Christmas Eve 2026 falls on Thursday 24 December, and the Christmas Eve services (kerstnachtdienst) in Dutch churches run from about 16:00 to just after midnight; most of the services in this guide start between 20:00 and 23:00. A few busy services need a ticket: the Christmas Eve service in Het Concertgebouw costs €15, the Dominicuskerk in Amsterdam sells tickets from the first Sunday of Advent, Hillsong in RAI Amsterdam, Best Life Church in Utrecht and Stadskerk 040 in Eindhoven give out tickets on Eventbrite, and De Tamboer in Hoogeveen has free tickets. The Oude Kerk and the Mozes en Aäronkerk in Amsterdam say you can simply walk in.
Checked 30 October 2026. Not announced yet: the 2026 times of Sint-Jan in Den Bosch, Sint Servaas in Maastricht, both Bavo churches in Haarlem, the Laurenskerk in Rotterdam, the Martinikerk in Groningen, the Mozaïek churches and most English-language churches, and the night mass on Dutch TV. Their 2025 times are in the table further down.
Christmas Eve services 2026: every published time
| Town | Church | Time | Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | Het Concertgebouw, Christmas Eve service | 20:00–21:45 | €15; children up to 12 €10 |
| Amsterdam | Hillsong, RAI Amsterdam | 17:00, 19:00 and 21:00 | Ticket on Eventbrite, from €0 |
| Amsterdam | Dominicuskerk | 19:00 (families) and 22:00 | Ticket needed, on sale from the first Sunday of Advent |
| Amsterdam | Keizersgrachtkerk | 21:00–22:30 | No ticket mentioned |
| Amsterdam | Westerkerk | 22:00–23:30 | No ticket mentioned |
| Amsterdam | Oude Kerk | 22:00, doors 21:30 | No sign-up needed |
| Amsterdam | Mozes en Aäronkerk, night mass | 21:30–23:00 | No tickets |
| Amsterdam | Obrechtkerk, night mass | 17:00 family mass in English; 23:00 night mass, choir and orchestra from 22:30 | Optional €2 reserved seat, order 1–29 November |
| Amsterdam | English Reformed Church, in English | 17:30 family service, 22:00 carols and service | No ticket mentioned |
| Utrecht | Domkerk | 22:30–23:30, church opens 22:00 | No ticket mentioned |
| Utrecht | Best Life Church, Zuilen | 18:00 children's show, 20:00, 22:00 | Free ticket on Eventbrite |
| The Hague | Grote Kerk | 22:00 | More information to follow |
| The Hague | Nieuwe Badkapel, Scheveningen | 22:00–23:15 | No ticket mentioned |
| Leiden | Pieterskerk | 18:30 children, 20:30, 22:30 | No ticket mentioned |
| Gouda | Sint-Janskerk | 19:00 and 21:30 | No ticket mentioned |
| Haarlem | Ontmoetingskerk, Schalkwijk | 17:00–18:00 | No ticket mentioned |
| Eindhoven | Stadskerk 040, Evoluon | 19:00 (with a children's programme) and 21:00 | Free ticket on Eventbrite |
| Groningen | De Stadskerk, Groot Auditorium | 17:00, 19:30, 22:00 (also 23 December) | Book on Eventbrite; not open yet |
| Zwolle | Academiehuis Grote Kerk | 22:00 | No ticket mentioned |
| Zwolle | Plantagekerk | 21:00–22:00 | No ticket mentioned |
| Kampen | Bovenkerk | 16:00 Lessons & Carols, 22:30 | No ticket mentioned |
| Hoogeveen | De Tamboer | 19:30 (families) and 22:00 | Free ticket |
| Barneveld | Emmaüskerk | 18:30 children's musical, 22:00 | No ticket mentioned |
| Amersfoort | Sint-Joriskerk | 22:00 | No ticket mentioned |
| Lochem | Gudulakerk | 19:00 children, 22:00 | No ticket mentioned |
| Leeuwarden | Salvation Army, Wollegaastdam | 21:00 | No ticket mentioned |
| Waalre | Agnus Dei Kerk | 22:00–23:00 | No ticket mentioned |
| Vlissingen | Sint Jacobskerk | 23:00–23:45 | No ticket mentioned |
All times are on Thursday 24 December 2026. "No ticket mentioned" means the church's page names no ticket or sign-up; check the church's page again in December.
