Home   Calendar   Holidays   Netherlands   St Nicholas' Eve/Sinterklaas
Flag for Netherlands

St Nicholas' Eve/Sinterklaas 2024 in the Netherlands

December 5 is St. Nicholas’ Eve in the Netherlands, a time of gift-giving and parties. It is the day before St. Nicholas’ Day but the big celebrations happen on December 5.

Is St Nicholas' Eve/Sinterklaas a Public Holiday?

St Nicholas' Eve/Sinterklaas is not a public holiday. Businesses have normal opening hours.

Saint Nicholas riding through the streets of Kampen, the Netherlands.

©iStockphoto.com/Sjo

Celebrate Saint Nicholas’ Eve

St. Nicholas (also known as Sinterklaas) celebrations include family gatherings, exchanging presents and treats, and festive songs dedicated to the saint. In the three weeks leading up to St. Nicholas, children leave a shoe by the fireplace in the evenings and sing a song for Sinterklaas in the hopes that they will find a small gift from him in the shoe in the morning. Gifts are usually small and can be a mandarin or candy.

At this time of the year, St. Nicholas is seen with his helper, Piet, in shopping centers, schools and hospitals throughout the Netherlands.

Public Life

St. Nicholas’ Eve is not an official public holiday in the Netherlands.

About Saint Nicholas’ Eve

St. Nicholas’ Eve and Day both commemorate the life of St. Nicholas, a Christian saint who is popular among children because of his reputation as a bringer of gifts. The legendary figure of St. Nicholas is derived from Nicholas of Myra who officiated as a bishop in 4th century Greece.

St Nicholas' Eve/Sinterklaas Observances

YearWeekdayDateNameHoliday Type
2019ThuDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2020SatDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2021SunDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2022MonDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2023TueDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2024ThuDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2025FriDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2026SatDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2027SunDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2028TueDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance
2029WedDec 5St Nicholas' Eve/SinterklaasObservance

While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.