Sint Maarten on 11 November and Halloween in the Netherlands: lanterns, songs, regions and the 2026 autumn calendar

From early October, Dutch supermarkets stock carving pumpkins and the homeware shops fill up with plastic cobwebs. Yet take your children out on 31 October and you may find most doors firmly closed and most front windows dark.

Wait eleven days, though, and the doorbell rings. On the evening of 11 November, small groups of children with paper lanterns stand on the doorstep, sing a song and hold out a bag. This is Sint Maarten (St Martin's Day), and for many international families it is the first Dutch tradition their children bring home from school.

The Hague International Centre covers both celebrations in a piece it updated in September 2026. We start from that article and add reporting from the main English-language media for internationals, plus primary sources: the Dutch Centre for Intangible Heritage, the city of Utrecht and its Sint Maarten organisers, the fire service and the Dutch government. The aim is a practical picture of how Halloween and Sint Maarten differ, where and when Sint Maarten happens, how to prepare, and what follows on the calendar up to Sinterklaas.

1. The 2026 autumn and winter calendar at a glance

Start with the dates. From mid-October to New Year, Dutch family life runs on a string of events two or three weeks apart. If you are new, putting them in your calendar now saves a last-minute scramble.

In 2026, Halloween falls on a Saturday and Sint Maarten on a Wednesday, so the lantern walk happens on a school night: home, dinner, then out once it is dark. Sinterklaas arrives on Saturday 14 November; Omroep Brabant reports that the nationally televised arrival will be in Grave, in Noord-Brabant.

The same dates, sorted by what each one asks of you as a parent, show that Sint Maarten is the event where children actually take part, and the one that needs the most preparation.

2. How the Dutch see Halloween

Halloween is not a native Dutch tradition. DutchReview's guide says it has traditionally not been celebrated here and has only gained popularity recently, crediting more internationals, the Dutch fondness for dressing up, and free sweets. The same guide uses the phrase "creeping Americanisation".

Mostly shops, parks and parties

DutchNews.nl noted in 2022 that chains such as HEMA and Lush had started selling Halloween products and that Albert Heijn sold pumpkins with carving guides printed on them. Its 2025 round-up says carving pumpkins have become a common sight at supermarkets, weekly markets and garden centres. Theme parks and clubs run scary nights through October.

The same 2022 DutchNews feature collected readers who see Halloween as an American import or an excuse for shops to sell throwaway goods. One reader summed up the mood as "Sint Maarten: yes, Halloween: no." Most media for internationals reach the same conclusion: younger people enjoy it, opinion overall is divided.

Door-to-door only where houses say so

Trick-or-treating happens on some streets, not across neighbourhoods. DutchReview explains that participating households decorate so children know where to go, and that individual streets take part more often than whole districts. The Dutch version of "trick or treat" is je snoep of je leven ("your sweets or your life").

It also warns against knocking on doors in costume on any other day. For households that do not celebrate, an unexpected ring from a group of masked children is simply confusing.

What's on in The Hague in 2026

According to The Hague International Centre, adult options include a two-night party at PIP Den Haag (30 and 31 October) and the Boterwaag party on the Grote Markt on 31 October, with free entry in costume and, this year, seven stages. For children it lists a treasure hunt on Theresiastraat, trick-or-treating at shops and restaurants in Belgisch Park, and events in Duinoord and on Frederik Hendriklaan in Statenkwartier. The city marketing site denhaag.com adds that participating shops on Theresiastraat show Halloween stickers on their doors or windows.

Children's events cluster in the late morning and afternoon. If you grew up with dark-evening trick-or-treating, adjust expectations: here, Halloween with kids is mostly a daytime outing.

3. What Sint Maarten is

Sint Maarten commemorates Martin of Tours, a 4th-century Roman soldier who became bishop of Tours. The story everyone knows: on a freezing night he cut his cloak in two with his sword and gave half to a beggar. 11 November is the day he was buried.

What children do

The Hague International Centre describes it this way: on the evening of 11 November, children walk through their neighbourhood with home-made lanterns in a lampionnenoptocht (lantern procession), going door to door and singing folk songs in exchange for sweets or small treats.

The usual reward is sweets or fruit, typically mandarins. Xpat.nl notes it is customary to hand out sweets and tangerines. Money used to be common too: the Utrecht heritage listing still mentions sweets, fruit or money.

