026, Mysteryland returns from 27 to 29 August 2027 in Haarlemmermeer with a new concept.
Which Dutch festivals are free?
The Bevrijdingsfestivals on 5 May and city festivals like Haarlem Jazz and More are free to attend.
Looking for more to do next year? See our calendars for running and walking events in 2027 and expat and South African events.
Dates are based on official festival announcements as of September 2026. Festivals sometimes change dates or cancel, so always check the official website before booking travel.
