The Hague Christmas market 2026: Royal Christmas Fair dates, hours and what else to do in December
· by Robin Lenskens · Updated
The Hague Christmas market for 2026 is the Royal Christmas Fair on the Lange Voorhout, open every day from Thursday 3 to Wednesday 23 December 2026, from 12:00 to 21:00, with free entry. Dozens of decorated chalets stand under the old trees of the avenue, with fire pits, mulled wine, choirs and a visit from Santa on almost every day. It closes on 23 December, so if you are in The Hague over Christmas itself, the second half of this post is for you: ice rinks, museum hours on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January, and the New Year’s Eve countdown.
We are Discover The Hague, a small local company that runs private tours of the city. The Lange Voorhout is part of our private walking tour of The Hague, so between 3 and 23 December the route passes right through the fair.
When is the Royal Christmas Fair in 2026?
| Royal Christmas Fair 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Thursday 3 to Wednesday 23 December 2026 |
| Opening hours | Every day, 12:00 to 21:00 |
| Entry | Free, no ticket needed |
| Location | Lange Voorhout, city centre |
| Entrances | By the Kloosterkerk (Kneuterdijk and Parkstraat end), by Hotel Des Indes (Denneweg end) and by the former American embassy (Korte Voorhout) |
| On the programme | Christmas chalets, LED lights, fire pits, mulled wine, Santa almost every day, choirs, storytellers, children’s activities, live music |
The fair is not open on 24, 25 or 26 December. The organiser publishes the programme closer to the date; check it before you go if you want to catch a particular choir or Santa’s visit.
Sources: Royal Christmas Fair visitor information and the denhaag.com event page, both read on 19 October 2026.
What is the Royal Christmas Fair like?
It is a Christmas market in the German sense, which is rarer in the Netherlands than visitors expect: many Dutch markets last a weekend, this one runs for three weeks. The setting does a lot of the work. The Lange Voorhout is the city’s grandest avenue, an L-shaped promenade of old trees lined with historic town houses and embassies, with the Kloosterkerk at one end and Hotel Des Indes near the other. Escher in Het Paleis, the former royal winter palace now home to M.C. Escher’s prints, stands on the same avenue at number 74.
The organiser describes “many dozens” of Christmas chalets selling gifts, food and drink, thousands of LED lights, fire pits and mulled wine. Santa comes on almost every day, and the programme includes Christmas choirs, children’s choirs, storytellers, children’s activities and musical performances. denhaag.com calls it one of the largest Christmas markets in the Netherlands.
A few practical points from the organiser’s visitor page:
- The ground is a shell path. The Lange Voorhout has a path of crushed shells rather than paving, which the organiser warns can be hard going for wheelchairs and rollators until it has been walked flat. Most chalets have small ramps, and there are two accessible toilets.
- Dogs are welcome.
- No ticket, no booking. You walk in at any of the entrances.
Give it an hour to an hour and a half if you want to eat and drink something; the market is long rather than wide, so walking it end to end and back is the visit. It gets dark before 17:00 in December, and the lights are the point, so late afternoon into the evening is when the avenue looks its best.
How do I get to The Hague Christmas market from Den Haag Centraal?
On foot. From Den Haag Centraal it is about 900 metres to the Korte Voorhout entrance by the former American embassy, 10 to 12 minutes at an easy pace, and about 1.5 kilometres to the Kloosterkerk end, roughly 20 minutes. We measured both on OpenStreetMap. The organiser describes the fair as within walking distance of the station, and in December there is little reason to take a tram for it.
From the Mauritshuis it is about 450 metres, six minutes, to Hotel Des Indes, which makes the museum and the market an easy pair for one afternoon.
Is the Christmas market open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
No. The last day is Wednesday 23 December. If you are in The Hague from 24 December, plan around the museums, the ice rinks and the New Year’s events below. The museums in the table close early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, close on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, and open as usual on 26 December.
| 24 Dec | 25 Dec | 26 Dec | 31 Dec | 1 Jan 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mauritshuis | 10:00 to 16:00 | Closed | 10:00 to 18:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | Closed |
| Prince William V Gallery | 12:00 to 16:00 | Closed | 12:00 to 17:00 | 12:00 to 16:00 | Closed |
| Escher in Het Paleis | 11:00 to 16:00 | Closed | 11:00 to 17:00 | 11:00 to 16:00 | Closed |
Sources: the Mauritshuis special opening hours and the Escher in Het Paleis opening hours, read on 19 October 2026. For Kunstmuseum Den Haag and Panorama Mesdag, check their own holiday hours pages before you go; the 2026 dates were not yet confirmed when we checked.
One thing to know about the Mauritshuis this winter: from 15 October 2026 to 17 January 2027 it shows 25 works on loan from the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, among them El Greco, Jan van Eyck and Piero della Francesca, in exchange for some of its own paintings. The museum names Vermeer’s View of Delft among the works off view, so it will not be on the wall in December; if you are coming for one particular painting, check before you go. Details on the exhibition page. Our Mauritshuis visitor guide covers tickets and the quietest times.
Where can I go ice skating in The Hague in December?
