Lichtjesavond 2026: 15 evenings of lights in December, from Delft to Gouda

The 29th Lichtjesavond in Delft is on Tuesday 8 December 2026 from 16:00 to 22:00: the Christmas tree on the Markt is lit, entry to the city centre is free, and the evening opens Delft's winter programme.

Gouda bij Kaarslicht (Gouda by Candlelight) follows on Friday 11 December, with the ceremony at the Christmas tree at 19:00, and Laren (North Holland) holds its lights parade on Friday 18 December.

This guide lists 15 December evenings of lights in towns, castles and gardens, from Delft and Zoetermeer (Tuesday 8 December) to Kasteel Ammersoyen (Monday 28 December).

Checked 2 November 2026. Voorburg, Maarssen, Vreeswijk, Schiedam, De Lier and Noordwijkerhout had not announced a 2026 date; their 2025 dates are below. Delft had not yet published the times of its programme.

Lichtjesavond December 2026: every date at a glance

These are the December 2026 evenings of lights with a date on the organiser's or municipality's page, in order of date. A lichtjesavond is usually a town evening that switches on the Christmas lights, with candles in windows, choirs and a market; the castle and garden evenings are smaller and often need a ticket.

Lichtjesavond Delft 2026: times, the Christmas tree and what's on

The 29th Lichtjesavond Delft is on Tuesday 8 December 2026, from 16:00 to 22:00, in the city centre, and entry is free, according to the city marketing agency In Delft. The evening switches on the big Christmas tree on the Markt and opens Delft Verlicht, the city's winter programme of lights, markets and music, which runs until Sunday 3 January 2027 (Delft Verlicht).

In Delft's own words the evening has a lights market, street theatre and Christmas choirs; the full programme with times, including when the tree on the Markt is switched on, had not been published on 2 November, and lichtjesavond.nl still showed the 2025 edition. In recent years the evening has fallen on the second Tuesday of December (9 December 2025), so it is on a weekday.

Delft Verlicht's visitor information advises against coming by car, because the car parks fill early in the evening; if you do drive, use a garage at the edge of the centre, such as the Marktgarage, the Prinsenhofgarage or the Zuidpoortgarage.

Bikes go in the extra bike park on the Nieuwe Langendijk or the permanent racks at the Oude Langendijk, the Vesteplein and Delft station.

Fireworks and open fire are not allowed in the city centre during the Lichtjesavond.

On Evenitto you can already plan the evening around:

• the Lichtjesmarkt in the centre from 16:00 (free);
• the Lichtjesavond at Delfts Brouwhuis from 17:00;
• the Lichtjesavond in OPEN, Delft's public library, from 17:00;
• a free silent disco at Theater De Veste from 18:00.

Delft is also a stop in our guide to The Hague in December, with the other evenings of that week.

Gouda bij Kaarslicht (Gouda by Candlelight) 2026: what time is the Christmas tree lit?

Gouda bij Kaarslicht (Gouda by Candlelight) 2026 is on Friday 11 December, and the ceremony at the Christmas tree in the historic centre starts at 19:00. Gouda bij Kaarslicht 2026 is the 71st edition, according to the organiser. The tree is a gift from Gouda's Norwegian sister town Kongsberg, which has sent one every year since 1956.

In 2026 Gouda's Stadhuis is being renovated, so instead of the candles behind its windows the Waag is lit up at 19:00, and the tree stands between the Waag and the Stadhuis rather than in front of its steps.

The programme runs from 14:00 to 22:00 at about thirty places in the centre, with the main stage on the Markt; on 2 November the organiser's page said it was not yet clear how the renovation will change it.

Evenitto lists Gouda bij Kaarslicht in the Goudse Schouwburg from 13:30 (free), Candles, Choirs & Karaoke at StudioGonz from 20:00 (free), a free evening at So What! from 20:30 and the X-Mas sing-along in the Schouwburg at 21:00 (from €5).

Two days earlier, on Wednesday 9 December, children switch on the lights of the historic ships in Gouda's Museumhaven; the ships stay lit until 6 January 2027.

Lichtjesavond Laren (North Holland) 2026: the lights parade on 18 December

Laren's Lichtjesavond is on Friday 18 December 2026: the street lights in the village centre go off and a parade of lit riders and carriages goes through the village, with children carrying lanterns at the front. Entry is free.

