2026 in the Netherlands
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Events from the year 2026 in the Netherlands.
Incumbents
[edit]- Monarch: Willem-Alexander
- Prime Minister: Dick Schoof (until 23 February); Rob Jetten (since 23 February)
Events
[edit]January
[edit]- 1 January –
- During the night of New Year's Day, a fire razes the Vondelkerk church tower in Amsterdam.[1]
- New Year's celebrations lead to widespread disorder nationwide, with petrol bombs thrown at police in Breda and 14 people sustaining eye injuries in Rotterdam. Two men are killed in fireworks incidents in Nijmegen and Aalsmeer.[2]
- 2–9 January –
- Severe winter weather bring snow and ice across much of the country, prompting KNMI code orange warnings for dangerous travel conditions and causing widespread disruption to transport nationwide.[3][4]
- At Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, hundreds of flights are cancelled over several days due to snow-covered runways and deicing constraints, including around 450 cancellations on 5 January alone.[4][5]
- NS services are affected by weather conditions and temporarily shut down on 6 January after snow and frozen railroad switches make operations unsafe, with services gradually resuming later that day.[4]
- 8–9 January – Storm Goretti brings strong wind gusts across the country and causes heavy snow in the provinces of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe and on the West Frisian Islands.[6]
- 15 January – Four people are injured in an explosion that destroys several buildings in the historic centre of Utrecht.[7]
- 20 January – Seven members of the House of Representatives led by Gidi Markuszower defect from the PVV and announce their intention to form an independent bloc.[8]
- 27 January – The Overijssel District Court sentences an Eritrean national to 20 years' imprisonment for leading a criminal network that trafficked migrants across the Mediterranean from Libya and subjected them to abuse and extortion upon arrival in the Netherlands.[9]
February
[edit]- 6 February – The Netherlands returns a 3,500-year-old Ancient Egyptian sculpture to Egypt after a Dutch investigation confirmed the artefact, which surfaced at an art fair in Maastricht, had been looted and unlawfully removed during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.[10]
- 6–22 February – Netherlands at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- 23 February – Rob Jetten is inaugurated as prime minister.[11]
March
[edit]- 5 March – The Royal Netherlands Navy joins the European naval task force in defending Cyprus against Iranian missile strikes.[12]
- 5–8 March – 2026 World Allround Speed Skating Championships at Thialf in Heerenveen.[13]
- 12 March – Iceland and the Netherlands announce they will both intervene on the side of South Africa in the International Court of Justice's genocide case against Israel.[14]
- 13 March – A suspected arson attack is carried out on a synagogue in Rotterdam.[15]
- 14 March –
- 16 March – An explosion causes a fire at an office building in Zuidas, with no reported injuries.[18]
- 18 March – 2026 Dutch municipal elections
- 22 March – Between 200 and 300 demonstrators gather in Amsterdam, to protest against the war and the Iranian government.[19]
- 25 March – Under the St Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht, the remains of legendary French musketeer musketeer d'Artagnan are believed to be found.[20]
April
[edit]- 2 April – Suspects in the 2025 Drents Museum heist return three of four stolen artefacts, including the Helmet of Coțofenești.[21]
- 29 April – Multiple wildfires are active throughout the country, with most notably the fire near 't Harde on the Veluwe.[22]
May
[edit]- 6 May – Following the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak in which several Dutch people have died, multiple patients arrive in the Netherlands for treatment and evaluation.[23]
Predicted and scheduled
[edit]- 14–30 August – 2026 Mens and Women's FIH Hockey World Cup in Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, Netherlands.[24][25]
Holidays
[edit]Source:[26]
- 1 January – New Year's Day
- 3 April – Good Friday
- 5 April – Easter Sunday
- 6 April – Easter Monday
- 27 April – King's Day
- 5 May – Liberation Day
- 14 May – Ascension Day
- 24–25 June – Pentecost
- 25 December – Christmas Day
- 26 December – Boxing Day
Arts and entertainment
[edit]Television
[edit]Deaths
[edit]- 5 January –
- Ad van Kempen, 81, actor (1-900, 'n Beetje Verliefd, Winter in Wartime).[27]
- Elsje de Wijn, 82, actress (Frank en Eva, For a Lost Soldier, Baantjer).[28]
- 8 January – Astrid Roemer, 78, author.[29]
- 11 January – Herman Wouters, 85, politician, mayor of Grobbendonk (1989–1997).[30]
- 13 January – Annemarie Prins, 93, actress (Îles flottantes, Code Blue, Accused).[31]
- 15 January – Robert Jensen, 52, television and radio presenter.[32]
- 11 February – Cees Nooteboom, 92, novelist (Rituals, The Following Story, All Souls' Day), poet and journalist.[33]
- 14 February – Tom Van der Bruggen, 80, inventor.[34]
- 20 February – Femke Boersma, 90, actress (Het Wonderlijke leven van Willem Parel, Pastorale 1943).[35]
- 21 February – Koos Postema, 93, radio and television presenter.[36]
- 1 March – Yukkie B, 56, rapper.[37]
- 25 March – Esther Roord, 61, actress (Kees and Co).[38]
- 12 April – Sonja Barend, 86, television personality.[39]
- 24 April – Jade Kops, 19, social media influencer and cancer activist.[40]
- 25 April – Greet Prins, 72, politician, member of the Senate (2019–2025).[41]
- 26 April – Dick Matena, 83, comic writer and cartoonist.[42]
