Holi 2027 when is it and where to celebrate Holi · Phagwa in the Netherlands

What is Holi?

Holi is a Hindu spring festival. It follows the lunar calendar and falls on the full moon of the month Phalguna, so the date moves from year to year and usually lands in March.

It begins on the evening of the full moon with Holika Dahan, a bonfire. Hindus light it to remember the story of Holika, who burned in the flames while Prahlada, a devotee of Vishnu, came through unharmed. The fire stands for good overcoming evil.

The next day is the day of colours, Rangwali Holi. People smear each other with coloured powder, visit family and friends and share sweets, and the day is also linked to forgiveness and a fresh start.

Holi and Phagwa

Holi is the name of the festival in India and in much of the world. Phagwa (also written Phagwah, or Phaguá by the organisers in The Hague) is the name used among Hindustani and other Indo-Caribbean communities, including in Suriname and Guyana. The Hague organisers explain that the name comes from the Hindu month Phágun. Holi and Phagwa share the same full moon, the Holika fire and the colours.

The festival came from India to Suriname in 1873. Hindustani migrants from Suriname took it to the Netherlands; the first arrived about sixty years ago. The Dutch Hindustani celebration includes chautaal, Dhoer Urawe and Bhurwa Mangar. In Suriname, Phagwa is a public holiday. Organisations here often write the double name "Holi Phagwa", which is why this page uses both.

When is Holi in 2027?

By the Indian calendar, Holika Dahan is on the evening of Sunday 21 March 2027 and Holi, the day of colours, is on Monday 22 March 2027. The full moon begins on the evening of 21 March and ends in the afternoon of 22 March, Indian time. Holi in India is on Monday 22 March, and Phagwa in Suriname and Guyana falls on the same day.

In the Netherlands the date follows the full moon in Dutch time. In 2026 that put Holika Dahan on Monday 2 March and Holi on Tuesday 3 March, a day before the Delhi calendar, which had Holika Dahan on Tuesday 3 March and Holi on Wednesday 4 March. The Hague (Stichting Holi Samen) and Rotterdam (APNA) lit the Holika fire on 2 March, and Suriname's public holiday was on 3 March. For 2027 the panchang for the Netherlands also gives Sunday 21 March for Holika Dahan and Monday 22 March for Holi. In the Surinamese-Hindustani tradition a pandit, a priest, sets the hour of the fire.

None of the Dutch organisers has announced its 2027 dates yet. Dutch communities set their own dates, so their pages are the place to check, and colour days are sometimes moved to a Saturday.

Where it was celebrated in the Netherlands

The Hague. Stichting Holi Samen organises the Haagse Holi Hangámá together with other organisations. In 2026 the Holika fire was lit on Monday 2 March at the Dew Mandir, Gaslaan 74, from 19:00 to 20:30 (the fire itself 19:30 to 20:15). The festival followed on Tuesday 3 March from 13:00 to 18:00 in the Zuiderpark, a new location, with a stage programme. Earlier editions were held in Wijkpark Transvaal, with a procession and a stage programme.

Rotterdam. APNA, a Hindu umbrella organisation in the Rotterdam area, ran a series of events in 2026: Vasant Panchami on 23 January, Holika Dahan on 2 March at Spartapark Oost, Dhur Oerawe (also spelled Dhoer Urawe) on 3 March, the APNA Holi Colour Sensation on Saturday 7 March in the Zuiderpark from 15:00 to 21:00, and Bhurwa Mangar on 10 March. Rotterdam's big Holi day in the Zuiderpark goes back roughly a quarter of a century.

Amstelveen. The foundation Bridging the Gap organised an Indian Colour Festival in the Emergohal on Saturday 15 March 2025, from 12:00 to 16:30.

Events in other cities appear in the list on this page as soon as organisers announce them.

What to expect

The Dutch Hindustani celebration follows a cycle. It starts with Vasant Panchami, the cultural start of the season, continues with Holika Dahan and with Dhoer Urawe, the day after, when ash from the fire is thrown up and the festival begins, and ends with Bhurwa Mangar, a meeting about the rituals and next year's plans. Chautaal, traditional singing, with dancing, is part of it. A procession with a float and music is part of the festival day.

The colour days themselves are outdoor parties. Rotterdam's colour day in 2026 had performances, DJs and live bands, powder cannons, food trucks, coloured powder on sale at the site and activities for children, and was meant for all ages. The Hague's festival has a stage programme. The ticketed colour festival in Amstelveen in 2025 had Indian dishes, shaved ice, Indian sweets and three DJs playing Bollywood, house and international music, with a pack of coloured powder included.

How to join

Entry depends on the organiser. Rotterdam's colour day in 2026 was free and needed no ticket in advance. The Amstelveen festival in 2025 was ticketed, from €15, and open to everyone aged 4 and up. For other editions, check the organiser's page for prices.

Wear white clothes: both The Hague's organisers and the Amstelveen organisers ask for it, so that the colours show. In The Hague, alcohol and drugs are not allowed on the grounds, and visitors are asked to take other people and their belongings into account. Coloured powder was sold on site in Rotterdam.

Public Holi events in the Netherlands also draw people who are not Hindu. A young woman who celebrates Holi Phagwa in the Rotterdam Zuiderpark advises newcomers to know what they are celebrating.