Christmas Eve services in Amsterdam 2026
The Christmas Eve service in Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam runs on Thursday 24 December 2026 from 20:00 to 21:45 in the Main Hall, without an interval. It is the 61st edition, with conductor Benjamin Bakker, singer Sharon Kips, Bavocale Haarlem, Amsterdam City Voices and the Amsterdam City Orchestra.
The programme mixes carols to sing along with the Christmas story. Tickets cost €15, €10 for children up to 12, plus €5 per order.
Hillsong Church Netherlands holds Christmas Eve services in RAI Amsterdam on Thursday 24 December 2026 at 17:00, 19:00 and 21:00, with a Hillsong Kids programme for ages 1 to 6. You book a ticket on Eventbrite; the cheapest is €0, seats are limited and tickets are not refundable.
The Westerkerk in Amsterdam holds its Christmas night service on 24 December 2026 from 22:00 to 23:30, led by the Rev. Hans Blom with the Westercantorij, a soprano and a trumpet and midwinter horn. You can also follow it on YouTube.
The Oude Kerk in Amsterdam starts its Christmas night service at 22:00 on 24 December 2026 with the Sweelinckcantorij; the doors open at 21:30 and you don't need to sign up. The church has no heating, so dress warmly; there is glühwein afterwards.
The Dominicuskerk in Amsterdam holds two Christmas Eve services on 24 December 2026, at 19:00 for families with children and at 22:00. You need a ticket for both; they go on sale from the first Sunday of Advent, and both services are streamed online.
Two Catholic churches in Amsterdam have published their night masses:
- The Mozes en Aäronkerk on the Waterlooplein holds its night mass from 21:30 to 23:00, without tickets.
- The Obrechtkerk celebrates its night mass at 23:00, with choir and orchestra from 22:30. A reserved seat at the front costs €2: order from 1 to 29 November and collect it from Sunday 29 November after the morning mass. Without a ticket you are welcome too, and reserved seats still empty at 22:45 are given to others.
The Obrechtkerk's agenda also has an international family mass in English at 17:00 on 24 December 2026. The Nicolaasbasiliek's website did not load when we checked on 30 October; look for its night masses on its Christmas 2026 page.
Protestantse Kerk Amsterdam publishes one list of all its Christmas Eve services. Its 2026 list is not out yet (checked 30 October); the 2025 list had twenty churches between 16:00 and 22:30, including the Noorderkerk at 20:00 and 22:00. The Keizersgrachtkerk has already published 2026: 21:00 to 22:30 on 24 December.
Christmas Eve services in Utrecht: Domkerk and Best Life Church
The Domkerk in Utrecht holds its Christmas night service on Thursday 24 December 2026 from 22:30 to 23:30, and the church opens at 22:00. The Domcantorij sings, Jan Hage plays the organ and the Rev. Willem Roskam reads the Christmas story. Earlier that day, from 15:30, the Domkerk has a children's Christmas party.
Best Life Church in Utrecht-Zuilen holds the same programme on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 December 2026: a children's Christmas show at 18:00, a Christmas Eve service at 20:00 and a Christmas night service at 22:00. Entry is free, but you book a free ticket on Eventbrite because seats are limited.
The Catholic Sint-Catharinakathedraal in Utrecht has not published 2026 yet. In 2025 it held a family service at 17:00 and the night mass at 20:00, according to the parish's Christmas list of 10 December 2025.
Christmas Eve services in The Hague and Rotterdam
The Grote Kerk (Sint-Jacobskerk) in The Hague begins its Christmas night service at 22:00 on Thursday 24 December 2026, with carols and the Christmas story; Protestantse Kerk Den Haag will add more details later. In Scheveningen the Nieuwe Badkapel holds its Christmas night service from 22:00 to 23:15.
The Laurenskerk in Rotterdam has not published 2026 yet. In 2025 its Christmas night service ran from 23:00 to 00:30, with a children's nativity play at 19:00, and everyone was welcome.
Christmas Eve services in Leiden, Gouda, Haarlem and Delft
The Pieterskerk in Leiden has three services on Thursday 24 December 2026: for children at 18:30, an evening service at 20:30 and a night service at 22:30 with the Leidse Cantorij.
