Netherlands — Time & Holidays
The Netherlands uses Central European Time (UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) in summer, changing the clocks with the rest of the EU.
National & Public Holidays
| Date | Holiday | What it marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day Fixed | The start of the year. |
| Movable | Easter Sunday & Monday Movable | The Easter weekend. |
| 27 April | King's Day Fixed | Celebrates the king's birthday. |
| 5 May | Liberation Day Fixed | Marks the end of WWII occupation. |
| Movable | Ascension & Whit Monday Movable | Christian holidays after Easter. |
| 25 December | Christmas Day Fixed | The principal winter holiday. |
| 26 December | Second Christmas Day Fixed | Boxing Day equivalent. |
Time and holidays in the Netherlands
The Netherlands keeps Central European Time, UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer, switching on the standard EU dates in late March and late October. The country's flat geography and compact size mean a single clock serves the whole nation comfortably, and being in step with neighbouring Germany and Belgium makes cross-border life and business simple.
Orange, liberation and the church year
The most distinctive Dutch holiday is King's Day on the twenty-seventh of April, when the country turns a vivid orange in honour of the royal house, the streets fill with markets and music, and the canals of Amsterdam crowd with boats. Liberation Day on the fifth of May marks the end of the German occupation in 1945 and is a day of both remembrance and celebration of freedom, observed especially as an official day off every five years and widely marked in between. The rest of the calendar follows the Christian year, with Easter, Ascension, Whitsun and the two Christmas days, alongside New Year's Day. Because the Easter-linked holidays move each year, it is worth checking their dates in advance. The live clock above shows the current time in the Netherlands with the correct summer or winter offset.