When December comes, everyone expects twinkling lights and Christmas markets to pop up around the country. But not many would expect to see the streets of old Dutch cities taken over by Dickensian characters and bits and pieces of Victorian London. And yet, that happens in quite a few places in the country. Shopkeepers put on top hats and long skirts, chimney sweeps and pickpockets wander through the old streets, carol singers gather under the lanterns, and Scrooge is grumbling about the whole thing somewhere in the crowd.
It’s a bit weird to think of the Dutch re-creating nineteenth-century England, but it’s a beloved tradition in the more recent years to spend a day or a weekend pretending you’re in the world of Dickens. The Dickens festijnen, as most of them are called, take place from late November and through December, and they are occasions to have a nice day out combined with gift shopping, socialising and drinking punch (or more likely mulled wine). They are cheerful affairs, an opportunity for amateur actors to play a part that requires a lot of improvisation, and for visitors to enjoy a fun afternoon.
It all started in Deventer in 1991 and, more than thirty years later, there are Dickens festivals from Zeeland and Friesland to Brabant, some of them big and ticketed, others small village affairs run by volunteers with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of costumes. Actually, all these events are made possible through the involvement of many volunteers and the community working together, which makes them even more special.
In this article I gathered all the Dickens festivals in the Netherlands I could find for 2026, listed in date order. Dates and times can still change, so do check the organisers’ websites before you set off.
Dickens festivals 2026 at a glance
- Dickens Wintermarkt, Veere — 21 and 22, and 28 and 29 November (free)
- Dickens in de Liemers, Duiven — 11 to 13 December (free)
- Dickensdag, Medemblik — Friday 11 December (free)
- Dickens Festijn, Deventer — 12 and 13 December (ticket)
- Lemster Dickens Festijn, Lemmer — 12 and 13 December (ticket)
- Dickensfestijn, Wintelre — 12 and 13 December (ticket)
- Dickens Festijn, Schiedam — Saturday 12 December (free)
- Charles Dickens Kerstmarkt, Buitenpost — Saturday 12 December
- Dickens Festijn & Kerstmarkt, Tiel and Geldermalsen — Sunday 13 December (free – Tiel) and Saturday 19 December (free- Geldermalsen)
- Dickensfestijn, Drunen — 19 and 20 December (free)
- Bonus: Midwinterfeest, Graft-De Rijp — next edition 11 and 12 December 2027
1. Dickens Wintermarkt, Veere (Zeeland)
Veere Winter Market starts the season, and it’s a good excuse to visit the beautiful province of Zeeland. You could maybe make a weekend of it, visit the beaches, which are mostly empty by now, and the little towns which are quiet and cosy. A Christmas market in November might sound a bit early, but remember that in the Netherlands we celebrate Sinterklaas on 5 December, and he is the Dutch version of Santa Claus. So the market stalls sell gifts for both Sinterklaas and Christmas.
The Zeeland tourist board describes the market as A Christmas Carol brought to life in the streets of Veere. The event is mainly a market, but there are also choirs in Victorian costume, street theatre and costumed figures walking between the stalls. There are poffertjes, mulled wine, roasted nuts and soup. It is a smaller event which I think suits Veere quite well.
The market happens in two weekends at the end of November, and you can find the full programme on their website. Among other things there are cannon shots at the Noorderhoofd, a traditional Walcheren costume parade, and even an alpaca visit to the market.
When: 21 and 22, and 28 and 29 November 2026, 10:00–17:00
Where: the historic centre of Veere
Entry: free
Website: Dickens Wintermarkt Veere
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2. Dickens in de Liemers, Duiven (Gelderland)
Dickens in de Liemers is the first of the December festivals, starting on the Friday afternoon and running for three days. It takes place in the Horsterpark, between Westervoort and Duiven, and the organisers build their own version of old London streets in the park.
Expect chestnut sellers, chimney sweeps, shoe shiners, office clerks, beggars and pickpockets, and singing children. There is a big Dickens parade, which the organisers call the highlight of the event. Last year the programme also included a magician and a group of midwinter horn players.
One thing to know before you go is that the stalls work with their own Dickens coin, worth €2.50 (introduced in 2024), or with a QR code, while the Theepaviljoen only takes cards. Entry is free.
When: Friday 11 December 16:00–21:00, Saturday 12 December 15:00–20:00, Sunday 13 December 13:00–19:00
Where: Horsterpark, Horsterparklaan 3, Duiven
Entry: free
Website: Dickens in de Liemers
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3. Dickensdag Medemblik (Noord-Holland)
For one night in December, more than 150 costumed characters, musicians and choir members fill the lit-up historic centre of this old harbour town.
There is a market where you can browse stalls of Christmas decorations, regional crafts and brocante. The best way to arrive is on the Dickens Express, a heritage steam tram that runs from Hoorn to Medemblik for the evening. This is the same train that has a special tulip route in the spring, and I wrote about it here.