There is no rink at the Royal Christmas Fair itself. The outdoor rinks are by the sea in Scheveningen, which trams 1 and 9 reach from the city centre.
- Cool Event Scheveningen, a large rink in front of the Kurhaus, from 7 November 2026 to 28 February 2027, daily 10:00 to 22:00, tickets €7.50 to €12.50.
- Skate by the Sea, an extra rink on the Scheveningen boulevard, from 5 December 2026 to 11 January 2027, weekdays 12:00 to 22:00 and weekends 10:00 to 22:00, with disco skating from 17:00, tickets €7.50 to €12.50.
- De Uithof, the city’s indoor ice centre, with public skating in a season that runs to 21 March 2027.
Sources: the Cool Event Scheveningen and Skate by the Sea listings on denhaag.com. Check the holiday hours on the organisers’ sites before you go.
What else is on in The Hague in December 2026?
- Residentie Orkest, Christmas in the Nieuwe Kerk. The city’s orchestra plays Christmas concerts in the Nieuwe Kerk, including Sunday 20 December at 19:30, tickets €15 to €42; that concert was already sold out when we checked in October.
- Groot Kerstcircus, the Christmas circus in a tent on the Malieveld, from 18 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, tickets €21.90 to €59.90.
- New Year’s Eve countdown at the Hofvijver. On 31 December a free light and laser show over the pond beside the Binnenhof, from 22:00 to 01:00 with a programme from 21:00, and no fireworks.
- Unox New Year’s Dive, Scheveningen. On 1 January 2027 at 12:00, swimmers run into the North Sea at the height of Beelden aan Zee, in what the listing calls the best-known and biggest New Year’s dive in the Netherlands. Registration from 10:30, €4, paid on the spot.
The official city calendar on denhaag.com lists the Royal Christmas Fair as The Hague’s Christmas market; we found no second market on it for 2026 when we checked in October.
Sources: denhaag.com event listings for each item, read on 19 October 2026.
Can I combine The Hague and Delft in December?
Yes, and one date makes it worth planning. On Tuesday 8 December 2026, Delft holds its Lichtjesavond, the evening the Christmas tree on the Markt is lit, which also opens Delft Verlicht, the city’s season of lights that runs until 3 January 2027 (source: In Delft). The Royal Christmas Fair is open that day too, so you can walk the Lange Voorhout in the afternoon and be on the Markt in Delft for the evening. Trains from Den Haag Centraal reach Delft in about 12 minutes; check the NS journey planner for the evening return.
If you want both cities in one guided half day, the private tour of The Hague and Delft on our sister site Holland City Tours takes about 4.5 hours, transfer included, from €312.50. For the Delft side on your own, read Delft in one day on our Delft site, and for the wider picture of markets and light festivals across the country, Christmas markets and winter city breaks in the Netherlands.
Should I see The Hague with a guide in December?
The fair is easy to do on your own. What a guide adds is the city around it: the parliament, the palaces and the stories behind the avenue the fair stands on. Our private walking tour starts on the Plein at the statue of William of Orange, passes the Binnenhof, the Hofvijver and the Plaats, and walks the Lange Voorhout, so your guide can end the tour at the fair.
All our tours are private and priced per group, and our guides work in English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish and Italian. In December the light goes early, so a tour that starts around 14:00 or 15:00 ends in the dark with the market lit. Start times are flexible: add yours when you book. If you want a tour on 25 or 26 December, ask us before you book.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Royal Christmas Fair free?
Yes. Entry is free and you do not need a ticket or a time slot. You pay only for what you eat, drink or buy at the chalets.
Is the Christmas market in The Hague open on 24, 25 or 26 December?
No. The Royal Christmas Fair runs from 3 to 23 December 2026 and closes before Christmas Eve. Over Christmas, the Mauritshuis and Escher in Het Paleis open on 24 December until 16:00 and on 26 December, and close on 25 December.
Is there an ice rink at the Christmas market?
No. The rinks are in Scheveningen: Cool Event Scheveningen in front of the Kurhaus and Skate by the Sea on the boulevard, both outdoors, plus the indoor rink at De Uithof.
Is the fair accessible with a wheelchair or a pushchair?
Partly. The Lange Voorhout has a shell path, which the organiser says can be difficult for wheelchairs and rollators until it has been walked in; most chalets have ramps and there are two accessible toilets. A pushchair with large wheels copes better than one with small wheels.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes. The organiser states that dogs are welcome at the fair.
Do your tours run over Christmas?
Our private tours run all winter, priced per group, with flexible start times. For 25 and 26 December, ask us before booking. The Mauritshuis tour cannot run on 25 December or 1 January, because the museum is closed.
Book a December tour in The Hague
- Private walking tour of The Hague: 2 hours, €199 per group of up to 20, starts on the Plein and walks the Lange Voorhout.
- Private Mauritshuis tour: 1 hour, €199 per group of up to 15, starts at 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00 or 16:30 (13:30 is the first slot on Mondays), museum tickets not included.
- Private tour of The Hague and Delft: about 4.5 hours, from €312.50, transfer included, on Holland City Tours.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, and your guide meets you at the starting point.
Photos: Donald Trung Quoc Don, CC BY-SA 4.0; Donald Trung Quoc Don, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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