Holiday calendar

Which days matter, per country.

Most calendars you find online are American. They have Thanksgiving and no Sinterklaas, and Mother’s Day falls on the wrong Sunday.

This one doesn’t. Pick your country and your year, and you get the days that matter to your clients — including the moveable ones that shift every year.

Holiday calendar BE 2026
Date	Day	Why it matters
Thu 1 January	New Year’s Day	Wishes only land if they’re on time. Schedule them in late December.
Sat 3 January	Winter sales start	Fixed by Belgian law on 3 January. You may only announce once the waiting period is over.
Sat 14 February	Valentine’s Day	A buying moment for hospitality, flowers and gifts. The week before matters more than the day itself.
Tue 17 February	Carnival	Big in Limburg, Aalst and the south of the Netherlands. Barely elsewhere. Know where your client is.
Sun 5 April	Easter	Moves every year. Shops and hospitality hang their spring campaign on it.
Fri 1 May	Labour Day	Public holiday in Belgium and France. Many businesses closed.
Sun 10 May	Mother’s Day	Second Sunday of May. In Antwerp it’s 15 August.
Sun 14 June	Father’s Day (BE)	Second Sunday of June in Belgium, third in the Netherlands and France.
Wed 1 July	Summer sales start	Set at 1 July in Belgium. The waiting period starts a month earlier.
Tue 21 July	Belgian National Day	Public holiday. Works for local brands, thin for international ones.
Tue 1 September	Back to school	The real second New Year. In September people decide what they postponed in January.
Sat 31 October	Halloween	Grows every year, especially in hospitality and retail.
Sun 1 November	All Saints’ Day	Public holiday and a week of school break. Watch your opening hours.
Wed 11 November	Singles’ Day	Mostly online. The warm-up for Black Friday.
Fri 27 November	Black Friday	Fourth Friday of November. In Belgium it brushes against the pre-sales waiting period.
Sun 6 December	Sinterklaas	Exists in Belgium and the Netherlands and almost nowhere else.
Fri 25 December	Christmas	The buying season starts mid-November. On the 25th itself almost nobody is reading.
Thu 31 December	New Year’s Eve	Year-in-review posts work well here, especially with real numbers.

Subscribe inGoogle Calendar Apple Calendar Outlook (work)Outlook (personal)

Download the file

Subscribing beats downloading: your calendar fetches it itself and keeps it current. The file holds the next five years.

Google Calendar can only add a calendar on a computer — the app on your phone does not have that button. Do it once on a computer and it will show up on your phone afterwards.
Google and Outlook fetch the calendar about once a day, so a date we add will not appear straight away.

Holiday calendar BE 2027
Date	Day	Why it matters
Fri 1 January	New Year’s Day	Wishes only land if they’re on time. Schedule them in late December.
Sun 3 January	Winter sales start	Fixed by Belgian law on 3 January. You may only announce once the waiting period is over.
Tue 9 February	Carnival	Big in Limburg, Aalst and the south of the Netherlands. Barely elsewhere. Know where your client is.
Sun 14 February	Valentine’s Day	A buying moment for hospitality, flowers and gifts. The week before matters more than the day itself.
Sun 28 March	Easter	Moves every year. Shops and hospitality hang their spring campaign on it.
Sat 1 May	Labour Day	Public holiday in Belgium and France. Many businesses closed.
Sun 9 May	Mother’s Day	Second Sunday of May. In Antwerp it’s 15 August.
Sun 13 June	Father’s Day (BE)	Second Sunday of June in Belgium, third in the Netherlands and France.
Thu 1 July	Summer sales start	Set at 1 July in Belgium. The waiting period starts a month earlier.
Wed 21 July	Belgian National Day	Public holiday. Works for local brands, thin for international ones.
Wed 1 September	Back to school	The real second New Year. In September people decide what they postponed in January.
Sun 31 October	Halloween	Grows every year, especially in hospitality and retail.
Mon 1 November	All Saints’ Day	Public holiday and a week of school break. Watch your opening hours.
Thu 11 November	Singles’ Day	Mostly online. The warm-up for Black Friday.
Fri 26 November	Black Friday	Fourth Friday of November. In Belgium it brushes against the pre-sales waiting period.
Mon 6 December	Sinterklaas	Exists in Belgium and the Netherlands and almost nowhere else.
Sat 25 December	Christmas	The buying season starts mid-November. On the 25th itself almost nobody is reading.
Fri 31 December	New Year’s Eve	Year-in-review posts work well here, especially with real numbers.

