The 10 Best Dutch Festivals You Must Visit in 2026
Crowds in the Netherlands attend more than 1,000 festivals each year, and some of them draw hundreds of thousands of visitors across multiple cities simultaneously. Several events even sell out months early. The country also ties major celebrations to national holidays, which means music, food, and street culture often overlap. This creates a packed calendar where missing the right weekend can mean waiting another year. So we’ve put together the top 10 festivals you shouldn’t miss this year.
Pinkpop
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Gianni Taranto
Pinkpop remains one of Europe’s longest-running music festivals, operating since 1970. The event usually takes place in June in Landgraaf and pulls major international rock and pop acts. The multi-day format keeps the focus on big stage performances and crowd sing-along moments.
Defqon.1 Weekend Festival
Image via Wikimedia Commons/DELTAFXUniverse
Defqon.1 runs four days in late June at Walibi Holland and focuses heavily on hardstyle and harder electronic genres. The site typically includes more than a dozen stages plus camping. The festival attracts global fans who treat it as an annual gathering. Production-scale laser shows, nonstop programming, and its identity help define it.
Lowlands
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Dan Kamminga from Haarlem, Netherlands
Lowlands mixes music, art, comedy, and film into a three-day August event in Biddinghuizen. The festival hosts hundreds of performances across many stages and attracts thousands of visitors yearly. The variety keeps crowds moving across the site.
DGTL Amsterdam
DGTL usually runs during spring at Amsterdam’s NDSM Docklands. The festival focuses on electronic music and sustainability initiatives. Organizers emphasize circular production systems and waste reduction. The industrial shipyard location adds a strong visual identity, while lineups usually blend established electronic acts with newer names gaining traction.
Awakenings Festival
Image via Reddit/Wiingen
Awakenings is one of the largest techno festivals globally. It takes place each July near Hilvarenbeek. Multiple stages run across open air and tented spaces. Techno fans often treat this festival as a must-go for its consistent booking quality and sound production standards that prioritize dance-floor performance.
Best Kept Secret
Best Kept Secret runs each June near Hilvarenbeek and focuses on indie, alternative, and crossover electronic acts. The site includes lakes and wooded areas, which help crowd flow between stages. The festival built its reputation on strong curation, which helps it attract fans who want discovery alongside headline names.
Down The Rabbit Hole
Image via Wikimedia Commons/FakirNL
This July festival takes place at Groene Heuvels near Nijmegen. It mixes alternative music, visual art, and food programming. The layout encourages movement across themed zones. Lineups usually balance global headliners with experimental acts that attract loyal returning attendees.
North Sea Jazz Festival
North Sea Jazz runs each July in Rotterdam and hosts more than 1,000 musicians across multiple indoor halls. Annual attendance usually ranges from 65,000 to 70,000 people. The festival combines jazz with soul, funk, R&B, and hip-hop.
Oerol Festival
Image via Wikimedia Commons/albert besselse
Oerol takes place each June on Terschelling Island and features theater, art installations, and live performances. The festival spreads across beaches, forests, and open land. It attracts visitors who want culture-driven programming that connects performance with landscape and local history.
Kwaku Summer Festival
Kwaku runs across several summer weekends in Amsterdam Zuidoost and focuses on Afro-Caribbean culture, music, and food. The event attracts large community crowds each year. Cultural celebration days highlight specific heritage groups, which helps preserve identity while also drawing international visitors interested in Dutch multicultural life.