Calendar / Vastelaovend
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Witness / Attend in Maastricht
Vastelaovend
Feb 7–9, 2027ConfirmedMaastricht Vastelaovend 2027
Run by Vereniging De Tempeleers, with published dates and a real program.
Dates & details verified against: Official event site ↗
Why go
Maastricht at carnival is a different country from the buttoned-up image of the Netherlands, and Vastelaovend is the most immersive festival to witness in the whole country. For three days before Lent the southern, Catholic, Burgundian city gives itself over completely: the streets fill with home-made costumes, oompah brass bands called zaate hermeniekes wander from cafe to cafe, and there is no stage and no audience, only participants. It opens on the Sunday when the Mooswief, the city's carnival mascot, is hoisted high above the Markt and the elected Prince Carnival takes symbolic charge of the town, and it runs through a Monday parade and a final Tuesday night before Ash Wednesday closes it. Unlike a spectacle you buy a ticket for, this is a whole city in fancy dress speaking its own dialect, and the way in is simply to dress up, learn a song and join a cafe. It is free, it is loud, and for a few days it turns the oldest town in the Netherlands into one continuous street party.
When it runs
Held on the three days before Ash Wednesday (Sunday to Tuesday), so the date moves with the church calendar, usually in February and sometimes early March. In Maastricht it is organised by the city carnival association Vereniging De Tempeleers and opens with the hoisting of the Mooswief over the Markt. Next editions 7 to 9 February 2027 and 27 to 29 February 2028.
- Feb 7–9, 2027ConfirmedMaastricht Vastelaovend 2027
- Feb 27–29, 2028ExpectedMaastricht Vastelaovend 2028
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
What to expect
Carnival falls in the three days before Ash Wednesday, so the date moves with the church calendar, usually in February and sometimes into early March. The 2027 carnival runs 7 to 9 February and the 2028 carnival 27 to 29 February. It is a winter street festival, cold and often wet, so costumes go over warm layers. There is no ticketed venue; the celebration is in the streets, squares and cafes across the centre, busiest on the Sunday opening and the Monday parade. Many shops and businesses close for the three days.
Getting there & around
Maastricht is about 2.5 hours by direct intercity train from Amsterdam and 30 minutes from Liege in Belgium, with the centre a short walk from the station across the Maas. Carnival itself is free and needs no ticket; the cost is accommodation, which is scarce and books out months ahead for the three days, so reserve early or stay in nearby Valkenburg or across the border. Bring or improvise a costume, as plain clothes mark you as an outsider. Expect road closures, full cafes and reduced shop and transport hours over the festival.
Where it happens
Maastricht, Netherlands.
Want to go? The full Maastricht guide: conditions, logistics, providers →