Subscribe inGoogle Calendar Apple Calendar Outlook (work)Outlook (personal)

Download the file

Subscribing beats downloading: your calendar fetches it itself and keeps it current. The file holds the next five years.

Google Calendar can only add a calendar on a computer — the app on your phone does not have that button. Do it once on a computer and it will show up on your phone afterwards.
Google and Outlook fetch the calendar about once a day, so a date we add will not appear straight away.

Holiday calendar BE 2028
Date	Day	Why it matters
Sat 1 January	New Year’s Day	Wishes only land if they’re on time. Schedule them in late December.
Mon 3 January	Winter sales start	Fixed by Belgian law on 3 January. You may only announce once the waiting period is over.
Mon 14 February	Valentine’s Day	A buying moment for hospitality, flowers and gifts. The week before matters more than the day itself.
Tue 29 February	Carnival	Big in Limburg, Aalst and the south of the Netherlands. Barely elsewhere. Know where your client is.
Sun 16 April	Easter	Moves every year. Shops and hospitality hang their spring campaign on it.
Mon 1 May	Labour Day	Public holiday in Belgium and France. Many businesses closed.
Sun 14 May	Mother’s Day	Second Sunday of May. In Antwerp it’s 15 August.
Sun 11 June	Father’s Day (BE)	Second Sunday of June in Belgium, third in the Netherlands and France.
Sat 1 July	Summer sales start	Set at 1 July in Belgium. The waiting period starts a month earlier.
Fri 21 July	Belgian National Day	Public holiday. Works for local brands, thin for international ones.
Fri 1 September	Back to school	The real second New Year. In September people decide what they postponed in January.
Tue 31 October	Halloween	Grows every year, especially in hospitality and retail.
Wed 1 November	All Saints’ Day	Public holiday and a week of school break. Watch your opening hours.
Sat 11 November	Singles’ Day	Mostly online. The warm-up for Black Friday.
Fri 24 November	Black Friday	Fourth Friday of November. In Belgium it brushes against the pre-sales waiting period.
Wed 6 December	Sinterklaas	Exists in Belgium and the Netherlands and almost nowhere else.
Mon 25 December	Christmas	The buying season starts mid-November. On the 25th itself almost nobody is reading.
Sun 31 December	New Year’s Eve	Year-in-review posts work well here, especially with real numbers.

Subscribe inGoogle Calendar Apple Calendar Outlook (work)Outlook (personal)

Download the file

Subscribing beats downloading: your calendar fetches it itself and keeps it current. The file holds the next five years.

Google Calendar can only add a calendar on a computer — the app on your phone does not have that button. Do it once on a computer and it will show up on your phone afterwards.
Google and Outlook fetch the calendar about once a day, so a date we add will not appear straight away.