- 8 May – Karin Spaink, 68, journalist, writer, and feminist.[43]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Fire at Vondel Church Amsterdam" (in Dutch). Safety Region Amsterdam-Amstelland. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ Leigh, Suzanne (1 January 2026). "Netherlands police face 'unprecedented' New Year's violence". BBC News. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ "KNMI - Liveblog code oranje gladheid januari 2026". KNMI. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "Teruglezen: Trucks met vloeistof voor ijsvrij maken vliegtuigen onderweg". NU. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ^ "Mass cancellations at Amsterdam airport as snow and ice wreaks travel chaos". The Independent. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ^ "KNMI - Liveblog code oranje gladheid januari 2026". KNMI. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "'Gigantic explosion', fire in Dutch city of Utrecht, four hurt". France 24. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "7 lawmakers quit Geert Wilders' far-right party in stunning setback for Dutch anti-Islam firebrand". AP News. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Dutch court sentences Eritrean man to 20 years for cruel people smuggling". AP News. 27 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Netherlands returns 3,500-year-old looted sculpture to Egypt". Reuters. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "New Dutch government sworn in under centrist Jetten". France 24. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "Spain, Italy and Netherlands join European naval deployment to Cyprus". Euronews. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Iceland, Netherlands join ICJ genocide case against Israel". Anadolu Ajansi. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ "Dutch police probe suspected arson after explosion at Rotterdam synagogue". AP News. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "KNMI - Aardbeving van magnitude 3 bij Drentse Geelbroek". KNMI. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ "Explosion damages Jewish school in Amsterdam with no injuries reported, mayor says". Euronews. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ Stift, Ruben (16 March 2026). "Explosie bij een kantoorgebouw op de Zuidas in Amsterdam". NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ "Hundreds protest in Amsterdam against Iran war". NL Times. 22 March 2026.
- ^ "Musketeer d'Artagnan's remains believed found under Dutch church". BBC. 25 March 2026. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ^ "'It's amazing': stolen 2,500-year-old Romanian gold helmet has been found". The Guardian. AFP. 2 April 2026. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ^ "Brandweer geeft na dagen sein brand meester voor grote natuurbrand 't Harde". nos.nl (in Dutch). 2 May 2026. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "DPG Media Privacy Gate". myprivacy.dpgmedia.nl. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ Iveson, Ali (3 November 2022). "Netherlands and Belgium to hold combined Hockey World Cups in 2026". inside the games. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ Alice Devilez (3 November 2022). "La Belgique accueillera le Mondial de hockey 2026 avec les Pays-Bas". rtbf.be. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ "Netherlands Public Holidays 2026". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
- ^ "Acteur Ad van Kempen overleden op 81-jarige leeftijd". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 January 2026.
- ^ "Karel-zangeres Elsje de Wijn overleden op 82-jarige leeftijd". NU. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Schrijfster Astrid Roemer overleden". Starnieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ^ "Oud-burgemeester van Grobbendonk Herman Wouters overleden in ziekenhuis: "Iedereen kende hem als 'den Herman'"". GVA (in Flemish). 11 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
- ^ "Actrice en regisseur Annemarie Prins op 93-jarige leeftijd overleden". NU. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Presentator Robert Jensen (52) overleden". NU. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Cees Nooteboom (92) overleden: een groot schrijver die genres en continenten doorkruiste". Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Dutch inventor of hit game 'Kapla' dead at 80: family". France 24. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Femke Boersma overleden". Spreekbuis.nl (in Dutch). 20 February 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- ^ "Tv-presentator Koos Postema (93) overleden: 'Een losse en ongedwongen geest'". AD. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "Nederlandse rapper Yukkie B op 56-jarige leeftijd overleden". RTL.nl (in Dutch). 2 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "Hoe het ooit zo succesvolle Kees & Co geruisloos ten onder ging". RTL (in Dutch). 28 March 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
- ^ "Sonja Barend (1940-2026) overleden: de koningin van de talkshow ontketende een revolutie op tv". Trouw. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
- ^ "DPG Media Privacy Gate". myprivacy.dpgmedia.nl. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "Eerste Kamerlid Greet Prins (72) overleden, was nog bij stemming asielwet". NOS (in Dutch). 25 April 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ "DPG Media Privacy Gate". myprivacy.dpgmedia.nl. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "DPG Media Privacy Gate". myprivacy.dpgmedia.nl. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