The song is the point

The big difference from Halloween is that children sing. IamExpat names three well-known songs, "11 november is de dag", "Ik loop hier met mijn lantaarn" and "Sinte Sinte Maarten", and suggests practising them as a fun way into Dutch. Children at Dutch schools usually learn at least one in class; one song is plenty.

One inconsistency is worth flagging. DutchReview's Halloween guide says that on Sint Maarten children wear masks rather than full costumes; a reader comment on the same page objects that it is lanterns, not masks. None of the other sources or the heritage listing mention masks, so lanterns are the safe assumption.

4. Where it comes from: from begging day to festival of light

Accounts of the origins differ in detail. The Hague International Centre says poor planters went from farm to farm asking for food to get through winter. The Dutch Centre for Intangible Heritage (Kenniscentrum Immaterieel Erfgoed Nederland) says poor people went from house to house with torches collecting food and fuel. Both describe a day for asking for help before winter.

The 1920s turning point

NH Nieuws reported in October 2025 that before the 1920s, Sint Maarten was mainly a bedeltocht, an informal begging round in which poor people asked wealthier neighbours for money and fruit. After the First World War it became a children's procession with lanterns and songs, and sweets replaced money and fruit.

The heritage centre adds a longer arc: celebrated in style until the Reformation (around 1580), more subdued after that, and revived from the 1960s with help from anthroposophical schools. By the end of the 20th century, singing children were turning up in new housing estates too.

From religion to sharing

In November 2025, NL Times, citing RTL Nieuws, quoted Irene Stengs, a senior ethnologist at the Meertens Instituut (the Royal Academy's institute for Dutch language and culture). Saint Martin, she said, was once a very popular saint in Europe, more important than Saint Nicholas. Today it has become a secularised holiday that has nothing to do with Catholicism anymore, though sharing remains at its heart.

You can see that in Utrecht, where the days around 11 November include a free meal for people experiencing homelessness and a solidarity award called "The Cloak of Saint Martin".

The centre of gravity has moved from adults to children and from survival to treats, while the idea of giving at the door has stayed.

Will Halloween replace it?

Ineke Strouken, the former director of the heritage centre, told NH Nieuws she once feared Sint Maarten would fade as Halloween took off, but does not see a decline: every year she hears of new places celebrating it. She also admits she once predicted Halloween would never become popular here. The Meertens Instituut has studied Halloween too; J. Helsloot gave a talk titled "The fun of fear. Performing Halloween in the Netherlands" back in 2006.

5. Regional differences: where and when

Sint Maarten is not a nationwide fixture, and media for internationals do not agree on where it is strongest. Rather than pick one version, here are the claims side by side.

Who says what

NL Times wrote in 2021 that it is mainly popular in Noord-Holland, Limburg and Groningen. Its 2025 piece, based on an RTL Nieuws survey of municipalities, says it is celebrated from Venlo to Almere and from Groningen to Haarlem, but surprisingly not much in predominantly Catholic areas, and that in Noord-Brabant it remains mainly religious. The article does not publish the survey figures.

IamExpat says it remains important in Limburg and Noord-Holland. NH Nieuws, the North Holland broadcaster, lists Noord-Holland, Limburg, Noord-Brabant and parts of Groningen, Friesland and Zeeland. Some event listings for internationals say the opposite of the RTL finding: that it is mostly a southern Catholic custom.

North Holland appears in every source, Groningen and Limburg in most. Noord-Brabant is where the accounts split. Zuid-Holland, The Hague's province, is not named in any of the national pieces, yet The Hague International Centre describes neighbourhood processions there, so "not named" is not the same as "not celebrated".

There is also disagreement on the trend. IamExpat says the feast is less popular than it used to be and many families no longer celebrate it; NL Times (2025) reports it as increasingly popular; Strouken sees no decline. Your own street is the best indicator.

The date can move

When 11 November falls at a weekend, some places shift. In 2018, when it was a Sunday, NOS reported regional media tallies showing most places in Drenthe and Overijssel going on Sunday, while Saturday was most popular in Groningen and Friesland; within Groningen city, neighbourhoods went on Saturday, Sunday or Monday.

