15 August commemoration 2027 what, where and on TV

What is remembered on 15 August?

Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies from 1942 to 1945. On 15 August 1945 it capitulated, which officially ended the Second World War for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Each year the Netherlands remembers everyone who was a victim of the war against Japan and the occupation. The foundation that organises the commemoration names, among others: about a hundred thousand civilians interned in camps; hundreds of thousands who had to survive outside the camps; hundreds of thousands put to forced labour, among them prisoners of war and Indonesian forced labourers; and tens of thousands of women who were sexually exploited. Millions suffered from hunger, violence and terror.

Every group of the colonial society had victims, among them Indonesians, Moluccans, Indo-Europeans, Europeans, Papuans and the Jewish Indo-Dutch and Chinese-Indonesian communities.

The melati, a jasmine flower, is worn as a symbol of respect and sympathy.

When is the commemoration in 2027?

The national commemoration is held every year on 15 August. In 2027 that is a Sunday. The programme for 2027 is not out yet.

In 2026 the ceremony was on Saturday 15 August at the Indisch Monument: the field opened at 17:00, the ceremony began at 18:45 and ended at 20:00 with the march past the monument.

On 17 August 1945, two days after the capitulation, Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed the independence of Indonesia. That is a different day with its own meaning.

The national ceremony and local commemorations

The national commemoration is held at the Indisch Monument in The Hague, unveiled by Queen Beatrix in 1988. The Netherlands has three national commemorations, and this is one of them. The foundation says about 3,000 people attend each year and that the NOS broadcast has about 400,000 viewers on average. The presidents of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister, other members of the government and the Indonesian ambassador attend every year.

Commemorations are also held in towns across the country on and around 15 August. In 2026 the foundation's overview listed, among others, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Groningen, Ede, Deventer, Den Helder and Delft; Amstelveen holds its ceremony on 14 August. In 2026 there was also a programme in The Hague around the ceremony, by several organisations, with Bar Bungkus as a meeting place before and after. Other commemorations follow in August at the monuments of Bronbeek in Arnhem.

Rotterdam's own commemoration was held in 2026 on Saturday 15 August from 11:00 to 12:00 at the Indisch Straatsieraad near De Boeg on the Boompjes.

How to attend or watch

Entry to the national commemoration is free. Since 2026 you no longer need to reserve a seat: you sit where one is free, and only donors of the foundation could reserve one in advance (until 1 August in 2026).

In 2026 the ceremony was broadcast live on NPO 1 from 18:45, and it can be watched again on npo.nl.

For a local commemoration, check the foundation's overview and local media for the latest details. If you are abroad on 15 August, look at the Dutch embassy in Indonesia, Thailand or Burma, or at the Facebook pages of the foundation and the war graves foundation. 15 August is an official flag day: government buildings fly the flag.

The weekend around 15 August

In Rotterdam the Stichting 15 augustus 1945 regio Rotterdam, which also organises the city's commemoration, holds Floating Pasar: a free family festival of Indo, Indonesian, Moluccan and Papuan communities, in 2026 at Fenix on Katendrecht on 15 and 16 August. A 2027 date has not been announced.

In The Hague the Jalan Jalan Festival, an Indo-Dutch city festival, follows on 20 to 22 August 2027.