The Hague Events and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(The Hague / Den Haag, South Holland, Netherlands)

There are always plenty of things to do in The Hague, with the city being extremely proud of its huge calendar of festivals. Events regularly take place each month in The Hague and range from carnival parades and live music, to beer festivals, fireworks and even sand sculpting, starting off with the rather chilly Winter Swim on New Year's Day.

Late April sees the KoninginneNach, when The Hague hosts a huge anticipatory party to celebrate the arrival of Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) on the following day, when street entertainment and markets can be expected. Dan Haag's Scheveningen International Sand Sculpture Festival is a particular highlight in May, as is The Hague Jazz Festival, which attracts both Danish and international jazz artists.


Indonesian culture is celebrated during the Eurasian festival known as the Pasar Malam Besar, held in The Hague during the months of both May and June, while at the very end of June, the Parkpop music festival is one not to miss. Drawing crowds of more than 350,000 each year, Park Pop takes place in Zuiderpark and is the biggest free outdoor concert in the whole of Europe.

The Hague offers a host of summer festivals, such as the North Sea Regatta at the beginning of June, a popular sailing competition based around the shoreline of the Scheveningen resort. From June to September, the established Den Haag Sculptuur takes place and comprises of an open-air exhibition of various large sculptures, along the Lange Voorhout, transforming the city into nothing short of an open-air art museum.

Now regarded by many as one of the very best jazz events on the planet, the North Sea Jazz Festival draws huge crowds to The Hague in the middle of July, being followed soon after by the two-day Jazz in de Gracht event, where you can enjoy live jazz music onboard boats around the Passantenhaven area.

Numerous fireworks displays light up the evening skies with bright colours in July and August. Other events at this time of the year in The Hague include the Milan Hindustani Festival in July, the Haagse Schilderswijk Bazar in August, and also the Prinsjesdag in mid-September.

The Hague National Public Holidays

• New Year's Day (Nieuwjaarsdag) - January 1st
• Good Friday (Goede Vrijdag) - March / April
• Easter Sunday (Eerste Paasdag) - March / April
• Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) - April 30th
• Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag) - May 5th
• Ascension Day (Hemelvaartsdag) - 40 days after Easter
• Whit Sunday / White Monday (Eerste Pinksterdag / Tweede Pinksterdag) - Seven weeks after Easter
• Christmas Day / Boxing Day (Eerste Kerstdag / Tweede Kerstdag) - December 25th / 26th