Holiday calendar NL 2026
Date	Day	Why it matters
Thu 1 January	New Year’s Day	Wishes only land if they’re on time. Schedule them in late December.
Sat 14 February	Valentine’s Day	A buying moment for hospitality, flowers and gifts. The week before matters more than the day itself.
Tue 17 February	Carnival	Big in Limburg, Aalst and the south of the Netherlands. Barely elsewhere. Know where your client is.
Sun 5 April	Easter	Moves every year. Shops and hospitality hang their spring campaign on it.
Mon 27 April	King’s Day	The Netherlands’ biggest orange day. Doesn’t exist in Belgium.
Sun 10 May	Mother’s Day	Second Sunday of May. In Antwerp it’s 15 August.
Sun 21 June	Father’s Day	Third Sunday of June. A week later than in Belgium.
Tue 1 September	Back to school	The real second New Year. In September people decide what they postponed in January.
Sat 31 October	Halloween	Grows every year, especially in hospitality and retail.
Wed 11 November	Singles’ Day	Mostly online. The warm-up for Black Friday.
Fri 27 November	Black Friday	Fourth Friday of November. In Belgium it brushes against the pre-sales waiting period.
Sat 5 December	Pakjesavond	In the Netherlands it’s 5 December, not the 6th. One day apart from Belgium.
Fri 25 December	Christmas	The buying season starts mid-November. On the 25th itself almost nobody is reading.
Thu 31 December	New Year’s Eve	Year-in-review posts work well here, especially with real numbers.

Subscribe inGoogle Calendar Apple Calendar Outlook (work)Outlook (personal)

Download the file

Subscribing beats downloading: your calendar fetches it itself and keeps it current. The file holds the next five years.

Google Calendar can only add a calendar on a computer — the app on your phone does not have that button. Do it once on a computer and it will show up on your phone afterwards.
Google and Outlook fetch the calendar about once a day, so a date we add will not appear straight away.

Holiday calendar NL 2027
Date	Day	Why it matters
Fri 1 January	New Year’s Day	Wishes only land if they’re on time. Schedule them in late December.
Tue 9 February	Carnival	Big in Limburg, Aalst and the south of the Netherlands. Barely elsewhere. Know where your client is.
Sun 14 February	Valentine’s Day	A buying moment for hospitality, flowers and gifts. The week before matters more than the day itself.
Sun 28 March	Easter	Moves every year. Shops and hospitality hang their spring campaign on it.
Tue 27 April	King’s Day	The Netherlands’ biggest orange day. Doesn’t exist in Belgium.
Sun 9 May	Mother’s Day	Second Sunday of May. In Antwerp it’s 15 August.
Sun 20 June	Father’s Day	Third Sunday of June. A week later than in Belgium.
Wed 1 September	Back to school	The real second New Year. In September people decide what they postponed in January.
Sun 31 October	Halloween	Grows every year, especially in hospitality and retail.
Thu 11 November	Singles’ Day	Mostly online. The warm-up for Black Friday.
Fri 26 November	Black Friday	Fourth Friday of November. In Belgium it brushes against the pre-sales waiting period.
Sun 5 December	Pakjesavond	In the Netherlands it’s 5 December, not the 6th. One day apart from Belgium.
Sat 25 December	Christmas	The buying season starts mid-November. On the 25th itself almost nobody is reading.
Fri 31 December	New Year’s Eve	Year-in-review posts work well here, especially with real numbers.

Subscribe inGoogle Calendar Apple Calendar Outlook (work)Outlook (personal)

Download the file

Subscribing beats downloading: your calendar fetches it itself and keeps it current. The file holds the next five years.

Google Calendar can only add a calendar on a computer — the app on your phone does not have that button. Do it once on a computer and it will show up on your phone afterwards.
Google and Outlook fetch the calendar about once a day, so a date we add will not appear straight away.

Holiday calendar NL 2028
Date	Day	Why it matters
Sat 1 January	New Year’s Day	Wishes only land if they’re on time. Schedule them in late December.
Mon 14 February	Valentine’s Day	A buying moment for hospitality, flowers and gifts. The week before matters more than the day itself.
Tue 29 February	Carnival	Big in Limburg, Aalst and the south of the Netherlands. Barely elsewhere. Know where your client is.
Sun 16 April	Easter	Moves every year. Shops and hospitality hang their spring campaign on it.
Thu 27 April	King’s Day	The Netherlands’ biggest orange day. Doesn’t exist in Belgium.
Sun 14 May	Mother’s Day	Second Sunday of May. In Antwerp it’s 15 August.
Sun 18 June	Father’s Day	Third Sunday of June. A week later than in Belgium.
Fri 1 September	Back to school	The real second New Year. In September people decide what they postponed in January.
Tue 31 October	Halloween	Grows every year, especially in hospitality and retail.
Sat 11 November	Singles’ Day	Mostly online. The warm-up for Black Friday.
Fri 24 November	Black Friday	Fourth Friday of November. In Belgium it brushes against the pre-sales waiting period.
Tue 5 December	Pakjesavond	In the Netherlands it’s 5 December, not the 6th. One day apart from Belgium.
Mon 25 December	Christmas	The buying season starts mid-November. On the 25th itself almost nobody is reading.
Sun 31 December	New Year’s Eve	Year-in-review posts work well here, especially with real numbers.

