# Planning an event in the Netherlands in 2027? Many towns want it on their calendar by 1 October [Home](https://mijnevent.nl/en) / [Blog](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog) / Planning an event in the Netherlands in 2027? Many towns want it on their calendar by 1 October permits event organisation organisers safety # Planning an event in the Netherlands in 2027? Many towns want it on their calendar by 1 October This week, a string of Dutch municipalities close registration for their 2027 events calendar. It isn't a permit application, but it is where your date gets locked in — and latecomers go to the back of the queue with police and emergency services. MijnEvent · 28 September 2026 · 6 min read ![](https://regify-mijnevent.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/blog/covers/evenement-2027-aanmelden-evenementenkalender.webp) Photo: [Arlind Photography](https://unsplash.com/@arlindphotography?utm_source=MijnEvent&utm_medium=referral) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=MijnEvent&utm_medium=referral) In short - Many Dutch municipalities draw up an annual events calendar; for 2027 the deadline in Weststellingwerf, Westland, Best and Groningen, among others, is 1 October 2026. - Registering for the calendar is not a permit application. You apply for the event permit separately later, usually eight to twelve weeks ahead. - The calendar mainly exists for police and emergency services: registering late risks stricter conditions or an event that cannot go ahead. - Thresholds vary widely: in Westland from 600 visitors at peak time, in Groningen from 2,000 visitors, in Best it applies to every kind of event. - Lock in your date, venue and a well-supported visitor estimate now, then plan your ticket sales — changing the date later can cost you your place in the queue. Not legal advice This article explains the rules as we read them, on the date of publication. It is general information, not legal advice — your situation may differ. If you plan to run a festival, parade, sports day or street market in the Netherlands in 2027, many municipalities have a deadline for you this week: **1 October 2026**. That is when registration closes for next year's events calendar. It is not a permit application and it usually takes no more than a form. Even so, it is the step where your date actually gets locked in. A quick note for readers outside the Netherlands: Dutch event permits are handled locally. Each municipality sets its own rules in a local bylaw, so there is no single national deadline. The calendar described below is a common local practice, not a national law. # What is the events calendar? Every autumn, many Dutch municipalities compile an overview of all larger events planned for the following year. The main reason is the emergency services. The municipality of Weststellingwerf puts it briefly: the calendar is [drawn up together with police and emergency services](https://www.weststellingwerf.nl/organiseer-je-een-evenement-in-2027-meld-het-voor-1-oktober-2026)so they can plan their deployment. Police, fire and ambulance capacity is limited, and two large events in the same region on the same Saturday do not always fit. Municipalities also use the calendar to avoid clashes. The municipality of Best says it wants to prevent [conflicts between organisers](https://www.gemeentebest.nl/nieuws/2026/09/18/meld-uw-evenement-aan-voor-de-evenementenkalender-2027)who want the same venue, date and time, and that each site has a maximum number of events per year. Skip the registration and you may find your event ground already taken on your date. The key point: **the calendar is not a permit.** Every municipality we looked at says so explicitly. Once your event is on the calendar, you still need to apply for a permit. # Which municipalities are closing now? A selection of what municipalities have published for 2027: - **Weststellingwerf** — all 2027 events must be [reported before 1 October 2026](https://www.weststellingwerf.nl/organiseer-je-een-evenement-in-2027-meld-het-voor-1-oktober-2026). According to the municipality, latecomers are more likely to face stricter conditions, or to have their event not go ahead at all. - **Westland** — events with more than 600 visitors at peak time, or lasting longer than two days, must [submit a request in principle before 1 October 2026](https://www.gemeentewestland.nl/actueel/nieuws/evenement-organiseren-in-2027-dien-een-principeverzoek-in). The mayor decides by 1 December whether the event goes on the calendar. - **Best** — every type of event, from music events to street markets and King's Day, [before 1 October 2026](https://www.gemeentebest.nl/nieuws/2026/09/18/meld-uw-evenement-aan-voor-de-evenementenkalender-2027). - **Groningen** — events with more than 2,000 visitors [before 1 October 2026](https://gemeente.groningen.nl/aanmelden-jaarplanning-grote-evenementen). Events above 20,000 visitors had to register by 1 March and get priority. - **Tilburg** — this window has already closed: larger events could register [from 1 July to 31 August 2026](https://www.tilburg.nl/ondernemers/evenementen/evenementenkalender/). That spread is exactly why you should not rely on gut feeling. One municipality's window is closed while another's is still open, and the threshold ranges from "every event" to "2,000 visitors and up". If you organise in several towns, check each one separately. The fastest route is to search for *evenementenkalender 2027* plus the town's name, or call the permits department. # What should you have ready? The forms differ, but almost all of them ask for the same basics: 1. **Date and times**, including build-up and teardown. 2. **Venue**, as precisely as possible. 3. **Type of event**: music, sport, market, parade, and whether alcohol will be served. 