In 2026 the 11th is a Wednesday, so most door-to-door rounds will likely be on the day itself. Big city parades sit on the preceding Saturday: Utrecht on 7 November, and the Groningen Sunnemeerten parade (the local name) the same day.

Why Utrecht is "the Saint Martin city"

According to the heritage centre, the first church on today's Domplein, built in the 7th century, was dedicated to Saint Martin and held his relics. In April 2001 the Dom church parish, Museum Catharijneconvent and the tourist office set up the Sint Maartensberaad to promote Utrecht as "the Saint Martin city of the Netherlands". The Utrecht celebration was added to the national inventory of intangible heritage in October 2012, and the parade draws around 7,000 participants and spectators. The city of Utrecht flies a Sint Maarten flag on the Stadhuisplein every 11 November.

6. Utrecht and The Hague in 2026

How you find out what is on depends heavily on where you live. Utrecht publishes a citywide programme; The Hague works street by street.

Utrecht

The 2026 programme on sintmaartenutrecht.nl puts the parade on Saturday 7 November. The municipal event permit notice (gmb-2026-388385) sets it between 18:00 and 21:00, covering Griftpark, Domplein, Ledig Erf and the route in between. The Utrecht events listing says anything that gives off light counts: a lantern, fairy lights, even light-up shoes.

On the evening of the 11th there are neighbourhood events too, for example in Lunetten (18:30 to 19:30) and De Meern (18:30 at the Mariakerk). A good plan: parade on Saturday, your own street on Wednesday.

The Hague

The Hague has no single citywide parade. The Hague International Centre names Koningsplein, Huygenspark and Statenkwartier as places with processions and says most neighbourhoods organise their own routes.

Its practical advice is clear. The only essential item is a lantern. Expect route details about a week ahead, often through a neighbour or a local newsletter. Processions usually start around 18:00. If you want children to stop at your door, light a candle and have sweets ready. And it is a good chance for school-age children to meet kids nearby and for families to get to know their neighbours.

Because there is no central listing, your network of neighbours and school parents is the information channel. That is a good reason to say hello to them in October.

7. Getting ready with children

Preparation comes down to three things: a lantern, a song and the right clothes. Spread them over the week before so the evening itself is easy.

The lantern

A lantern is a lampion. Many children make one at school or daycare and bring it home, in which case you are done. If you make one at home, IamExpat recommends it over buying one and links to tutorials. Local media regularly show versions made from a clean milk carton with shapes cut out, or a glass jar covered in tissue paper with a wire handle. DutchReview mentions older traditions of hollowed-out pumpkins, turnips and beetroot, a reminder that the Halloween jack-o'-lantern has European cousins.

For toddlers, a shop-bought paper lantern on a battery-powered LED stick is the easiest option; supermarkets and variety stores stock them from late October.

LED, not candles

A candle inside a paper lantern catches fire easily when a child swings it or trips. The Dutch fire service (Brandweer) advises never leaving a burning candle unattended, never leaving children alone with candles, and using battery-powered LED candles in decorations. It does not publish specific lantern guidance, but the same logic says: give children LED lanterns.

Do not confuse lanterns with wensballonnen, the paper sky lanterns lifted by a flame. The Dutch government says the fire service advises against them and they are not allowed everywhere.

Clothes and kit

November evenings are dark, windy and often wet; IamExpat's main tip is to dress warmly.

Bikes are the bigger hazard than cars on many residential streets: they are fast, quiet and use separate paths you will cross several times.

8. On the night: walking and hosting

On the night there are two roles: walking with children, and opening the door. Live here a few years and you will do both.

Walking with children

A dark house with no decoration is generally taken as a "not tonight". If nobody answers, move on. Do not ring repeatedly or linger. Large groups often take one sweet each from a bowl held out by the host rather than queueing for individual hand-outs. When you leave, a "dank u wel" (thank you) is always appreciated.

Hosting at your door

Xpat.nl says the signal is a candle in the window or a sign saying children may ring the bell; The Hague International Centre likewise suggests lighting a candle and having sweets ready. A candle outside should be in a glass holder that will not blow over, or swap it for an LED candle.

Stick to individually wrapped sweets. IamExpat lists sweets, snacks, chocolates or mandarins. Home-baked treats are best avoided because of allergies.