The Sint-Janskerk in Gouda holds two services on 24 December 2026: a Christmas Eve service at 19:00, with traditional carols and a part for children, which it recommends for families, and a Christmas night service at 21:30.
The Ontmoetingskerk in Haarlem-Schalkwijk holds its Christmas Eve service from 17:00 to 18:00 on 24 December 2026.
Haarlem's two Bavo churches have not published 2026 yet. In 2025 the Grote of St.-Bavokerk in Haarlem started at 23:00, with the doors open at 22:30, 1,200 seats and no reservations; it is cold inside, so bring a blanket.
The Catholic Kathedrale Basiliek Sint Bavo in Haarlem held night masses at 20:00 and 22:30 in 2025; only the 20:00 mass needed a €2 ticket.
In Delft the Christmas night service is in the Nieuwe Kerk; in 2025 it began at 22:00.
Christmas Eve services in Groningen, Zwolle, Amersfoort and the north and east
De Stadskerk in Groningen holds its Christmas night service six times, at 17:00, 19:30 and 22:00 on both Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 December 2026, in the Groot Auditorium on the Friesestraatweg. You book a place on Eventbrite; booking was not open yet on 30 October.
The Martinikerk in Groningen has not announced 2026; in 2025 its Christmas Eve service began at 19:45, with the doors open from 19:00 and a livestream.
The Catholic Sint-Jozefkathedraal in Groningen keeps a fixed Christmas Eve schedule: an English mass at 17:00, a family service at 19:00 and the night mass at 23:00, with another night mass at 21:00 in the St. Franciscuskerk.
The Christmas night service of the Michaëlsvieringen in the Academiehuis Grote Kerk in Zwolle starts at 22:00 on 24 December 2026, with Iemke Epema leading. The Plantagekerk in Zwolle holds its Christmas Eve service from 21:00 to 22:00.
The Bovenkerk in Kampen holds its Christmas night service, a sung service led by Hans van Ark, at 22:30 on 24 December 2026; at 16:00 the Kampen Boys Choir sings a Festival of Lessons & Carols there.
De Tamboer in Hoogeveen turns its theatre into a church on 24 December 2026: the 19:30 service is for families with children, the 22:00 service for everyone, and both last about 90 minutes. Tickets are free; order one on the theatre's page.
More published times in the region:
- Barneveld: the Emmaüskerk has a children's Christmas musical at 18:30 and the Christmas night service with the choir Con Amore at 22:00. The Oude Kerk's Christmas night service page gives three services every 24 December, at 16:00, 19:00 and 21:15, with the doors open half an hour before.
- Amersfoort: the Sint-Joriskerk starts at 22:00.
- Lochem: the Gudulakerk has a children's service at 19:00 and a Christmas night service at 22:00.
- Leeuwarden: the Salvation Army holds its service at 21:00. The Grote of Jacobijnerkerk has not published 2026; in 2025 its Christmas night service was at 22:30.
- Urk: the Bethelkerk had its Christmas night service at 22:00 in 2025, with free registration that was fully booked. 2026 is not announced yet.
Midnight mass in Den Bosch, Maastricht and Haarlem: the 2025 times
These churches have not published their 2026 Christmas Eve times yet (checked 30 October); their 2025 times, from their own pages:
| Town | Church | Christmas Eve 2025 | Ticket in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Den Bosch | Sint-Janskathedraal | 17:00 service for all ages, 21:00 solemn night mass, 00:00 pontifical night mass | Not mentioned |
| Maastricht | Sint-Servaasbasiliek | 18:00 family mass, 23:00 night mass | Not mentioned |
| Haarlem | Kathedrale Basiliek Sint Bavo | 20:00 and 22:30 night mass | €2 for the 20:00 mass only |
| Utrecht | Sint-Catharinakathedraal | 17:00 family service, 20:00 night mass | Not mentioned |
| Haarlem | Grote of St.-Bavokerk (Protestant) | 23:00 Christmas night service | No reservations |
| Rotterdam | Laurenskerk (Protestant) | 19:00 children, 23:00 Christmas night service | Everyone welcome |
| Groningen | Martinikerk (Protestant) | 19:45 Christmas Eve service | Not mentioned |
In 2025 the Sint-Janskathedraal in Den Bosch held a pontifical night mass at midnight, the form of mass a bishop leads, and a solemn night mass at 21:00 for those who did not want to stay up. The Sint-Servaasbasiliek in Maastricht says its masses are in Dutch and Latin.
