Wereldhavendagen 2026: Rotterdam opens its port for three days

Wereldhavendagen, or World Port Days in English, is the weekend each year when Rotterdam’s working harbour opens itself up to the public. Ships moor along the quays in the middle of the city, parts of the port that are normally closed to visitors run guided excursions, and the water in front of the Erasmusbrug becomes a stage. The 49th edition takes place on Friday 4, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September 2026.

The festival is built around the quays near the Erasmusbrug, in the centre of Rotterdam. Walking those quays and going aboard the ships costs nothing. What you pay for are the extras: excursions, harbour trips and a set of special activities, all sold online in advance through the organiser’s own ticket shop.

What happens along the quays

The core of the event is the quay programme, a free open-air route of moored vessels along the waterfront in the centre of the city. Shows on the water run from 10:00 to around 18:00 on all three days, alongside activities on the quays. The paid excursions are what reach further into the working port, and the 2026 listing includes access to the APM Terminals container terminal.

Alongside that free programme, Wereldhavendagen lists several strands of its own: the MATCH career event, the WHD Academy, a hackathon, and Havenspeurneuzen. For an English-speaking resident with a professional interest in logistics, shipping or engineering, that career side is one of the more concrete reasons to go, rather than treating the weekend purely as a day out.

There is also a Cultuurplein, the festival’s culture square, on the Wilhelminapier, which stays open later than the quays on both Friday and Saturday. Saturday is the only one of the three days with an evening show.

Opening times

The organiser publishes the same core hours for all three days, with two late evenings:

• Friday 4 September: 10:00 to 18:00, with the Cultuurplein open until 20:00.
• Saturday 5 September: 10:00 to 18:00, with the evening show starting at 20:30 and both that show and the Cultuurplein running until 23:00.
• Sunday 6 September: 10:00 to 18:00.

Tickets and what you pay for

Entry to the quays and the ships is free and needs no ticket at all. Excursions, boat trips and certain other activities are ticketed and have to be bought online in advance. The organiser’s ticket shop lists the start of sales for the 2026 edition as 17 August 2026 at 12:00. That shop, at tickets.wereldhavendagen.nl, is the only sales channel the organiser points to for these activities. Booking carries a service charge of 1.25 euro per ticket, capped at 5 euro per order.

Prices for the individual excursions themselves were not published at the time of writing. The activity listing shows the range of what will be on sale, including walking tours, bus tours, boat trips, sailing vessels, behind-the-scenes visits to industrial sites, restaurant packages and festival merchandise.

Practical points to know

A few details the organiser spells out for visitors. Card payment is available at the food and drink squares, at the toilets and at the merchandise shop on Willemsplein. Toilets cost one euro per person. Drinks carry a one euro eco charge per cup, refunded when you hand the cup back. Lost property is passed to iLost.

Accessibility

The organiser states that it takes steps each year to make the event more inclusive and accessible, and for 2026 works on this with Nationale Vereniging De Zonnebloem, which advises on the accessibility of the site and its facilities and is present throughout the weekend. A full accessibility document is published on the festival’s accessibility page, and the organiser invites questions, tips and feedback by email or by telephone on 010 252 4949.

How the festival started

The first edition was held in September 1978 under the name Rotterdam Maritiem ’78. It featured a fleet show of more than 180 ships, among them the Charlotte Rhodes, familiar at the time from the television series The Onedin Line. Members of the Dutch royal family attended, including Queen Juliana, Prince Bernhard, Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus.

The following year the event returned as Open Havendag under the motto “Hallo Haven”, and the emphasis moved towards letting the public into port facilities that are normally off limits, such as refineries and container terminals. In 1980 the decision was taken to make it an annual fixture. From there it grew into the multi-day festival now held over the first weekend of September. In 2020 the physical event was dropped because of the pandemic and replaced by an online edition called Port Stories.

Common questions

Is admission free?

Yes. Access to the quays and to the ships is free. Excursions, boat trips and some special activities are paid and ticketed separately.

When do tickets go on sale?

The organiser’s ticket shop lists 17 August 2026 at 12:00 as the start of sales for the 2026 activities.

Where exactly does it take place?

On the quays around the Erasmusbrug in the centre of Rotterdam.

What happens on the Saturday evening?

Saturday has an evening show from 20:30, and both that show and the Cultuurplein run until 23:00. The quays themselves close at 18:00, as on the other two days.

Can I pay by card on site?

Card payment is available at the food and drink squares, at the toilets and at the merchandise shop on Willemsplein.

Which edition is this?

The 2026 event is the 49th edition of Wereldhavendagen.