In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Amsterdam Light Festival runs 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027, with the lights on every day from 16:30 to 23:00 (21:00 on 31 December). A cruise takes 75 minutes, the walk is 4.5 km, and the light art itself is free. Sinterklaas arrives on Sunday 15 November. The Christmas Village on Museumplein runs 3 to 27 December, free, beside the ice rink (24 October to 16 January). The Rijksmuseum is open every day of the year, the Van Gogh Museum on 24, 25 and 26 December, and the Anne Frank House on 25 December (to 17:00), although the tourist board says most museums close. Or book a cruise: the Light Festival boat with unlimited drinks and a snackad is from £19.84 (GetYourGuide, 1 October 2026).
The Amsterdam Light Festival
26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027 · lights on 16:30 to 23:00 · free to see
Edition 15 marks the festival’s fifteenth year, with a new route along the canals and artists from the Netherlands and abroad. The lights are on every day from 16:30 to 23:00, and on 31 December the festival closes at 21:00. The organiser is a non-profit foundation: the light art is free for anyone to see, and the cruise and walk experiences are what it sells to pay for the festival (amsterdamlightfestival.com, 1 October 2026). Cruise and walk tickets are on sale from 1 October 2026.
The information point inside Amstel 1, in the Central Station area, is open Thursday to Sunday from 16:30 to 21:00, and daily from 19 December to 3 January except 25 and 31 December (amsterdamlightfestival.com, 1 October 2026).
In winter the average high is 6.9°C in December and 6.2°C in January, with rain on 14 and 12 days; see best time to visit Amsterdam.
Ways to see it
- Cruise. About 75 minutes along the route. The festival’s page lists four kinds: a covered, heated canal cruise with the official audio guide; an open boat with blankets and a guide or skipper; a boat with drinks; and a private or group boat. You can also sail your own boat with the festival app, under different sailing rules during festival hours (amsterdamlightfestival.com, 1 October 2026). Amsterdam canal cruises compared covers the ordinary daytime boats.
- Walk. The route is 4.5 km, in full or in sections, with the festival app, which is available from mid-November. The Light Walk has an audio guide and offers at restaurants along the route, and the Kids Walk, for ages 7 to 12, adds a quiz and a scavenger hunt (amsterdamlightfestival.com, 1 October 2026).
- Bike. Guided tours for small groups of up to 12, with tickets on sale from October 2026 (amsterdamlightfestival.com, 1 October 2026).
Light Festival cruises on GetYourGuide
Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price on 1 October 2026, and every listing shows free cancellation. All five are 75 minutes, and the first date on sale is 26 November.
Blankets and an open bar
From £19.84 · 4.4 stars from 4,017 reviews · 75 minutes
Amsterdam: Light Festival Boat with Unlimited Drinks & Snackad has blankets and live storytelling, and an optional open bar of beer, wine, mulled wine and hot chocolate with a welcome snack. The most-reviewed of the five.
Small group, drinks optional
From £19.84 · 4.6 stars from 2,019 reviews · 75 minutes
Amsterdam: Light Festival Boat + Unlimited Drinks & Snack Optionad is a small-group cruise with live commentary and optional drinks. Book at least 10 minutes before departure.
Heated saloon boat
From £19.84 · 4.5 stars from 1,381 reviews · 75 minutes
Amsterdam: Light Festival Heated Cruise + Unl Drinks & Snackad is a heated saloon boat, with an upgrade to snacks and unlimited mulled wine, hot chocolate, beer and soft drinks. A second listing, the heated cruise with hot chocolate and a snackad (from £19.84, 4.6 stars from 524 reviews), is a classic saloon boat with the same upgrade.
Premium covered boat
From £26.48 · 4.4 stars from 420 reviews · 75 minutes
Amsterdam: Premium Light Festival Cruise with drinks optionad is a covered, heated boat with a toilet on board and optional unlimited drinks and bites. Book at least 15 minutes before departure.
Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas arrives in Amsterdam on Sunday 15 November 2026, according to the organiser, Sinterklaas in Amsterdam; the organiser says its site will carry the route and times ahead of the day (sintinamsterdam.nl, 1 October 2026). Sinterklaas evening, 5 December, a Saturday in 2026, is celebrated at home and is not a public holiday (I amsterdam, 1 October 2026).