Do you need a ticket for a Christmas Eve service?
Most Christmas Eve services in this guide on 24 December 2026 name no ticket. You need one for Het Concertgebouw (€15), the Dominicuskerk in Amsterdam (on sale from the first Sunday of Advent), Hillsong in RAI Amsterdam, Best Life Church in Utrecht and Stadskerk 040 in Eindhoven (Eventbrite), De Tamboer in Hoogeveen (free) and De Stadskerk in Groningen (Eventbrite, not open yet). Also good to know:
- Obrechtkerk, Amsterdam: the €2 reserved seat at the night mass is optional; the church welcomes you without one.
- Nicolaasbasiliek, Amsterdam: check its Christmas 2026 page, which did not load on 30 October.
- Mozaïek churches: Mozaïek gives out free tickets from early December, per local church. Its Christmas page still showed the 2025 schedule on 30 October: Veenendaal three times a day (16:30, 19:30 and 21:30) on each day from 21 to 24 December.
- Urk: the Bethelkerk's free registration was fully booked in 2025.
- Liberty Church, Amsterdam: in 2025 every visitor had to reserve a seat for its English carol services, and both were fully booked (see the English section).
The Oude Kerk ("no sign-up needed"), the Mozes en Aäronkerk ("no tickets"), the Krijtberg ("no tickets", 2025) and the Grote of St.-Bavokerk in Haarlem ("no reservations", 2025) say outright that you can walk in. For a popular 22:00 service, come half an hour early: the Domkerk opens at 22:00 for its 22:30 service, the Oude Kerk at 21:30.
Christmas Eve services with children
Many churches hold an earlier service for families on 24 December 2026, shorter and with a nativity play or children's songs:
- Amsterdam: the Obrechtkerk's family mass in English at 17:00, the English Reformed Church's family service at 17:30, the Dominicuskerk at 19:00 and Hillsong's Kids programme (ages 1 to 6) at each of its services in the RAI.
- Eindhoven: Stadskerk 040's 19:00 service in the Evoluon, with a children's programme.
- Utrecht: the Domkerk's children's Christmas party from 15:30, and Best Life Church's children's Christmas show at 18:00.
- Leiden: the Pieterskerk at 18:30.
- Gouda: the Sint-Janskerk at 19:00.
- Hoogeveen: De Tamboer at 19:30.
- Barneveld: the Emmaüskerk's children's musical at 18:30.
- Lochem: the Gudulakerk at 19:00.
- Groningen: the Sint-Jozefkathedraal's family service at 19:00.
Want more for the children over the holidays? Our Christmas holiday guide lists what's open from 19 December to 3 January.
Alternative night mass: Christmas in a pop venue or theatre
Four venues hold a night mass outside church: three on Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December 2026, and Paradiso on Boxing Day.
| Event | Venue | Date and time | Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Nieuwe Nachtmis | Muziekgebouw Eindhoven | Thursday 24 December 2026, 20:15 | €15 |
| 100% Dansbare Nachtmis | Stadsbrouwerij RoodNoot, Utrecht | Thursday 24 December 2026, 21:00–00:00 | Via RoodNoot |
| De Alternatieve Nachtmis | Schouwburg Odeon, Zwolle | Thursday 24 December 2026, 21:30 | Via Zwolse theaters |
| Hang Youth: Hardkoor Nachtmis | Paradiso, Amsterdam | Saturday 26 December 2026, 23:00 | €31.30 plus a €4.50 monthly membership |
De Nieuwe Nachtmis in the Muziekgebouw Eindhoven is a Christmas celebration with stories by Mike Weerts and music from guests, the first of them Sarah Janneh; the doors open at 19:15.
In Utrecht, RoodNoot's 100% Dansbare Nachtmis puts several DJs behind the decks instead of a choir.
De Alternatieve Nachtmis in Zwolle, now in its fifth year, is an evening of stories and music organised by writer Oscar Kocken for people who want to mark Christmas Eve without going to church; the programme is announced later.
Paradiso's Hardkoor Nachtmis with the punk band Hang Youth is on Saturday 26 December 2026: the hall opens at 22:00.
