Private Day Trip to a Dutch Flower Parade, Festival or Christmas Market

Whichever time of year you visit the Netherlands, there is a good chance that somewhere within about two hours’ drive of Amsterdam a local community is celebrating. A private events and festivals tour builds your day around whatever is happening while you are here, from colourful flower parades and medieval festivals to Christmas markets, carnival processions, and historic traditions.

There is no fixed itinerary because every tour is different. We use our extensive events calendar to recommend the most interesting celebrations happening during your stay, then plan the day around them. Where time allows, we can also include nearby villages, scenic locations, gardens, windmills, breweries, or other attractions to make the most of your time.

Having attended many of these events ourselves over the years, we understand the planning and logistics that make them enjoyable. We know where to park, how to work around road closures, the best viewing locations, and how to navigate busy event days, allowing you to relax and simply enjoy the experience.

Celebrate Like a Local

Many of these celebrations are created for local communities rather than visitors, making them some of the most authentic experiences the Netherlands has to offer. Whether you are travelling as a couple, with friends, or as a family, this is a unique way to experience the Netherlands beyond the usual tourist trail.

We take care of the little details that make a day at a busy event more enjoyable. We can provide seating, refreshments and, on request, a delicious picnic, so you can relax and enjoy the festivities without worrying about finding food or losing your viewing spot.

What We Can Take You To, Season by Season

Every date is different, so we check what is on during your stay and suggest the best fit. Here is a taste of the Dutch calendar, all within about two hours’ drive of Amsterdam.

Spring: flower parades, cheese carriers and King’s Day

• Bloemencorso Bollenstreek (April): floats covered in spring bulb flowers wind through the bulb region from Noordwijk to Haarlem. The illuminated parade in Noordwijkerhout the evening before makes a lovely extra.
• Flower mosaics in Limmen (April): huge pictures made from bulb flowers in a North Holland bulb village.
• Alkmaar Cheese Market (from late March, Friday mornings): cheese carriers in white uniforms and coloured hats race the stacked barrows across the square.
• King’s Day (27 April): the whole country turns orange, with street markets, music and boat parties. We know which towns give you the best of it.
• National Mills Day (second weekend of May): historic windmills and watermills across the country open their doors and set their sails.

Medieval festivals and living history

• Brielle’s 1 April celebration: every 1 April the little fortress town of Brielle relives its capture by the Sea Beggars in 1572, with hundreds of locals in costume as Beggars and Spaniards, the storming of the town gate and a procession through the streets.
• Historic Spectacle in Grave (spring): the fortified town of Grave travels back to 1674, with cannon fire, sword fights and a siege camp.
• Middeleeuws Festijn at Cannenburch Castle (first weekend of May): knights, a medieval market, craftspeople and music in the grounds of a castle in Vaassen.
• Day of the Castle (Whit Monday): castles and estates across the country open up with knights, falconers and living history.
• Whitsun at Radboud Castle and Brederode ruin: medieval camps fill the 13th century Radboud Castle in Medemblik and the ruins of Brederode near Haarlem over the Whitsun weekend.
• Kaeskoppenstad in Alkmaar (early June): for one weekend the old town around the cheese market goes back to 1573, a proper medieval festival in the heart of a Dutch town.
• Castlefest at Keukenhof Castle (around the first weekend of August): a large medieval and fantasy festival with folk music, medieval food and a market in the castle gardens in Lisse.

Summer: traditional costume days and the dahlia parades

• Spakenburgse Dagen (last two Wednesdays of July and first two of August): the old fishing town of Bunschoten-Spakenburg celebrates its heritage with traditional costume, shanty choirs and a market around the museum harbour.
• West Frisian folklore market in Schagen (Thursdays in July and August): traditional costume, folk dancing, old crafts and a parade of horse-drawn carriages, with ring-tilting on horseback as the highlight of the season.
• Rijnsburg Flower Parade (August): floats covered in summer flowers parade from Rijnsburg through Katwijk to Noordwijk by the sea.
• Corso Zundert (first Sunday of September): the biggest dahlia parade in the world, where neighbouring hamlets compete with towering floats covered entirely in dahlias.
• Lichtenvoorde Flower Parade (second Sunday of September): enormous dahlia floats roll through this Achterhoek town in front of huge crowds.
• Kinderdijk Illumination Week (September): the UNESCO windmills are floodlit after dark for one week a year.

Autumn: relief days and historic towns

• Leiden’s Relief (3 October): Leiden’s biggest day marks the end of the Spanish siege of 1574, with free herring and white bread, parades and a funfair.
• Relief of Alkmaar (8 October): Alkmaar celebrates its 1573 victory over the Spanish siege with a colourful historic procession.

Winter: Christmas markets and candlelit towns

From late November until Christmas we can string one or two Dutch markets into a single private day, with the driving, parking and timing taken care of. Favourites include:

• Dickens Festival, Deventer (December): the medieval Bergkwartier fills with hundreds of costumed characters from Dickens’ novels.
• Dordrecht December market: a long circuit of wooden stalls and lights through one of Holland’s oldest towns.
• Gouda by Candlelight (December): thousands of candles light the market square on one evening a year.
• Royal Christmas Fair, The Hague (December): wooden chalets along the elegant Lange Voorhout.
• Haarlem and Leiden: classic Christmas markets in two of Holland’s prettiest historic centres.

See every market with its dates and a map in our Christmas markets planner.

Looking for inspiration?

Some celebrations are fixed points in the calendar, such as the tulip displays at Keukenhof in spring or the Amsterdam Light Festival in winter. Others are small local celebrations you will not find in a guidebook.

Whether you’ve already found an event or are looking for ideas, we can help. Explore our events calendar to see what’s happening during your visit, or simply let us know your travel dates and we’ll plan a private events and festivals tour around them.