When: Friday 11 December 2026, 15:00–21:00
Where: the historic centre of Medemblik
Getting there: the Dickens Express steam tram leaves Hoorn station at 15:00 or 16:30 and returns from Medemblik at 19:30 or 21:00
Entry: free
Website: Dickensdag Medemblik
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4. Dickens Festijn, Deventer (Overijssel)
This is the biggest Dickens festival in the Netherlands, and the most famous. It’s also generally believed to be the largest Dickens festival in the world. Chances are you’ve heard of it already, or maybe even visited. The Dickens Festijn in Deventer celebrates its 34th edition this year, with characters from Dickens’s books filling the narrow streets of the Bergkwartier, Deventer’s old quarter, from the Walstraat and the Bergstraat to the square around the Bergkerk. There are more than 950 actors bringing this scene to life, many of them locals who volunteer.
The story behind it goes back to 1991, and to Emmy Strik, the owner of an antique shop on the Walstraat. She wanted to liven up the December shopping Sunday, and proposed that to the municipality. They weren’t very keen on the idea, so she and her husband Jan organised the first edition themselves, on the street where their shop was. It was a big success and it continued over the years, eventually being taken over by the municipality. Emmy has since collected more than 1,000 Dickensian costumes, and she and her family are still involved in the preparations, though the main organisational responsibility now lies with Events dEVENTer. The past edition drew around 125,000 visitors.
Walking through it, you will meet familiar characters from Dickens books: Scrooge, Oliver Twist, Mr Pickwick and Miss Havisham, the Christmas Carol Singers, orphans, office clerks and well-dressed ladies and gentlemen, and even Queen Victoria herself. The organisers are strict about the costumes and allow nothing from after the 1800s, which helps to create an atmosphere that looks very convincing.
Tickets cost €7.50 online and €9 at the door, and children aged 7 and under can enter for free. This year tickets are sold by time slot, which should help with the famous queues, and the organisers aim to keep the wait to about an hour at most.
Entrance is via the Keizerstraat, near Hotel Finch, and from there you are guided to the entrance in groups. If you can, leave the car at home, as the train station is only a few minutes’ walk from the centre. It’s advised you also not bring your dog, because the streets get very crowded; guide and assistance dogs are welcome and skip the queue.
The same weekend there are Christmas markets elsewhere in the city too, including a covered one inside the Lebuinuskerk and another on the Grote Kerkhof. And if you are curious about the festival outside December, the Charles Dickens Cabinet on the Walstraat is open every Saturday of the year.
When: Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December 2026, 10:00–17:00
Where: the Bergkwartier, Deventer
Entry: €7.50 online, €9 at the door, children aged 7 and under free
Website: Dickens Festijn Deventer
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5. Lemster Dickens Festijn, Lemmer (Friesland)
Dickens Festijn in Lemmer, on the IJsselmeer in the south of Friesland, takes place later in the day than most, from four in the afternoon until nine in the evening on Saturday, so you see a good part of it after dark, with the lights on and the choirs singing.
This year’s theme is “Dickens Tells”, with characters from Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol, and there are around 350 costumed participants, plus live music, street theatre, choirs and a Christmas market, with hot chocolate and mulled wine to keep you warm. For this year’s event, the organisers have developed a special show that presents the world of Charles Dickens in an entirely new light, using modern technology to add a surprising dimension to these well-known stories. How they will do that exactly, it stays a secret for now! The route takes you along the water, through narrow alleys and cosy squares and through the church. If you dare, you can even enter the Ghost Alley!
You will need to buy a ticket for this event, and they are valid for one day; if you buy online you choose an entry time slot. Parking in Lemmer is free, and heated shuttle buses take you to the entrance for a voluntary contribution.
When: Saturday 12 December 16:00–21:00, Sunday 13 December 14:00–19:00
Where: Lemmer
Entry: adults €6 online, €7 at the box office; children 4–12 €4 online, €5 at the box office; under 4 free
Website: Lemster Dickens Festijn
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6. Dickensfestijn Wintelre (Noord-Brabant)
Wintelre is a small village not far from Eindhoven, and another destination for a Dickens festijn. Here you go in through a large gate, where gatekeepers let you into a street set about 150 years in the past, and inside there is quite a lot going on for a village.
You might run into David Copperfield, Scrooge and Fagin’s gang, beggars and quack doctors, a constable, a chimney sweep and a shoe shiner, suffragettes, a school class and children playing marbles, a funeral procession and Queen Victoria herself, while choirs and music groups take care of the Dickensian soundtrack. There is a Christmas market in Dickens style and craftsmen that you can watch at work, like the glass blower, the drummaker, the baker, the stained glass stall. You can also listen to the storyteller at the pot stove.