The two official pages give different times for Laren's evening. Visit Gooi & Vecht has the evening from 17:00 to 22:00 with the parade setting off at 19:00 from Singer; Laren in Beeld has 18:00 to 22:00 with the parade at 20:00 from Plein 1945, and calls its programme provisional. Check again in December before you go.

Children can make a lantern at Singer on Wednesday 16 December. At the Brinkhuis a short Christmas Carol show, Lichtjesavond Scrooge, plays twice that evening for €5; on 2 November the theatre's page said no tickets were left. Evenitto lists the Lichtjesavond Laren and a Christmas singalong by Popup Choir at Singer at 21:00.

Enkhuizen bij Kaarslicht: two lichtjesavonden

Enkhuizen holds two lichtjesavonden in 2026, on Sunday 13 and Sunday 20 December, in the old fishermen's quarter 't Suud. Residents light candles in their front rooms at about 16:30, and the music and street acts start around 16:00, according to Enkhuizen bij Kaarslicht. The 2026 theme is the old fishery.

On 13 December a pipe band opens the evening, with performances in the Zuiderkerk and Christmas concerts in living rooms from 17:00 to 20:00; on 20 December costumed characters and Dickens choirs walk the route, and there are Lessons & Carols in the Zuiderkerk. The Enkhuizen lights go on from Thursday 10 December and stay on every evening until Sunday 3 January 2027.

The Zuiderzeemuseum in the same town runs Zuiderzeelicht, a ticketed evening walk through its lit open-air village, from Friday 11 December to Sunday 3 January 2027 (17:00–22:00, closed on 14, 15, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January).

Zuiderzeelicht tickets are online only, also for Museumkaart holders; the museum suggests it for children from about six.

Kaarsjesavond in Zoetermeer and other village streets

Zoetermeer's Kaarsjesavond is on Tuesday 8 December 2026 from 18:00 to 21:00 in the Dorpsstraat, the same evening as Delft. All the lights go off, the street lamps too, and the street is lit only by thousands of small lights, decorated shop windows and choirs; the Dorpsstraat's own page says the activities are free.

Nootdorp (Wednesday 9 December), Beuningen, Brielle and Maassluis (all Friday 11 December) hold their evenings under a permit the municipality has published; the times are in the table above. Maassluis walks from the Bloemhof through the Nieuwstraat and along the canals to the Markt. None of the four had published a programme on 2 November.

Lichtjesavond at castles, gardens and the hunebed

Six castles, gardens and heritage sites, from De Steeg to Borger, hold evenings of lights between Wednesday 9 December 2026 and Saturday 2 January 2027, and several need a ticket. In date order:

• Kasteel Middachten, De Steeg: Christmas opening from Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 December, 12:00–20:00 (Sunday until 19:00), with a walk through the lit gardens from about 17:00 for children with lanterns; €13.50, children 4–12 €5, no prams or wheelchairs in the castle or gardens (Middachten, on Evenitto).
• Pantropica, Luttelgeest: WinterDroom candle evenings on 18 evenings from Wednesday 9 December to Saturday 2 January 2027, 16:30–21:30, with thousands of real candles in the indoor tropical garden; adults €18.50 and children 3–12 €12 online (Pantropica, on Evenitto).
• Kasteel Ammersoyen, Ammerzoden: an evening for Museumkaart holders on Saturday 12 December (17:00–21:00, €3.50, on Evenitto) and the lichtjesavond on two Mondays in the table above: booking is required, Museumkaart holders pay €2 (adults) or €5 (children), and tickets were not on sale yet on 2 November (Geldersch Landschap & Kasteelen, on Evenitto).
• Beleeftuin, Benschop: pick a time slot when you buy; there is no refund if extreme weather cancels the evening (tickets, on Evenitto).
• New Loreto, Simpelveld: for young and old; register in advance and dress warmly, because the chapel is cold (New Loreto, on Evenitto).
• Hunebedcentrum, Borger: organised with Het Drentse Landschap; there are cards to write a message to someone you miss (Hunebedcentrum, on Evenitto).

For light trails that run all winter, such as zoo and castle-park walks, see Evenitto's Christmas lights and light trails and our post on which light festivals are free.

When is the lichtjesavond in Voorburg, Maarssen, Vreeswijk and Schiedam?

