Nijmegen Vierdaagse (Four Days Marches) 2026

The International Four Days Marches Nijmegen, known in Dutch as de Vierdaagse, is described by its organisers as the world’s largest walking achievement event. The 108th edition runs from Tuesday 21 to Friday 24 July 2026, starting and finishing in Nijmegen. Around 47,000 walkers have registered for this year’s marches, representing more than 70 nationalities, with a field that ranges in age from 11 to over 90.

The event is run by Stichting DE 4DAAGSE. The marches are walked on the third Tuesday of July. Participants walk 30, 40 or 50 kilometres a day for four consecutive days, and each morning the routes head out in a different direction from the city, so walkers cover a different stretch of the countryside around Nijmegen.

The four walking days

Each day has its own destination town and its own name, and two of them have picked up a colour along the way.

• Tuesday 21 July, the Day of Elst. Known as Blue Tuesday. The routes head north across the River Waal into the Overbetuwe, the region between the Waal and the Rhine.
• Wednesday 22 July, the Day of Wijchen. Known as Pink Wednesday. Walkers go west through the green polder landscape of the Land van Maas en Waal, taking in Wijchen and its market square.
• Thursday 23 July, the Day of Groesbeek. Also called the day of the seven hills. The route turns east, along water and through woods, towards the green hills of Groesbeek.
• Friday 24 July, the Day of Cuijk. The day of the Via Gladiola. The final day runs south and crosses the Meuse on a pontoon bridge, before the walkers come back into Nijmegen along the Via Gladiola.

Routes are marked in the landscape with coloured arrows that correspond to the colour of each walker’s wristband: red for the 50 kilometre route, yellow for the 40, green for the military 40, and blue for the 30.

Distances and the finishers’ cross

The three distance categories are nominal rather than exact. In practice the measured routes rarely land precisely on the advertised figure, and they sometimes run noticeably longer. In 2025, for example, the 30 kilometre route on the opening day measured 33.1 kilometres and the 50 kilometre route came in at 52.2 kilometres. Over four days those extra kilometres add up.

Completing the marches earns the 4Days Marches Cross, which the organisers describe as coveted.

Signing in before the start

Registered walkers must sign in before the first day, and the organisers are strict about it. Civilian participants sign in at Wedren, Waldeck Pyrmontsingel 40 in Nijmegen, on Sunday 19 July between 13:00 and 17:00, or on Monday 20 July between 10:00 and 17:00. Anyone who misses those windows will not be able to take part.

Two things are required at the desk: the ticket, which is downloaded from My Dashboard and may be shown on a phone, and a valid identity document. A passport, identity card or driving licence is accepted. Participants have to report to the registration office in person. Contact persons for civilian groups register their members.

Military participants have their own arrangements. Those whose start location is Heumensoord sign in at the registration desk at Camp Heumensoord, on Scheidingsweg in Nijmegen. Dutch military walkers sign in there on Monday 20 July between 10:00 and 17:00. Foreign military participants sign in on Sunday 19 July between 13:00 and 17:00 or on Monday 20 July between 10:00 and 17:00.

The week around the marches

The walking is only part of what happens in Nijmegen in the third week of July. The Vierdaagsefeesten, the city-wide programme that runs alongside the marches, takes place from 18 to 24 July 2026. It starts three days before the first walkers set off and finishes on the same day they do.

Because the routes close roads in and around Nijmegen for four days running, the organisers publish an overview of road closures and access restrictions on the official Vierdaagse site. Gemeente Nijmegen points residents and visitors to that overview, and to 4daagse.nl for the routes and distances, rather than maintaining its own.

A long history

The organisers trace the history of the Four Days Marches back to 1909, which makes 2026 the 108th edition. Alongside the civilian field, the event has separate participation categories for individual military walkers and for military detachments, and the Dutch Ministry of Defence is among its partners.

The scale of the modern event depends heavily on volunteers. The organisers put it plainly on their own pages: there are no 4Days Marches without dedicated volunteers.

Common questions

Can I still register for the 2026 marches?

No. Registration for the 108th edition has closed, and it is no longer possible to transfer a starting permit.

How far do participants have to walk?

Walkers register for 30, 40 or 50 kilometres per day, and they walk that distance on each of the four consecutive days. The actual routes are measured and can be somewhat longer than the category name suggests.

Where do the marches start and finish?

The marches start and finish in Nijmegen. Wedren, at Waldeck Pyrmontsingel 40, is the sign-in location for civilian participants before the event.

What is the Via Gladiola?

It is the name given to the final approach into Nijmegen on the fourth day, the Day of Cuijk. The day itself is named after it.

Are the Vierdaagsefeesten the same thing as the marches?

No. The marches are the four days of walking from 21 to 24 July 2026, organised by Stichting DE 4DAAGSE. The Vierdaagsefeesten are the accompanying programme in the city, running from 18 to 24 July 2026.