Subscribe inGoogle Calendar Apple Calendar Outlook (work)Outlook (personal)

Download the file

Subscribing beats downloading: your calendar fetches it itself and keeps it current. The file holds the next five years.

Google Calendar can only add a calendar on a computer — the app on your phone does not have that button. Do it once on a computer and it will show up on your phone afterwards.
Google and Outlook fetch the calendar about once a day, so a date we add will not appear straight away.

Holiday calendar FR 2026
Date	Day	Why it matters
Thu 1 January	New Year’s Day	Wishes only land if they’re on time. Schedule them in late December.
Sat 14 February	Valentine’s Day	A buying moment for hospitality, flowers and gifts. The week before matters more than the day itself.
Sun 5 April	Easter	Moves every year. Shops and hospitality hang their spring campaign on it.
Fri 1 May	Labour Day	Public holiday in Belgium and France. Many businesses closed.
Sun 31 May	Mother’s Day (FR)	Last Sunday of May, so almost always later than in Belgium. The classic slip in bilingual campaigns.
Sun 21 June	Father’s Day	Third Sunday of June. A week later than in Belgium.
Tue 14 July	Bastille Day	Big in France, meaningless in Belgium. Don’t confuse it with 21 July.
Tue 1 September	Back to school	The real second New Year. In September people decide what they postponed in January.
Sat 31 October	Halloween	Grows every year, especially in hospitality and retail.
Sun 1 November	All Saints’ Day	Public holiday and a week of school break. Watch your opening hours.
Wed 11 November	Singles’ Day	Mostly online. The warm-up for Black Friday.
Fri 27 November	Black Friday	Fourth Friday of November. In Belgium it brushes against the pre-sales waiting period.
Fri 25 December	Christmas	The buying season starts mid-November. On the 25th itself almost nobody is reading.
Thu 31 December	New Year’s Eve	Year-in-review posts work well here, especially with real numbers.

Subscribe inGoogle Calendar Apple Calendar Outlook (work)Outlook (personal)

Download the file

Subscribing beats downloading: your calendar fetches it itself and keeps it current. The file holds the next five years.

Google Calendar can only add a calendar on a computer — the app on your phone does not have that button. Do it once on a computer and it will show up on your phone afterwards.
Google and Outlook fetch the calendar about once a day, so a date we add will not appear straight away.

Holiday calendar FR 2027
Date	Day	Why it matters
Fri 1 January	New Year’s Day	Wishes only land if they’re on time. Schedule them in late December.
Sun 14 February	Valentine’s Day	A buying moment for hospitality, flowers and gifts. The week before matters more than the day itself.
Sun 28 March	Easter	Moves every year. Shops and hospitality hang their spring campaign on it.
Sat 1 May	Labour Day	Public holiday in Belgium and France. Many businesses closed.
Sun 30 May	Mother’s Day (FR)	Last Sunday of May, so almost always later than in Belgium. The classic slip in bilingual campaigns.
Sun 20 June	Father’s Day	Third Sunday of June. A week later than in Belgium.
Wed 14 July	Bastille Day	Big in France, meaningless in Belgium. Don’t confuse it with 21 July.
Wed 1 September	Back to school	The real second New Year. In September people decide what they postponed in January.
Sun 31 October	Halloween	Grows every year, especially in hospitality and retail.
Mon 1 November	All Saints’ Day	Public holiday and a week of school break. Watch your opening hours.
Thu 11 November	Singles’ Day	Mostly online. The warm-up for Black Friday.
Fri 26 November	Black Friday	Fourth Friday of November. In Belgium it brushes against the pre-sales waiting period.
Sat 25 December	Christmas	The buying season starts mid-November. On the 25th itself almost nobody is reading.
Fri 31 December	New Year’s Eve	Year-in-review posts work well here, especially with real numbers.

