If you like your public holidays spread out evenly, 2027 is going to test your patience. Every weekday feestdag of the year falls between January and the end of May. Christmas Day and Boxing Day then land on a weekend, and New Year's Day 2028 does too. So 2027 is a year where your own vakantiedagen do most of the work, and where it pays to know exactly when the free days are.
All the feestdagen of 2027
Here they are in order: New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027, Easter Sunday on Sunday 28 March 2027, Easter Monday on Monday 29 March 2027, King's Day on Tuesday 27 April 2027, Ascension Day on Thursday 6 May 2027, Pentecost on Sunday 16 May 2027, Whit Monday on Monday 17 May 2027, Christmas Day on Saturday 25 December 2027 and St. Stephen's Day on Sunday 26 December 2027.
The ones that fall on a Saturday or Sunday are Easter Sunday on Sunday 28 March 2027, Pentecost on Sunday 16 May 2027, Christmas Day on Saturday 25 December 2027 and St. Stephen's Day on Sunday 26 December 2027. Easter Sunday and Pentecost always do, so the real loss in 2027 is Christmas. The feestdagen 2027 page has the full list in Dutch, including Good Friday and Liberation Day.
Your 2027 at a glance
This is where 10 vakantiedagen go furthest in the Netherlands in 2027. Each page is one break.
Netherlands)One page for each break, in date order. Hover or tap a page for the days to book.
All 10 breaks in words
Fri 1 Jan – Mon 4 Jan 2027
New Year's Day
Book 1 day off: Mon 4 Jan 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 1 Jan 2027 to Mon 4 Jan 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 8 Jan – Sun 10 Jan 2027
Long weekend
Book 1 day off: Fri 8 Jan 2027.
You get 3 days off in a row, from Fri 8 Jan 2027 to Sun 10 Jan 2027.
3× your leave
Fri 15 Jan – Sun 17 Jan 2027
Long weekend
Book 1 day off: Fri 15 Jan 2027.
You get 3 days off in a row, from Fri 15 Jan 2027 to Sun 17 Jan 2027.
3× your leave
Fri 22 Jan – Sun 24 Jan 2027
Long weekend
Book 1 day off: Fri 22 Jan 2027.
You get 3 days off in a row, from Fri 22 Jan 2027 to Sun 24 Jan 2027.
3× your leave
Fri 29 Jan – Sun 31 Jan 2027
Long weekend
Book 1 day off: Fri 29 Jan 2027.
You get 3 days off in a row, from Fri 29 Jan 2027 to Sun 31 Jan 2027.
3× your leave
Fri 5 Feb – Sun 7 Feb 2027
Long weekend
Book 1 day off: Fri 5 Feb 2027.
You get 3 days off in a row, from Fri 5 Feb 2027 to Sun 7 Feb 2027.
3× your leave
Fri 26 Mar – Mon 29 Mar 2027
Easter Sunday & Easter Monday
Book 1 day off: Fri 26 Mar 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 26 Mar 2027 to Mon 29 Mar 2027.
4× your leave
Sat 24 Apr – Tue 27 Apr 2027
King's Day
Book 1 day off: Mon 26 Apr 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Sat 24 Apr 2027 to Tue 27 Apr 2027.
4× your leave
Thu 6 May – Sun 9 May 2027
Ascension Day
Book 1 day off: Fri 7 May 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Thu 6 May 2027 to Sun 9 May 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 14 May – Mon 17 May 2027
Pentecost & Whit Monday
Book 1 day off: Fri 14 May 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 14 May 2027 to Mon 17 May 2027.
4× your leave
Spring: four chances in seven weeks
From Easter to Pentecost the calendar is generous, and each holiday needs just one day of leave to become a four-day weekend:
- Easter Monday is Monday 29 March 2027. Good Friday is not a day off for everyone, so if yours is a working day, you can book 1 day off (Fri 26 Mar 2027) and get 4 days off in a row (Fri 26 Mar – Mon 29 Mar 2027).