The Christmas Village and the ice rink
- Christmas Village. On Museumplein from 3 to 27 December 2026, free to enter, with more than 45 vendors, food and drink. The organiser’s opening hours are 12:00 to 21:00 on most days, with shorter days from 25 December (icevillage.nl, 1 October 2026).
- Museumplein ice rink. Open from 24 October 2026 to 16 January 2027, with the Rijksmuseum behind it. The rink opens at 12:00 from Monday to Thursday and at 10:00 on Fridays to Sundays, closing at 21:00 (22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays); on the holiday timetable, 19 December to 3 January, it opens at 10:00 every day. Gloves are compulsory, and the café ‘t Wak is free to enter without a skating ticket (schaatsbaanmuseumplein.nl, 1 October 2026).
- Getting there. The Van Gogh Museum names Museumplein as the stop for trams 2, 5 and 24 (vangoghmuseum.com). The tram map changed on 29 March 2026, so check the GVB planner; see Amsterdam public transport. Hotels by the square are in hotels near the Rijksmuseum.
What is open from 24 December to 1 January
The tourist board says most museums and attractions are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day (I amsterdam, updated 11 December 2025). The three biggest museums’ own pages say otherwise. Times are from each museum’s page, read on 1 October 2026.
| Date | Rijksmuseum | Van Gogh Museum | Anne Frank House | Light Festival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 24 December | 9:00 to 17:00 | 9:00 to 17:00 | 9:00 to 22:00 | Lights 16:30 to 23:00 |
| Fri 25 December | 9:00 to 17:00 | 9:00 to 17:00 | 9:00 to 17:00 | Lights on; information point closed |
| Sat 26 December | 9:00 to 17:00 | 9:00 to 17:00 | 9:00 to 22:00 | Lights on |
| Thu 31 December | 9:00 to 17:00 | 9:00 to 17:00 | 9:00 to 17:00 | Closes at 21:00; information point closed |
| Fri 1 January | 9:00 to 17:00 | Opens at 12:00, to 22:00 | Lights 16:30 to 23:00 |
The Rijksmuseum opens every day of the year (rijksmuseum.nl). The Van Gogh Museum lists its 2026 hours only, and its page names no 1 January hours (vangoghmuseum.com). The Anne Frank House is open daily from 9:00 to 22:00 except on the days it lists (annefrank.org). Every one of the three sells timed tickets, and the Anne Frank House only on its own site; what to book before you go in Amsterdam has the rules. Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a Friday and a Saturday in 2026; the public holiday dates are in best time to visit Amsterdam. A day trip by train needs the same checking: Teylers and the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem close on 25 December, and Royal Delft (Delft and The Hague) on 25 and 26 December.
Where to stay
The Light Festival route changes each edition and is on the canals, so most of the centre is close. Where to stay in Amsterdam compares the areas, and Amsterdam hotels in canal houses lists the hotels on the canals. Every hotel adds 12.5% tourist tax on the room price before VAT.
For the night the festival closes early, see New Year in Amsterdam; for the plan once you are here, 3 days in Amsterdam; and for the way in, Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal.
Common questions
When is the Amsterdam Light Festival in 2026?
Edition 15 runs from Thursday 26 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027. The lights are on every day from 16:30 to 23:00, and on 31 December the festival closes at 21:00. It has a new route, and the light art can be seen for free; the cruise and walk experiences are ticketed.
How long is the Light Festival cruise?
About 75 minutes along the festival route. The festival's own site sells four kinds of boat: a covered and heated canal cruise with an audio guide, an open boat with blankets, a boat with drinks, and a private or group boat. The GetYourGuide cruises listed here are from £19.84 on 1 October 2026.
Can I walk the Light Festival route?
Yes. The walking route is 4.5 km and can be done in sections with the festival app, which is available from mid-November. A Kids Walk is aimed at ages 7 to 12. The festival also sells small-group bike tours, with tickets on sale from October 2026.
Are the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum open at Christmas?
Yes. The Rijksmuseum is open every day of the year from 9:00 to 17:00, public holidays included. The Van Gogh Museum is open from 9:00 to 17:00 on 24, 25 and 26 December 2026, and the Anne Frank House from 9:00 to 17:00 on 25 December. The tourist board says most museums close, so check each museum's own page.
When does Sinterklaas arrive in Amsterdam in 2026?
On Sunday 15 November 2026, according to the organiser, Sinterklaas in Amsterdam. The route and times are not published yet. Sinterklaas evening, 5 December, is celebrated at home and is not a public holiday.