When: Saturday 12 December 14:00–19:00, Sunday 13 December 12:00–18:00
Where: Wintelre, around the Sint-Willibrorduskerk
Entry: adults €3, children 4–12 €1.50, under 4 free
Website: Dickensfestijn Wintelre
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7. Dickens Festijn, Schiedam (Zuid-Holland)
Schiedam is the festival with a real Dickens link, as it was here, at Drukkerij Roelants on the Lange Haven, that Dutch translations of his books were printed around 1867, and the Lange Haven is exactly where the Dickens market stands today.
The festival is free and takes over the historic centre for a day, around the Dam, the Oude Sluis, the Lange Haven and the Vismarkt, with costumed figurants and street theatre, choirs and music, indoor and outdoor stages, a Christmas market and stalls with traditional crafts. The theme is the contrast between rich and poor, which the organisers point out is still relevant more than 180 years later, and in previous years some of the plays have drawn on Schiedam’s own history. More than a hundred volunteers make all of it happen.
If you have children with you, there is a children’s tent behind the library at Dam 1 with puppet shows, colouring and glitter tattoos. Parking in the centre is paid, so the organisers recommend coming by public transport.
When: Saturday 12 December 2026, performances throughout the day
Where: the historic centre of Schiedam (Dam, Oude Sluis, Lange Haven and Vismarkt)
Entry: free
Website: Dickens Festijn Schiedam
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8. Charles Dickens Kerstmarkt, Buitenpost (Friesland)
This is not a festival, but a Dickens-style Christmas market. It’s for one day and it has stalls selling handmade products and Christmas gifts, but there are Dickens-style characters walking around, music and winter treats, and as it runs until eight in the evening, you can see it after dark too. They also have a small ice skating rink and a merry-go-round for children.
When: Saturday 12 December 2026, 14:00–20:00
Where: the centre of Buitenpost
Entry: Free
Website: Charles Dickens Kerstmarkt Buitenpost
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9. Dickens Festijn & Kerstmarkt, Tiel and Geldermalsen (Gelderland)
Every year in December, the Victorian Dickens Tiel Foundation transforms the city centre of Tiel into the 19th century Victorian England, and a week later, it does the same to the square in Geldermalsen. Christmas market, Christmas choirs, the carousel from 1922, and floating Christmas trees in the city canal. There are around 200 extras to play the Dickens characters, a Christmas market, Christmas choirs, a carousel from 1922, and floating Christmas trees on the canals.
On the Plein there is a Christmas market with more than 50 stalls selling soaps, tea, chocolate, cards, candles, decorations and jewellery, and you can warm up with punch and roasted chestnuts. The choirs and dancers warm up the atmosphere and there is also a free sleigh ride. The town itself is worth visiting, as it’s an old Hanseatic town.
When: Tiel: Sunday 13 December 2026, 12:00–17:00; Geldermalsen Winterfestijn: Saturday 19 December 2026, 12:00–19:00, Geldermalsen town centre
Where: Tiel town centre, around the Weerstraat and the Plein
Entry and parking: free
Website: Dickens Festijn & Kerstmarkt Tiel
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10. Dickensfestijn Drunen (Noord-Brabant)
Drunen is the last one of the season, in the weekend before Christmas, and it comes in two parts. On Saturday evening there is Dickens by Night, with the square lit up, a Dickens fair, street theatre and music (in previous years there were fire-breathers, lanterns, punch and roasted chestnuts too), and on Sunday there is the full festival, with a Dickens street, performances around the town centre and a Dickens parade, which passes at 14:00.
There are more than 300 characters roaming the streets, a petting zoo at the nativity scene, and craftsmen demonstrating their skills. On the Town Hall Square is a shepherd with his flock of sheep. There are donkeys, Christmas organs, Santa Claus and continuous performances. Quite the show, completed with a special Christmas concert on Sunday by The Symphonic Blaze Orchestra.
When: Dickens by Night on Saturday 19 December, 17:00–22:00; Dickensfestijn on Sunday 20 December, with the parade at 14:00
Where: the centre of Drunen, around the Raadhuisplein
Entry and parking: free
Website: Dickensfestijn Drunen
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11. Bonus: Midwinterfeest Graft-De Rijp
This celebration is not a Dickens festival per se, but it has plenty of Dickensian atmosphere. The main theme of the event is Historisch De Rijp, focusing on the village’s own history, particularly the 17th and 18th centuries. Midwinterfeest transforms the historic village of De Rijp into a festive setting where residents dress in Victorian costumes (but not Dickens characters) and the streets are decorated with Christmas, Victorian, and historical De Rijp elements (like whales, because this used to be a whaling village).
There are performances, music and a Christmas market. Midwinterfeest is held every two years, and the next one is in 2027 (11 and 12 December).
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As you can see, there are plenty of events throughout the Netherlands in December. If you want to experience a different kind of Christmas market, pick one and go. Deventer might be largest but if you want to avoid crowds, pick another one. And if you feel like dressing up yourself, no one will mind!
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