Subscribe inGoogle Calendar Apple Calendar Outlook (work)Outlook (personal)

Download the file

Subscribing beats downloading: your calendar fetches it itself and keeps it current. The file holds the next five years.

Google Calendar can only add a calendar on a computer — the app on your phone does not have that button. Do it once on a computer and it will show up on your phone afterwards.
Google and Outlook fetch the calendar about once a day, so a date we add will not appear straight away.

Holiday calendar FR 2028
Date	Day	Why it matters
Sat 1 January	New Year’s Day	Wishes only land if they’re on time. Schedule them in late December.
Mon 14 February	Valentine’s Day	A buying moment for hospitality, flowers and gifts. The week before matters more than the day itself.
Sun 16 April	Easter	Moves every year. Shops and hospitality hang their spring campaign on it.
Mon 1 May	Labour Day	Public holiday in Belgium and France. Many businesses closed.
Sun 28 May	Mother’s Day (FR)	Last Sunday of May, so almost always later than in Belgium. The classic slip in bilingual campaigns.
Sun 18 June	Father’s Day	Third Sunday of June. A week later than in Belgium.
Fri 14 July	Bastille Day	Big in France, meaningless in Belgium. Don’t confuse it with 21 July.
Fri 1 September	Back to school	The real second New Year. In September people decide what they postponed in January.
Tue 31 October	Halloween	Grows every year, especially in hospitality and retail.
Wed 1 November	All Saints’ Day	Public holiday and a week of school break. Watch your opening hours.
Sat 11 November	Singles’ Day	Mostly online. The warm-up for Black Friday.
Fri 24 November	Black Friday	Fourth Friday of November. In Belgium it brushes against the pre-sales waiting period.
Mon 25 December	Christmas	The buying season starts mid-November. On the 25th itself almost nobody is reading.
Sun 31 December	New Year’s Eve	Year-in-review posts work well here, especially with real numbers.

Subscribe inGoogle Calendar Apple Calendar Outlook (work)Outlook (personal)

Download the file

Subscribing beats downloading: your calendar fetches it itself and keeps it current. The file holds the next five years.

Google Calendar can only add a calendar on a computer — the app on your phone does not have that button. Do it once on a computer and it will show up on your phone afterwards.
Google and Outlook fetch the calendar about once a day, so a date we add will not appear straight away.

How to add it

Google Calendar — can’t open a file from your downloads. Go to Settings, then “Add calendar”, then “From URL”, and paste the subscribe link.
Apple Calendar — click the subscribe link and it opens straight away. Downloading works too.
Outlook — Add calendar, then “Subscribe from web”, and paste the link.

How to use it

Two kinds of post, two dates. A greeting — “Happy Father’s Day” — belongs on the day itself. The build-up, the offer and the reminder belong in the two weeks before. Schedule both, not one of them.
In Belgium the sales are fixed by law: January and July. The Netherlands and France handle it differently.
Mother’s Day is the classic trap. In Belgium and the Netherlands it’s the second Sunday of May, in France the last Sunday of May — and in Antwerp it’s 15 August.

Questions we get a lot

Are the moveable dates calculated or typed in?

Calculated. Easter follows the ecclesiastical rule, and Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Black Friday follow their country’s rule. So you can look years ahead.

Can I put this in my own calendar?

Yes. The download is an ordinary .ics file that Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar understand.

Do I need an account?

No. Nothing is stored and nothing is asked.

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