Time off in 2025? Here is a list of this year’s holidays
Kings Day falls on a Sunday this year, so will be celebrated a day early instead. Liberation Day on May 5 will also be a big splash as the Netherlands celebrates 80 years since the end of World War II.
Here is a list of this year’s public holidays
- New Year’s Day: Wednesday, January 1, 2025
- Good Friday: Friday, April 18, 2025
- Easter: Sunday, April 20 and Monday, April 21, 2025
- King’s Day: Saturday, April 26, 2025
- Liberation Day: Monday, May 5, 2025
- Ascension Day (Hemelvaartsdag): Thursday, May 29, 2025
- Whitsun (Pinksteren) : Sunday, June 8 and Monday, June 9, 2025
- Christmas (Eerste en tweede Kerstdag): Thursday, December 25 and Friday, December 26, 2025
People do not have the statutory right to a day off on public holidays in the Netherlands and these are usually enshrined in pay and conditions agreements or work contracts.
School holidays
School holidays in the Netherlands are sometimes staggered, and the country is roughly divided into three areas: North (Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, parts of Gelderland, Groningen, Noord-Holland, Overijssel); Central (parts of Gelderland, parts of Utrecht, parts of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland) and South (most of Noord Brabant, parts of Gelderland Limburg and Zeeland).
Spring half term
- North: February 15 – February 23, 2025
- Central: February 22 – March 2, 2025
- South: February 22 – March 2, 2025
May holiday
- All districts: April 26 – May 4, 2025
Note: schools are also free to start the May break earlier, on April 19 to include the Easter break.
Summer
- North: July 12 – August 24, 2025
- Central: July 19 – August 31, 2025
- South: July 5 – August 17, 2025
Autumn half term
- North: October 18 – October 26, 2025
- Central: October 18 – October 26, 2025
- South: October 11 – October 19, 2025
Christmas
- All districts: December 20, 2025 – January 4, 2026
Statutory paid leave in the Netherlands amounts to a basic four times the number of hours you work a week – in other words, 20 days, or four weeks.
However, many pay deals include extra days off – five is common – and you may also be entitled to more time off once you hit a certain age. These days are known colloquially as ouwelullendagen, or “old bore days”.
If you are crafty and pick your holidays around public holidays you can also maximise your time off without cutting to deeply into your official entitlement, particularly around the spring break.
Also worth noting, if you fall ill on holiday, tell your employer and you won’t lose the days off.
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