Bridge days 2027: more time off for less leave
The 2027 bridge days are Monday, 26 April 2027 and Friday, 7 May 2027: each turns one leave day into four days off.
2027: using 5 leave days
13 days off
One leave day buys on average 2.6 days off in a row.
Counted as days off: New Year's Day, Easter Monday, King's Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday and both Christmas days. Whether you are actually off is in your collective agreement or contract. — change any figure to see your own result
| Sat 27 March – Sun 4 April | 4 → 9 |
| Sat 24 April – Tue 27 April | 1 → 4 |
| Take leave | Leave days | Off in a row | Days off | Thanks to | Overlap with school holidays, Central |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 30 March – Fri 2 April | 4 | Sat 27 March – Sun 4 April | 9 | Easter Monday | – |
| Mon 26 April | 1 | Sat 24 April – Tue 27 April | 4 | King's Day | 4 days |
| Take leave | Leave days | Off in a row | Days off | Thanks to | Overlap with school holidays, Central |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 26 April | 1 | Sat 24 April – Tue 27 April | 4 | King's Day | 4 days |
| Fri 7 May | 1 | Thu 6 May – Sun 9 May | 4 | Ascension Day | – |
| Tue 30 March – Fri 2 April | 4 | Sat 27 March – Sun 4 April | 9 | Easter Monday | – |
| Tue 18 May – Fri 21 May | 4 | Sat 15 May – Sun 23 May | 9 | Whit Monday | – |
| Wed 28 April – Fri 30 April | 3 | Tue 27 April – Sun 2 May | 6 | King's Day | 6 days |
| Mon 3 May – Wed 5 May | 3 | Sat 1 May – Thu 6 May | 6 | Ascension Day | 2 days |
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · checked on 13 November 2026
A bridge day is a working day between a holiday off and the weekend. The Netherlands has 2 of them in 2027. The first is Monday 26 April 2027: King's Day falls on Tuesday 27 April 2027, so with that Monday off the weekend runs straight into King's Day. The second is Friday 7 May 2027, the day after Ascension. Both sit close to the school May break, which runs 24 April – 2 May 2027 in every region. Across the whole year, 5 well-placed leave days give 13 days off in blocks, and 10 leave days give 26. Christmas offers no bridge in 2027, because both Christmas days fall at the weekend. If your collective agreement also gives you 5 May off, the stretch from King's Day to Ascension becomes one long block; switch that option on in the planner.
Bridge days 2027 in a ten-day leave plan
| Take leave | Leave days | Off in a row | Days off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 30 March – Fri 2 April | 4 | Sat 27 March – Sun 4 April | 9 |
| Mon 26 April | 1 | Sat 24 April – Tue 27 April | 4 |
| Fri 7 May | 1 | Thu 6 May – Sun 9 May | 4 |
| Tue 18 May – Fri 21 May | 4 | Sat 15 May – Sun 23 May | 9 |
The planner compares every combination and picks the split with the most days off, not just the bridges with the best return. That is why four-day blocks appear too: after Easter, 30 March 2027 to 2 April 2027, gives 9 days off; after Whitsun, 18 May 2027 to 21 May 2027, also 9.
May 2027: three holidays, two bridges
King's Day on a Tuesday, Liberation Day on a Wednesday and Ascension on a Thursday fall within ten days. If you work on 5 May, there are two separate bridges. If 5 May is off, 3 leave days fill far more: 10 days off. Whether 5 May is off depends on your agreement, says the government.
Is 5 May 2027 a day off for you?
Example for an employee at a company — change any figure to see your own result
Liberation Day 2027
Depends on your agreement
| DateWednesday, 5 May 2027 | |
| Civil servantDepends on your agreement | |
| Pupil, student or parent | Usually off |
According to the government’s question-and-answer pages; your agreement decides.
Planning around the May school break
The May break of 24 April – 2 May 2027 applies in North, Central and South at once, so parents taking the week before or after are never out of step by region. The 26 April 2027 bridge already falls inside the school break; the 7 May 2027 one does not, though many schools close that Friday. More by region on school holidays 2026-2027.