Get ready for Carnival season in Den Bosch! There are many amazing Carnival celebrations in different Dutch cities in the south of the country, such as Maastricht, Eindhoven, Tilburg and Breda as well as in Enschede in the east of the Netherlands and so many others, but Den Bosch Carnival is one of the most famous.
The first day of Carnival takes place exactly six weeks before Easter Sunday. In 2025, the Den Bosch Carnival programme will be as follows:
Carnival in Den Bosch officially kicks off on Sunday, although there are many unofficial celebrations that take place before this date! The number 11 is known as the "fool's number" and is widely used throughout the carnival celebrations. At 11.11am, the event's "monarch" makes an appearance at Den Bosch Centraal station.
Carnival Monday is the high point of the Den Bosch Carnival, with the parade kicking off at 12.33pm, it's the ideal occasion for families with kids! Starting at Van Grobbendoncklaan, the Carnival parade passes by Graafseweg, Hinthamereinde, Hinthamerstraat, Torenstraat, Parade, Triniteitstraat, Oude Dieze, Verwersstraat, Achter het Stadhuis, Achter het Verguld Harnas, Vughterstraat, Schapenmarkt, Markt before finally end at Marktstraat.
Shrove Tuesday is yet another important day of partying and fun in Den Bosch.
Den Bosch Carnival is arguably one of the best and its traditions go back a long way. Carnival marks the days in which, historically, people would gear up to start fasting before Easter, but not without merriment, silliness and - let's face it - drinking, to mark the special occasion. It's such a renowned and iconic event that there's even a Carnival Museum in the city of Den Bosch, known colloquially as Oeteldonks Gemintemuzejum!
One of the main things to know when visiting Den Bosch Carnival is that for the duration of the festivities, the city of Den Bosch is nicknamed Oeteldonk. The attendees are called Oeteldonkers.
The Den Bosch Carnival emblem is the frog, which you'll see used in costumes, posters, signs and parade floats. Den Bosch was located between swamps which were abundant with frogs and that's where the emblem came from!
The colours of Den Bosch Carnival are red, white and yellow. Oeteldonkers typically wear a red, white and yellow scarf, not only to keep with tradition, but also to stay warm because the weather during festival season can often be quite chilly! The Oeteldonk costume is a blue farmer's outfit with frogs and other emblems attached to it, along with the red, white and yellow scarf.
Den Bosch is the capital of the province of Brabant and is very easy to reach by public transportation from other parts of the Netherlands. So, what are you waiting for? Get your costume on and make your way to Den Bosch this February!
Thumb photo credit: www.hollandfoto.net via Shutterstock