Christmas Eve service in English
The English Reformed Church in the Begijnhof in Amsterdam has two services in English on Thursday 24 December 2026: a family service from 17:30 to 18:15 and the Christmas Eve service from 22:00 to 23:30, starting with carols. The English Reformed Church also livestreams the service. The Christmas Day service is at 10:30.
The Obrechtkerk in Amsterdam holds an international family mass in English at 17:00 on 24 December 2026. In Groningen the Sint-Jozefkathedraal holds an English mass at 17:00 every Christmas Eve.
The other English-language churches have not published 2026 yet. Their 2025 times, from their own pages:
- Amsterdam:
- Christ Church (Anglican, Groenburgwal 42) held its service with Holy Communion at 23:00, after drinks at 22:00.
- The Catholic Krijtberg said mass at 24:00 in English, after masses at 20:00 in Latin and 22:00 in Dutch; it issues no tickets and takes no reservations.
- Liberty Church held carol services in the Vondelkerk at 17:30 and 19:00; every visitor had to reserve a seat, and both services were fully booked.
- Maastricht: the St. Matthiaskerk, the English-language church of the Sint-Servaas parish, held an evening mass at 20:00.
- Utrecht: the St. Augustinuskerk had an English mass at 20:00.
Christmas Eve services in dialect and on TV
The Christmas night service in Gronings is Kerstnacht ien Oostum, in the church of Oostum near Garnwerd, from 23:59 on 24 December 2026 to 02:00, with the music society Excelsior from Baflo.
Regional broadcaster RTV Oost recorded its Kerstnachtdienst in Streektaal in the Boomhofkerk in Gramsbergen in 2025 and aired it on 24 December 2025 at 20:00; the 2026 church is not announced yet.
The 2026 Christmas Eve broadcasts on national TV are not announced yet. On 24 December 2025 the EO showed a Mozaïek Christmas service at 17:00 on NPO 2, and KRO-NCRV broadcast the Christmas night mass from St Peter's in Rome at 23:00 on NPO 2. Many churches also stream their service: the Westerkerk on YouTube, the Oude Kerk on Kerkdienstgemist.
Quick answers
When is the Christmas Eve service in 2026? Christmas Eve 2026 is Thursday 24 December; most Christmas Eve services start between 20:00 and 23:00, and family services from about 17:00.
What time is midnight mass in 2026? In Amsterdam the 2026 night masses are at 21:30 (Mozes en Aäronkerk) and 23:00 (Obrechtkerk); the Sint-Jozefkathedraal in Groningen holds its night mass at 23:00, and in 2025 Sint-Jan in Den Bosch held one at 21:00 and one at midnight.
How long is a Christmas Eve service? A Christmas Eve service in a Dutch church usually lasts one to one and a half hours: the Domkerk runs 22:30–23:30, the Westerkerk 22:00–23:30, De Tamboer about 90 minutes and Het Concertgebouw 20:00–21:45.
What time is the Christmas Eve service in the Domkerk? The Domkerk's Christmas night service in Utrecht is on 24 December 2026 from 22:30 to 23:30, and the church opens at 22:00.
How much does the Christmas Eve service in Het Concertgebouw cost? The Christmas Eve service in Het Concertgebouw costs €15, €10 for children up to 12, plus €5 per order; it runs from 20:00 to 21:45.
Is there a Christmas Eve service in English in Amsterdam? Yes: on 24 December 2026 the Obrechtkerk has a family mass in English at 17:00, and the English Reformed Church in the Begijnhof a family service at 17:30 and its Christmas Eve service at 22:00.
Can I go to a Christmas Eve service if I'm not a member of the church? Yes. The Oude Kerk, the Domkerk and the Laurenskerk all say everyone is welcome, and the Oude Kerk adds that you don't need to sign up.
Is there a night mass outside church? Yes: De Nieuwe Nachtmis in Eindhoven (20:15), the 100% Dansbare Nachtmis in Utrecht (21:00) and De Alternatieve Nachtmis in Zwolle (21:30) on 24 December 2026, and Hang Youth's Hardkoor Nachtmis in Paradiso on 26 December.
More for Christmas: Christmas concerts by city, Amsterdam in December and everything for Christmas on Evenitto.
Cover photo: an orchestra plays for a full church decorated for Christmas, the Onze Lieve Vrouw ten Hemelopneming church in Houten on 16 December 2022, IdsVanHouten, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.