How many to buy depends entirely on your street. In your first year, ask a neighbour how many children came last year. When you run out, switch the light off. The same works if you are ill or out: no light, no knock.

9. Schools, daycare and BSO

Most Dutch primary schools (basisscholen) treat Sint Maarten as a seasonal event, with lantern-making and singing worked into lessons. NH Nieuws described a Montessori school in Beverwijk where older pupils design their own lanterns, younger ones use a template, and the older children lead the little ones through the building, singing in each classroom. The Utrecht heritage listing says the city's schools pay considerable attention to the feast.

BSO (buitenschoolse opvang, after-school care) often uses craft time for lanterns. Xpat.nl notes that schools and daycare centres sometimes restrict sugary treats, so check before sending sweets in. For Halloween, some schools hold a dress-up day, but it is far less common than Sint Maarten; if the school has not mentioned it, no costume is needed.

10. Safety

Sint Maarten is one of the few occasions when young children are out on the street after dark. The conditions are cold, wet and busy with bikes.

Traffic deserves the most attention. Residential cycle paths carry fast, quiet traffic with lights that are easy to mistake for lanterns. Letting children go round in a group without an adult can wait until the upper years of primary school.

11. If you are new here

For internationals, the hardest part is not the custom itself but the information flow. In many cities there is no central listing for neighbourhood processions; plans spread by word of mouth, WhatsApp groups and school newsletters.

If family is visiting from abroad, the same points help. Tell them Sint Maarten, not Halloween, is the main event for children; pack warm clothes; and give them the hosting job at the door. It needs no Dutch: hold out the bowl, smile and say "dank je wel". On religion, as the Meertens researcher notes, the feast has become secular in most places, so anyone can join in.

12. What not to do

Most first-year missteps are harmless, but a few annoy neighbours or create real risks.

The last one is not about Sint Maarten, but it is the biggest change on this season's calendar.

13. From Sint Maarten to Sinterklaas and New Year

Once the lanterns are put away, Sinterklaas season starts. Here is just the sequence.

Arrival to gift evening

ACCESS explains that Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat from Spain in mid-November, with televised parades and street celebrations. Omroep Brabant reports that in 2026 the national arrival is on Saturday 14 November in Grave, broadcast live on NPO 3 from 12:00, the first national arrival in Noord-Brabant since 2000. The children's news show Sinterklaasjournaal runs daily at 18:00 from Monday 9 November.

In The Hague, Sinterklaas traditionally arrives at Scheveningen harbour. The family listings site Kidsproof lists the 2026 arrival there on 14 November as well; check the organiser's timings closer to the date.

After the arrival, children put their shoes out on some evenings and find small treats in the morning. The main event is Pakjesavond on 5 December, which Expatica notes is a Saturday in 2026: families and friends exchange gifts, traditionally with a short teasing or flattering poem.

The long debate about the depiction of Sinterklaas's helper Zwarte Piet is outside the scope of this article; schools and communities set their own approach, and it is best to follow theirs.

A different New Year's Eve

The biggest change this season is fireworks. According to NL Times, the nationwide consumer fireworks ban took effect on 1 August 2026, so 2026–2027 is the first New Year it applies to. The government's rules still allow category F1 items such as sparklers and party poppers all year, but consumers may not buy, own or set off rockets, cakes or bangers.

14. Three example households

To make this concrete, here are three fictional households in different situations. They are illustrations, not real people.

Just arrived in The Hague with a five-year-old

The family moved in September and the child has just started at a local primary school. A message about lantern-making is the first they hear of Sint Maarten. Their first step: ask in the class parents' group whether there is a procession nearby and where it meets. The lantern comes from school, so they only need reflective gear and warm clothes. On the night, the parent walks behind the group and listens.

Two primary-school children in Utrecht

Aged six and nine, the children only did a few doors last year and want more. The family goes to the parade on Saturday 7 November and does their own neighbourhood on Wednesday the 11th. Since anything glowing is welcome at the parade, the older child decorates a bike light.

A couple without children on a ground floor

Last year children rang and there was nothing in the house. This year they decide in advance: host or switch off. If hosting, about 30 wrapped sweets and mandarins and an LED candle in the window. It is also an easy way to get to know the families on the street.

Whatever your situation, the common thread is asking your neighbours. The connections may well outlast the sweets.

