The Hague city centre blossoms from Easter to Whitsun with music, festivals, markets and more

This spring is the time to get out and enjoy all that The Hague has to offer; from SummerFest, to festivals, markets and more. There are many activities on the agenda to explore the best of the city centre, with plenty on offer, both indoors and outdoors.

During a day out in The Hague, you can make the perfect combination of shopping, culture, good food and drinks with the added bonus of a diverse event calendar. The days off in spring are ideal for getting out and about, such as during Easter, King's Day and Liberation Day. Come along during Ascension for the summery SummerFest or enjoy The Hague city centre during the long Whitsun weekend.

SummerFest
Summer, fashion, music and plenty of fun; you will definitely want to visit the city centre of The Hague during the Ascension weekend. With SummerFest, you will experience four days of a unique mix of cheerful sounds, stylish shopping, great entertainment and a variety of delicious food and drinks. Enjoy live music, surprising performances and acts that will put you in summer moods - from cosy buskers to rousing DJs.

‘SummerFest is a fresh twist on the Shopping Night concept, which for years has been much more than just shopping. The event brings summer atmospheres, surprising activities, music and fashion shows to the city centre and offers something for everyone, this year even bigger and more extensive than before. The full agenda will be announced later, so keep an eye on our channels,’ says Diana Boer of Binnenstadsmanagent Den Haag.

Easter weekend
From 18 to 21 April, you can browse the cosy Easter markets in the city centre. At the Home Made Easter Market you and the whole family can enjoy live music, a 100-year-old carousel and a unique variety of craft items. At the Easter Market The Hague are nearly 100 stalls with art, accessories, antique curiosities and more.

Bric-a-brac and antiques
If you can't get enough of antiques, old books, prints, paintings and art objects, visit the weekly Antiques and Book Market on Thursdays (until 24 April) or Sundays (from 2 May).

On 24 and 25 May, The Hague Montmartre will take place, The Hague's premier art, brocante, lifestyle and vintage fair where you will briefly imagine yourself in the beautiful Montmartre of Paris. Another market with a dreamy French atmosphere is Le Marie Marché. Here you can buy everything from delicacies like dry sausage and strawberry jam to beautiful jewellery and decoration. This market is there every first weekend of the month and on some public holidays.

Art and high tea
For art lovers, from 10 May to 11 June is the annual blow-up art expo; this time called BlowUp Art x Pulchri Studio. This fourth edition of BlowUp Art will once again take place in the heart of The Hague, the Museum Quarter.

This year's temporary exhibition brings an exciting mix of surprising blow-up art by John Körmeling, Kiki and Joost, Eugenie Boon, Piet Warffemius and Fransje Killaars. These can be admired on Lange Voorhout and will start simultaneously with the contemporary art exhibition Voorhout Monumentaal.

Coinciding with the opening weekend of BlowUp Art x Pulchri Studio, De Passage is celebrating its 140th anniversary with a high tea on Sunday 11 May. Together with mayor Jan van Zanen, enjoy the most delicious delicacies and various entertainment in the oldest shopping arcade of the Netherlands (order your tickets here).

Sport and music
Fancy letting loose? Visit the live music festivals The Life I Live on King's night (25 April) or the Bevrijdingsfestival (May 5). On 23 and 24 May, visitors will enjoy the explosive music festival Sniester, where more than 100 bands perform on and around the Grote Markt and poppodium Paard.

For sports fans, this year's Hofvijver Regatta takes place again. On 31 May, the region's best amateur rowers will compete board-to-board for charity on a 200-metre course in the Hofvijver.

For more information on The Hague city centre in spring and all events, click here.