4. **Expected number of visitors**, ideally including how many will be present at the busiest moment. That last number is the hardest and the most important. It decides whether you stay under a threshold and how heavily emergency services weigh your event. Figures from earlier editions help a lot here: how many tickets you sold, how many visitors actually came in, and when it was busiest. A counted number is more convincing than an estimate, and it comes back later in your safety plan. See [the safety plan for your event](/en/blog/event-safety-plan-crowd-monitoring)for how to back up crowd monitoring. Working on a 2027 funding application as well? It asks for largely the same figures, and those windows close in the same season. See [applying for event funding in 2027](/en/blog/event-funding-applications-2027-numbers). # Calendar first, ticket sales second For your ticket sales, the lesson is simple: fix your date first, then everything else. Three practical consequences. ## Don't change your date lightly Groningen is clear about it: if you change the venue, date, time or nature of the event after registering, [you lose your priority position](https://gemeente.groningen.nl/aanmelden-jaarplanning-grote-evenementen). Pick a date now that you intend to keep. Torn between two weekends? Talk to the municipality rather than moving later. ## Start selling once the date is settled An early-bird release in December is tempting: money comes in early and you immediately learn how much interest there is. But until your event is on the calendar, you are selling a date that may still change. If you then have to postpone or cancel, you owe your buyers a refund or an alternative. In municipalities such as Westland, where the mayor decides by 1 December, December is a natural moment to open presales. Our guide to [automatic early-bird price periods](/en/blog/early-bird-price-periods-automatic) shows how to schedule that without manual work. ## Put the permit lead time in your plan After the calendar comes the permit. Weststellingwerf counts on [eight to twelve weeks](https://www.weststellingwerf.nl/organiseer-je-een-evenement-in-2027-meld-het-voor-1-oktober-2026)for the application, and larger events can take longer. Count back from your event date, put that deadline in your diary and build the rest of your plan around it. # Missed the deadline? Is 1 October already behind you, or are you only now finding out that your municipality keeps a calendar? Call or email the permits department right away. A late registration is not an automatic refusal, but the sooner the municipality knows, the more room there is. Don't wait until the permit application, by which time emergency service capacity may already be allocated. # To wrap up The events calendar is the least exciting form of the year, and also the form that decides whether your date holds. Register your event, choose a date you want to keep, and open ticket sales once that date is settled. When presales begin, MijnEvent helps with a fixed fee per ticket, payments straight into your own Mollie account, and visitor figures you can reuse for next autumn's registration. [See our pricing](/en/pricing) or [register your organisation](/registreer). *This article is general information, based on publications by the municipalities mentioned (as of 28 September 2026). Deadlines and thresholds differ per municipality; always check the rules of your own municipality.* Legislation changes and tariffs are revised annually. We do our best to keep this article current and link to the source where we can, but we cannot guarantee everything still holds at the moment you read it. If a decision carries financial or legal consequences, check with the authority itself or put it to a lawyer or adviser. See also our [general disclaimer](https://mijnevent.nl/en/disclaimer). Frequently asked questions ## Frequently asked questions ## Is registering for the events calendar the same as applying for a permit? No. Municipalities spell it out themselves: a calendar registration is not an application for an event permit. The calendar records who wants to organise what, when and where. You apply for the permit separately afterwards, within the deadlines your municipality sets. ## Does my small event need to be on the calendar too? It depends on the municipality. Some only require it above a certain visitor number (Westland from 600 visitors at peak time, Groningen from 2,000), others want to see every event, from a street market to King's Day. Check your municipality's website or search for 'evenementenkalender 2027' plus the town's name. ## What if I miss the 1 October deadline? Contact the municipality's permits department as soon as possible. A late registration does not always mean your event is off, but municipalities warn that the chance of stricter conditions or refusal goes up, because police and emergency service capacity has already been allocated. ## Can I start selling tickets before my event is on the calendar? It isn't prohibited, but it is risky. Until your date and permit are settled, you are selling something that may have to move or be cancelled, and then you owe buyers a refund or an alternative. At the very least, wait until your date is on the calendar. [ Back to blog ](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog) MijnEvent ## Read more [ ![](https://regify-mijnevent.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/blog/covers/besloten-ticketverkoop-met-toegangscode.webp) private sales Jasper Koers · 22 September 2026 · 5 min read ## Private ticket sales: an event that can only be ordered with a code The staff party, the tickets for sponsors, the group booking of a travel company: you want to handle them online, but not among your regular events. With an access code the event cannot be found, and only the people you invite can order. ](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog/private-ticket-sales-with-an-access-code) [ ![](https://regify-mijnevent.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/blog/covers/rustige-ticketshop-event-groepen-en-ticketgroepen.webp) ticket shop Jasper Koers · 22 September 2026 · 6 min read ## Many events, still a calm ticket shop Three festival days, camping, parking and a row of separate events: your ticket shop quickly turns into a long list of prices. With event groups, collapsed ticket groups and a notice in the right place, your visitor chooses step by step. ](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog/calm-ticket-shop-event-groups-and-ticket-groups) [ ![](https://regify-mijnevent.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/blog/covers/afhakers-in-je-ticketcheckout.webp) checkout MijnEvent · 21 September 2026 · 7 min read ## Seven in ten walk away: where your ticket checkout loses buyers On average only three in ten online shoppers finish their order. With tickets, the leaks sit in predictable places: surprise fees, forced accounts, too many fields. Here is how to audit your own checkout. ](https://mijnevent.nl/en/blog/ticket-checkout-abandonment) MijnEvent ## Ready to get started? Create a free account and sell your first tickets today. [Start free](https://mijnevent.nl/registreer) [Pricing](https://mijnevent.nl/en/pricing)