Voorburg, Maarssen, Vreeswijk, Schiedam, De Lier and Noordwijkerhout had not announced their 2026 lichtjesavond on 2 November. Earlier dates, from the municipalities' permit notices and the museum's page, give an idea of when to expect them:

• Voorburg: Wednesday 24 December 2025, 17:00–21:00, a walk through the lit streets ending at the Huygens Museum Hofwijck, free (Huygens Museum, 2025).
• Maarssen: Friday 12 December 2025, a route from the Harmonieplein through the Nassaustraat and back along the Langegracht (permit 2025).
• Vreeswijk: Kaarslicht in Vreeswijk was on Wednesday 18 December 2024 (permit 2024); the 2025 edition got its permit on 27 November 2025 (permit 2025).
• Schiedam: Saturday 13 December 2025, Kerst in Schiedam with a kaarsjesavond on the Grote Markt (permit 2025).
• De Lier: no official page for its lights parade was found on 2 November.
• Noordwijkerhout: the event page of the tourist office was offline on 2 November.

Wereldlichtjesdag 2026: Sunday 13 December at 19:00

Wereldlichtjesdag (Worldwide Candle Lighting) 2026 is on Sunday 13 December: at 19:00 local time people light a candle for a child who has died, at any age. Wereldlichtjesdag is always on the second Sunday of December, and the candles go round the world in 24 hours.

In the Netherlands it is an initiative of Amelius in Apeldoorn, and the official site counts about 100 gatherings in three countries for 2026; you can also light a candle at home at 19:00. Everyone who misses someone is welcome.

These gatherings had published their 2026 times on 2 November, in order of start time:

The location list shows the rest; a place without "2026" next to it has not confirmed this year. Evenitto lists Wereldlichtjesdag Amsterdam and the gatherings in the Grote Kerk in Meppel and at Het Noasman in Beltrum, whose organisers had not published their 2026 times yet.

Lichtjesavond at the cemetery in December

Six Dutch cemeteries, in Rotterdam, Arnhem, Voorschoten, Utrecht, Oosterhout and Amsterdam, hold a lichtjesavond between Friday 11 and Wednesday 23 December 2026, apart from their All Souls' evenings. They are open to everyone who wants to remember someone:

The cemetery evenings of late October and November, around All Souls' Day and Eeuwigheidszondag (Sunday 22 November), are in our guide to All Souls' Day 2026.

Which lichtjesavond do you mean? The other dates of the year

"Lichtjesavond" is also the name of summer festivals, a TV evening and remembrance evenings in November and January, which is why searches for it mix up dates:

Alkmaar's lichtjesavond is a boat parade on the canals at the end of summer: its own site still showed the 2025 edition on 2 November.

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, runs from the evening of Friday 4 to Saturday 12 December 2026, with public candle lightings in Utrecht, The Hague and Eindhoven on Sunday 6 December: see our guide to Hanukkah 2026.

Quick answers

When is Lichtjesavond Delft 2026? On Tuesday 8 December 2026, from 16:00 to 22:00 in the city centre; in recent years it has been the second Tuesday of December.

Is Lichtjesavond Delft free? Yes. Entry to the city centre is free; you only pay for food, drinks and the market.

Are there fireworks at Lichtjesavond Delft? No. Fireworks and open fire are not allowed in Delft's city centre during the Lichtjesavond, according to Delft Verlicht's visitor information.

When is Gouda bij Kaarslicht (Gouda by Candlelight) 2026? On Friday 11 December 2026, from 14:00 to 22:00; the ceremony at the Christmas tree starts at 19:00, in 2026 by the Waag.

When is the Lichtjesavond in Laren? On Friday 18 December 2026; the parade sets off at 19:00 or 20:00, depending on which official page you read.

When is Wereldlichtjesdag 2026? On Sunday 13 December 2026; candles are lit at 19:00 at about 100 gatherings and at home.

When is the DELA Lichtjesavond? On Sunday 31 January 2027, from 18:00 to 20:00 at 44 locations; you register on dela.nl.

Which lichtjesavonden are in summer? Bergen (North Holland) held its 100th Lichtjesavond on 5 August 2026, and Broek op Langedijk's lit boats return on Saturday 4 September 2027; both are summer festivals, not Christmas evenings.

For Christmas markets and winter fairs in the same weeks, see our Christmas markets 2026 guide.

Cover photo: Steven Lek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.