- King's Day is Tuesday 27 April 2027. With the Monday before, you can book 1 day off (Mon 26 Apr 2027) and get 4 days off in a row (Sat 24 Apr – Tue 27 Apr 2027).
- Ascension Day is Thursday 6 May 2027. With the Friday, you can book 1 day off (Fri 7 May 2027) and get 4 days off in a row (Thu 6 May – Sun 9 May 2027).
- Whit Monday is Monday 17 May 2027. With the Friday before, you can book 1 day off (Fri 14 May 2027) and get 4 days off in a row (Fri 14 May – Mon 17 May 2027). Or you can book 4 days off (Tue 18, Wed 19, Thu 20 and Fri 21 May 2027) and get 9 days off in a row (Sat 15 May – Sun 23 May 2027).
Four one-day bookings, four long weekends. If you only do one thing with this article, put those four days in your calendar now.
Summer and autumn: you are on your own
After Monday 17 May 2027, the calendar goes quiet. There is no feestdag on a weekday for the rest of 2027, and the next one is Easter Monday on Monday 17 April 2028. That means no bridges in summer or autumn: a week off costs five vakantiedagen for nine days off, wherever you put it.
The upside is freedom: without holidays to work around, you can pick the weeks that suit you. The downside is that it is easy to drift through the autumn and arrive in December with a pile of days. Dutch statutory leave earned in 2027 expires six months after the end of the year, so it has to be used before 1 July 2028; extra days on top of the statutory minimum last five years (Business.gov.nl: statutory holidays).
Christmas 2027: plan for a weekend
Christmas Day is Saturday 25 December 2027 and Boxing Day (St. Stephen's Day) is Sunday 26 December 2027. There is no substitute day in the Netherlands, so the two holidays simply disappear into the weekend. New Year's Day 2028 is a Saturday as well. If you want a real Christmas break in 2027, it comes from your own leave:
Book off: Mon 20, Tue 21, Wed 22, Thu 23 and Fri 24 Dec 2027.
Bank holidayBook offWeekend
With eight days you can book 8 days off (Mon 20, Tue 21, Wed 22, Thu 23, Fri 24, Mon 27, Tue 28 and Wed 29 Dec 2027) and get 12 days off in a row (Sat 18 Dec – Wed 29 Dec 2027). Compare that with Christmas 2026, when five days of leave let you book 5 days off (Thu 24, Mon 28, Tue 29, Wed 30 and Thu 31 Dec 2026) and get 11 days off in a row (Thu 24 Dec 2026 – Sun 3 Jan 2027).
What Dutch law says
You are entitled to at least four times your weekly working hours as paid leave each year: 160 hours, or 20 days, on a 40-hour week (Government.nl: taking holiday hours). Public holidays are a different matter: the law does not say you get them off. Whether you are free on King's Day, Good Friday or Liberation Day depends on your CAO or employment contract, so check it before you build a plan around any of the dates above.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does the Netherlands have in 2027?
There are 5 feestdagen on a weekday in 2027, not counting Good Friday and Liberation Day, which not every employer gives off. Easter Sunday, Pentecost, Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend.
Is Christmas 2027 on a weekend in the Netherlands?
Yes. Christmas Day is Saturday 25 December 2027 and Boxing Day is Sunday 26 December 2027, and there is no replacement day.
When is King's Day 2027?
King's Day 2027 is Tuesday 27 April 2027. Take the Monday off and you get a four-day weekend.
What is the last public holiday of 2027 on a weekday?
Whit Monday, Monday 17 May 2027. The next one after that is Easter Monday on Monday 17 April 2028.
Plan your own 2027
Open the Netherlands plannerVrije dagen 2027: best days to take off (Netherlands)
How we work it out. Every date and number here comes from our holiday data, checked against official government sources (see About). Always confirm days off with your employer.