Dickens Festijn Deventer 2026

The Dickens Festijn returns to Deventer on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December 2026, from 11:00 to 17:00 on both days. For the 34th edition, more than 950 costumed characters from the books of Charles Dickens bring the historic Bergkwartier to life, and both the organiser and the municipality of Deventer confirm the dates.

Why it matters

This is one of the biggest Christmas-season street events in the country. The organiser states that the Deventer Christmas weekend draws well over 125,000 visitors, more than half of whom come for the Dickens Festijn itself. Scrooge, Oliver Twist, carol singers and hundreds of other Victorian figures move through the medieval quarter between market stalls and period dressing, a fixed two-day December ritual that pulls visitors from across the Netherlands.

Programme highlights

• More than 950 costumed characters perform through the streets of the Bergkwartier on both days between 11:00 and 17:00.
• A Sing Along finale closes each day in the Bergkerk from 17:30 to 17:45, according to the Deventer city marketing organisation.

Practical information

Admission is 6 euros per person, paid at the ticket office by cash or card; children up to and including 7 years old enter free. There is no advance sale and there are no time slots. The organiser warns that waiting times can reach two hours, with the longest queues between 11:00 and 13:00. Entry runs through barriers at the festival entrance near the Walstraat, approached via the Keizerstraat.

Common questions

Do I need to buy tickets in advance?

No, and you cannot: there is no pre-sale. Everyone pays 6 euros at the ticket office, by cash or card.

Are children free?

Children up to and including 7 years old enter free.

How long are the queues?

The organiser’s own warning is that waiting can take up to two hours, and that the queue is longest between 11:00 and 13:00.

What are the opening hours?

11:00 to 17:00 on both Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, confirmed by the organiser and the municipality of Deventer.

Where does the festival take place?

In the Bergkwartier, Deventer’s medieval quarter. The entrance is near the Walstraat and is approached via the Keizerstraat.