15. Step by step for 2026

1. During October: check the school and BSO calendars for lantern-making days
2. Saturday 31 October: for Halloween, pick an organised event such as Belgisch Park or Theresiastraat
3. Around 4 November: find out the meeting point and time for your street's procession
4. Saturday 7 November: in Utrecht, decide whether to join the parade
5. By 10 November: LED batteries, reflective gear, warm clothes; hosts buy sweets
6. Wednesday 11 November: set off around 18:00 and head home after one or two hours
7. Saturday 14 November: decide whether to watch the Sinterklaas arrival
8. Saturday 5 December: gift evening

16. Summary

• Halloween is spreading in the Netherlands, mostly through shops and events; door-to-door is limited to marked streets and organised events
• The night children walk with lanterns and sing for sweets is Sint Maarten, 11 November, a Wednesday in 2026
• It began as a day of asking for alms before winter and became a children's custom around the 1920s; today it is largely secular
• Sources disagree on where it is strongest; Utrecht runs a citywide programme, while The Hague works neighbourhood by neighbourhood
• Prepare an LED lantern, one song, warm and visible clothes; hosts need a light and wrapped sweets
• Sinterklaas arrives on 14 November and gift evening follows on 5 December; consumer fireworks are banned from this New Year

Sources

Primary sources (government, public bodies, researchers, organisers)

• Saint Martin celebration in Utrecht — Kenniscentrum Immaterieel Erfgoed Nederland: history, inventory listing (October 2012), parade size
• Sint Maarten Utrecht (Sint Maartensberaad): 2026 programme
• Gemeenteblad gmb-2026-388385 — Officiële bekendmakingen: parade permit and times
• Sint Maarten Parade — Uitagenda Utrecht: how to join the parade
• Vlagmomenten — Gemeente Utrecht: the Sint Maarten flag on 11 November
• The fun of fear. Performing Halloween in the Netherlands — KNAW / Meertens Instituut: Meertens research talk on Halloween
• School holidays 2026-2027 — Rijksoverheid: autumn and Christmas breaks
• Fireworks rules — Rijksoverheid: fireworks categories and sky lanterns
• December brandveilige feestmaand — Brandweer: candle safety
• Halloween in The Hague — denhaag.com: 2026 Halloween events

Media for internationals and news reports

• Spooky Season in The Hague: Halloween and Sint Maarten's traditions — The Hague International Centre: starting point for this article
• What is Sint-Maarten and how can you celebrate it? — IamExpat: origins, songs, preparation
• Celebrating St. Martin's Eve in the Utrecht region — IamExpat: Utrecht events
• An expat guide to celebrating Halloween in the Netherlands — IamExpat: Halloween options
• Halloween in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide — DutchReview: attitudes and trick-or-treating
• Sint-Maarten (Dutch Halloween) — DutchReview: lanterns and songs
• Let the fright one in: Has Halloween invaded Holland? — DutchNews.nl: commercialisation and opinions
• Fright night: 13 ways to celebrate Halloween — DutchNews.nl: pumpkins and events
• Kids with lanterns singing for candy: Sint Maarten increasingly popular — NL Times: regions and the Meertens view
• Sint-Maarten celebrated in small groups — NL Times: regions in 2021
• Dutch consumer fireworks ban cleared to take effect — NL Times: fireworks ban
• Dutch public holidays in 2026 — Expatica: 2026 weekdays
• What is the tradition of Sinterklaas? — ACCESS: the Sinterklaas sequence
• Gift giving in the Netherlands — Xpat.nl: treats and the candle signal
• Gaat Halloween Sint-Maarten vervangen? — NH Nieuws: the 1920s shift and Ineke Strouken
• Het is Sint Maarten, maar wat vieren we eigenlijk? — NH Nieuws: regions and school lanterns
• Sint-Maarten kan vandaag zijn — NOS: shifting dates by region
• Definitief: landelijke Sinterklaasintocht dit jaar in Grave — Omroep Brabant: 2026 national arrival
• Sinterklaas arrivals around The Hague — Kidsproof: Scheveningen arrival

Dates and programmes can change at the organisers' discretion. Everything above was checked on 22 October 2026; confirm with the organiser or your neighbourhood before you go.

Original article

Spooky Season in The Hague: Halloween and Sint Maarten's traditions — The Hague International Centre