Christmas markets · Amsterdam
Christmas Markets in Amsterdam 2026
Amsterdam's best-known Christmas market is the Christmas Village on Museumplein, next to the Rijksmuseum, which runs from 3 to 27 December 2026 and is free to enter. The Funky Xmas Market at Westergas is a one-day design market on 20 December 2026, and Kerst op het Plein in Amsterdam-Noord is a neighborhood market with more than thirty stalls. Larger Christmas towns such as Valkenburg and Maastricht are a few hours away.
4 markets · checked October 2026
- Amsterdam Light Festival2026: 26 Nov 2026 – 17 Jan 2027Watching from the quays is free; for the water route you buy a canal-cruise ticket from a boat operator.
- Christmas Village Amsterdam2026: 3-27 Dec 2026Free entry.
- Funky Xmas Market Westergas2026: 20 Dec 2026Free entry.
- Kerst op het Plein (Purmerplein)Last season: 13 Dec 2025Free entry.
🧒 With kids
- Kerst op het Plein (Purmerplein) · Amsterdam
- De Lumineuze Nachten (Kasteel de Haar) · Haarzuilens (Utrecht)
- Lichtjesparade Lelystad · Lelystad
- The Biggest Christmas Tree (Gerbrandy Tower) · IJsselstein
✨ Date night
- Amsterdam Light Festival · Amsterdam
- Christmas Village Amsterdam · Amsterdam
- Funky Xmas Market Westergas · Amsterdam
🎉 With friends
- Amsterdam Light Festival · Amsterdam
- Christmas Village Amsterdam · Amsterdam
- Funky Xmas Market Westergas · Amsterdam
- The Biggest Christmas Tree (Gerbrandy Tower) · IJsselstein
Festival
📷 Erik Zachte · CC BY-SA 3.0 · 📷 Kitty Terwolbeck · CC BY 2.0 · 📷 Marion Golsteijn · CC BY-SA 4.0
Festival · Amsterdam
Amsterdam Light Festival
An annual light-art festival: international artists make light artworks especially for Amsterdam's canals, to be seen from the water and from the quays.
✨ Date night🎉 With friendsWhat's there
- Light artworks along and above the canals
- On foot or by canal cruise
- Lights on daily from 4:30pm to 11pm
- 15th edition in 2026–27
What visitors sayGoogle 3.1 ★ · 186 reviews
Visitors who walk the route (about 6.5–8.5 km) recommend the app and find the artworks easier to see from the quays than from a boat; a cruise gives you the stories behind the works, but with reflections on the windows. Some editions disappointed (artworks far apart, little spectacle), while for other families it is a yearly Christmas tradition.
The best-known light event of the Dutch Christmas season — weekday early evenings are the quietest.
- 2026
- 26 Nov 2026 – 17 Jan 2027
- Last season
- 27 Nov 2025 – 18 Jan 2026
- Cost
- Watching from the quays is free; for the water route you buy a canal-cruise ticket from a boat operator.
Getting there and parking
- From Amsterdam Centraal you walk straight into the centre.
- By car: park in a garage or at one of the city's P+R sites.
Worth knowing
- On 31 December the lights go off at 9pm.
- Not every cruise operator is wheelchair-accessible — ask before booking.
Christmas village
IllustrationChristmas village · Amsterdam
Christmas Village Amsterdam
🎉 With friends✨ Date nightWhat's there
- On Museumplein next to the Rijksmuseum
- Glühwein and twinkling lights
What visitors say
There are still few reviews; those who went describe a cozy winter outing with glühwein and lights.
Handy if you're already in Amsterdam, but not a destination in itself.
- 2026
- 3-27 Dec 2026
- Last season
- 4-28 Dec 2025
- Cost
- Free entry.
Getting there and parking
- Tram 2, 3 or 5 to Museumplein; Q-Park under Museumplein.
Worth knowing
- 2026: 3-24 December 12:00-21:00, 25 and 26 December 12:00-19:00, 27 December 12:00-18:00.
- Dogs welcome on a lead.
Weekend market
IllustrationWeekend market · Amsterdam
Funky Xmas Market Westergas
A one-day Christmas-themed design market in the old gasworks at Westergas: vintage, design, independent makers and street food.
🎉 With friends✨ Date nightWhat's there
- Vintage, design and makers' work
- Street food in the old gasworks
- One Sunday, free entry
The alternative for anyone who wants something other than glühwein and baubles in Amsterdam. It's only one day, so plan around it.
- 2026
- 20 Dec 2026
- Last season
- 21 Dec 2025
- Cost
- Free entry.
Getting there and parking
- Westergas is in Westerpark; take a tram or bus to Haarlemmerplein or Van Limburg Stirumplein and walk through the park.
Worth knowing
- 2026: Sunday 20 December, 12:00-18:00 (iamsterdam.com).
IllustrationWeekend market · Amsterdam
Kerst op het Plein (Purmerplein)
A neighborhood Christmas market with more than thirty stalls on Purmerplein in Tuindorp Nieuwendam (Amsterdam-Noord).
🧒 With kidsWhat's there
- More than thirty stalls
- Neighbourhood atmosphere in Tuindorp Nieuwendam
- Local music
A cozy neighborhood market, not a destination if you're coming from far away.
- Last season
- 13 Dec 2025
- Cost
- Free entry.