Halloween in Amsterdam falls on Saturday 31 October 2026, and the city marks it mainly with costume parties, club nights, horror films and a few events for children rather than with door-to-door trick-or-treating.
Halloween is always on 31 October, so this year it lands on a Saturday night, which is why most of the big parties are on the 31st itself.
Our What’s On calendar lists 13 different Halloween events in and around Amsterdam between 21 October and 1 November 2026, from a children’s parade in a park to an all-night warehouse party.
Is Halloween a Dutch tradition?
Not originally.
Halloween is seen in the Netherlands as an American import that has grown steadily over the past decades, especially among younger people.
Door-to-door trick-or-treating is still fairly new here, and one reader told DutchNews in 2022 that it had only been happening for about ten years.
Shops have noticed the change: in 2023 Dam Feestartikelen, a party shop in Amsterdam, told RTL Nieuws that Halloween was close to overtaking Carnival as its busiest moment of the year.
If you take children trick-or-treating, a simple courtesy is to knock only where a door is decorated for Halloween.
Sint Maarten: the Dutch lantern custom on 11 November
The Dutch tradition that most resembles trick-or-treating is Sint Maarten, held every year on 11 November.
In 2026, Sint Maarten falls on Wednesday 11 November.
Children make a paper lantern at school or at home, walk from door to door after dark, sing a Sint Maarten song and get sweets, fruit or a small treat in return.
The day honours Martin of Tours, a fourth-century soldier who became a bishop and is remembered for cutting his cloak in half to share it with a poor man in the cold.
Long ago it was poor adults, not children, who went from house to house asking for food for the winter; lanterns replaced the older torches and hollowed-out beets.
There is no dressing up and nothing scary involved, so it feels very different from Halloween.
What is on for Halloween 2026 in Amsterdam
All dates below were checked on the organisers’ own pages on 29 October 2026.
Big costume parties
Amsterdam Halloween 2026 takes over WestWeelde, Klönneplein 4 in Westerpark, on Saturday 31 October from 22:00 to 05:00, with the horror film The Ring as this year’s theme.
The same venue holds a Halloween Latin night with Summer Breeze on Thursday 29 October from 20:00, and a Halloween exchange party on Friday 30 October that is already sold out.
On Sunday 1 November, WestWeelde hosts the Femmazing Halloween Festival, a women-only afternoon and evening from 14:00 to 23:00.
Club nights and concerts
Melkweg has Halloween editions all weekend: No Barrier (punk, metalcore and emo), Raving Charlie and Pon Di Pride on Friday 30 October, then Only The Poets’ Halloween Special concert, Sumibu Halloween Night and a Brazilian costume party on Saturday 31 October.
Paradiso runs We Love 00s Halloween on Friday 30 October from 23:30, while its Indiesleaze Halloween Night on Saturday 31 October is sold out.
Horror on screen
Imagine Film Festival, the Amsterdam festival of fantasy, horror and science fiction films, runs from 29 October to 8 November 2026 at De FilmHallen, LAB111 and Hal West.
Halloween for families and children
Most of the big parties are for adults, but children are not left out.
Sportfondsen Mercator, the swimming pool at Jan van Galenstraat 315 in Amsterdam-West, holds a Halloween disco swim on Saturday 31 October from 19:00 to 21:00, with monsters in the water and disco lights.
It costs 13 euros per child, is for children with at least an A swimming diploma up to age 14, and parents cannot come in; tickets are sold at the pool’s desk.
Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, Linnaeusstraat 2 in Oost, runs a free activity every Sunday from 12:00 to 16:00 for families who have a museum ticket.
Its Sint Maarten Sunday is on 8 November 2026, when children can make a lantern to carry on 11 November.
Museum tickets cost 18 euros for adults and 7.50 euros for children aged 6 to 18 when booked online, and under-sixes go free.
For more ideas that work any weekend, see our guide to things to do in Amsterdam with kids and the free things to do this week.
Where to buy a costume
Louis Wittenburg, at Raadhuisstraat 16 between the Singel and the Herengracht, is a party and costume shop that sells Halloween costumes, decorations, make-up effects and coloured contact lenses.
It is open Monday from 11:00 to 18:00, Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 17:30, and it does not take online orders or rent costumes out.
DutchNews reported in 2022 that chain stores such as HEMA had started stocking Halloween items too.
Halloween 2027
Halloween 2027 is on Sunday 31 October 2027.
That is the fixed calendar date, not an announced programme, and no Amsterdam organiser has published 2027 dates yet.
Sint Maarten 2027 falls on Thursday 11 November 2027.
For the rest of the season, our autumn in Amsterdam guide covers what else is on.
More dates in the Amsterdam year: Chinese New Year, International Women’s Day, Father’s Day, the public holidays calendar and What’s On in Amsterdam.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Halloween in Amsterdam in 2026?
Halloween is on Saturday 31 October 2026, and most parties in Amsterdam take place that night, with more on Friday 30 October and Sunday 1 November.
Do Dutch children go trick-or-treating on Halloween?
Some do, mostly in neighbourhoods with many international families, but it is a recent habit; the traditional Dutch custom is Sint Maarten on 11 November, when children go door to door with lanterns and sing for sweets.
Is there a Halloween party for children in Amsterdam?
Yes, Sportfondsen Mercator in Amsterdam-West holds a Halloween disco swim on 31 October 2026 from 19:00 to 21:00 for children with an A diploma up to age 14, at 13 euros each.
When is Halloween 2027?
Halloween 2027 falls on Sunday 31 October 2027; Amsterdam organisers have not announced their 2027 events yet.
When is Sint Maarten?
Sint Maarten is always on 11 November, which is a Wednesday in 2026 and a Thursday in 2027.
Sources
- WestWeelde event programme
- Melkweg agenda
- Paradiso programme
- Imagine Film Festival
- Sportfondsen Mercator: Halloween disco swim
- Wereldmuseum Amsterdam: Sint Maarten Sunday
- DutchNews: Has Halloween invaded Holland?
- Rodi: why Sint Maarten is on 11 November
- Louis Wittenburg
Photo: Carved jack-o’-lanterns lit at night by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto, Pexels licence, via Pexels.
