If you've been in the Netherlands for a considerable length of time, your attention is likely turned to the south of the country in the month of February: in different Dutch cities, like Maastricht, Den Bosch, Tilburg and Breda, and their surrounding towns and villages, there is unparalleled camaraderie, entertainment and excitement during carnival (or carnaval) celebrations.
Carnival season in the Netherlands is one of a kind! Expats in Eindhoven can expect exciting times during the pre-Lent celebrations that take over the city for a few days, complete with bright colours, novelty costumes, parade floats, marching bands, drinking and dancing to loud, boisterous music.
Head to Eindhoven during the carnival celebrations and you'll see crowds of people from near and far dressed in all kinds of colourful costumes and greeting each other with the special greeting "salaai" especially for the occasion. The message of carnival is that fun prevails and seriousness is suspended, so, in that spirit, the city is nicknamed Lampegat for the duration of the fun festivities.
The first day of carnival traditionally took place exactly six weeks before Easter Sunday, but nowadays die-hard carnival partygoers in Eindhoven begin on the Friday before and that tradition has stuck. There are even unofficial celebratory events that take place before Friday, which you can check out on the Lampegat event page, but below we'll introduce you to the main ones.
In 2025, the Eindhoven Carnival programme will be as follows:
Parties kick off in the evening, so say goodbye to the working week and hello to carnival! Don your colourful costume and hit the town!
The parade takes place through Eindhoven. Find your spot somewhere along the route to watch the spectacular parade! It passes by the following streets in Eindhoven: Stratumsedijk, Bleekweg, Bleekstraat, Kanaalstraat, Paterskerk, ten Haeghestraat, Kerkstraat, Wal and PC Hooftlaan. The parade will be broadcast on live TV, on channel Omroep Brabant.
For many years now, there has been a mighty event taking place that is not for the faint-hearted: a pub crawl in the Stratumseind area of Eindhoven. During this pub crawl, known as Stropdaskroegentocht, participants wear a promotional oversized cardboard tie that lays out all the information about where the best party scene is! Score a drink in each pub along the route and wear your tie as a badge of honour!
At 3pm at Wilhelminaplein, the prince of Eindhoven Carnival finally makes an appearance, after much secrecy leading up to this fun event!
Shrove Tuesday is yet another important day of partying and high spirits in Eindhoven. There's a lot of enjoyment to be had at the closing ceremony at the Markt, with a full programme of music and other forms of entertainment!
What with Eindhoven being the capital city of Brabant, it is very easy to travel there via public transportation. Eindhoven during carnival is absolutely unmissable! Plan your visit and your costume!
Thumb photo: C. Welman via Shutterstock