Dickens Festival: the perfect Christmas outing
Updated: December 23rd 2023.
The Dickens Festival (called Dickens festijn in Dutch) in Deventer, The Netherlands was on my radar to visit for years already. We finally got to visit it in 2018 and loved it. It’s truly a unique experience and something for everyone looking for something spectacular around Christmas time.
Dickens Festival Deventer
For 2 days Deventer turns into an 19th century English town from the stories of Charles Dickens. Want to meet Scrooge, Oliver Twist or Mr. Pickwick? It’s possible at the Dickens Christmas festival. Listen to Christmas carol singers or watch orphans moan about their lives. See a living statue or watch Queen Victoria having a tea party.
The area Bergkwartier is where the festival is held. You walk along the streets on a designated route. On that route are some 950 actors dressed as orphans, paper boys and girls, chestnut sellers, chimneysweeps, drunks, idiots, gypsies, Christmas carol singers, distinguished notables and spinsters.
Among the characters are the main persons and secondary persons out of the books of Charles Dickens. You can watch short plays on the street, or choirs singing the stories. People walking along are being engaged in the stories, being it by letting them participate in the play or by having a conversation with them.
In short the Charles Dickens festival is one play with stages along several streets.
Christmas markets
The Dickens festival isn’t all there is to do in Deventer around Christmas. In the ‘Grote of Lebuinus’ church is an indoor Christmas market that starts on Thursday until Sunday. Stalls are lined up inside the church.
On the Brink (a square) there’s an outdoor Christmas market is on Sunday (the last day of the festival). Stalls are lined up on the square.
Next to the 2 Christmas markets there’s also ‘Deventer Kerststad’ (Deventer Christmas city) with free concerts in churches on Sunday.
Our experience
We loved strolling over the Dickens festival. The characters are brought to life well. The actors are all well into character. We enjoyed walking the route for a couple of hours, stopping along when we saw an interesting sketch, play or something to eat. Our son loved seeing all the dressed up persons and holding conversations with them.
The Christmas markets were fun, especially the one in the ‘Grote of Lebuinuskerk’, but not as great as their German counterparts. The festival is definitely the highlight of Christmas in Deventer.
For a completely different Christmas experience read about our Christmas in Jordan.
Deventer
Deventer is a city in the province of Overijssel. In the eastern part of The Netherlands. It’s a hanseatic city and situated on the river Ijssel. Deventer is one of the oldest cities of The Netherlands, already being mentioned in 9th century sources.
Interested in other Dutch cities? Read our guide on best cities for shopping in The Netherlands.
Information on the Dickens Festival
The festival is being organized the weekend before Christmas, since 1991. In 2023 it was in the weekend of 16 and 17 December. The dates for 2024 are already known, it will be in the weekend of 14 and 15 December. It’s only 2 days: one weekend a year. The entrance is free and is open from 11.00 am till 5.00 pm. The festival attracts some 125.000 visitors, so it’s crowded. Entrance to the medieval Bergkwartier is only on the corner of Walstraat and Keizerstraat.
There’s a really long line before you can enter, the line is being organized with fences. Waiting in this line can be up to an hour and a half. While in line, on the last part, Dickens characters are already walking up and down and entertaining the crowd. It’s not just Dutch people visiting, also people from everywhere, but mainly from Germany. Kids are welcome and it’s loads of fun for them to walk among the streets and see all the characters from the Charles Dickens books.
Bergkwartier is part of the old town of Deventer. The Medieval area is perfectly suited to host the Dickens Festival, it ads to the atmposphere. Streets that are participating are: Walstraat, Goltstraat, Damstraat, Roggestraat, Bergkerkplein, Bergstraat, Kerksteeg, Bergschild and Menstraat.
The characters are being played by actors, residents of Deventer, choirs, trades, drama clubs, musical groups, singers and extras. The entrepeneurs of Deventer are the organisors behind it.
Dickens festival costumes are either owned by the organization (they have some 700 costumes), privately owned by the actors or are being rented. The Dickens festival Victorian theme comes back in the costumes. It’s called the Victorian era after Queen Victoria.
For other Dutch festivals read about why we love Kingsday.
Stories
The stories that are being used for the festival are the following:
- Christmas carol;
- The Chimes;
- David Copperfield;
- The Old Curiosity Shop;
- The Pickwick club;
- Bleak House;
- Great Expectations;
- Little Dorrit;
- Nicholas Nickleby;
- The adventures of Oliver Twist.
Where to eat
Have lunch or dinner at Deventer Koekwinkel, Eigenwijs or Goesting Eten en Drinken. The last 2 have delicious lunches. Deventer Koekwinkel has over 100 years of history.
Where to stay
We stayed in a cabin on campsite De Stuurmanskolk in Welsum, a 20 minute drive from Deventer. When we wanted to book our accommodation, everything in Deventer was expensive or booked full.
Conclusion
When looking for a true Christmas feeling and entertainment, the Dickens festival in Deventer is a must visit. When looking for other places in The Netherlands for a unique thing and a good Christmas feeling, visit the Christmas markets in Valkenburg.
The 2020 edition wass sadly canceled, in 2021 it will be on 11 and 12 December, more information about that you can find here.
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36 Comments
Esther
Yes, this is such a special festival! And even better when it snows (I love thinking about snow in the sweltering heat that we’re experiencing just now)! #wandefulwednesdays
Cosette
We had it without snow, but that would have been perfect. The heat should be getting less tomorrow, but it’s does give a real vacation feeling.
Jody Joseph
Wow! This sounds Amazing! How fun would that be? I would love to visit this quaint town especially during this festival! Thank you for the great info!
Katie
This looks like such a fun way to spend time in the winter season. Love this kind of ‘living history’ activity. If you’re ever in London, check out the Charles Dickens Museum in his old home, it’s magical, especially at Christmas.
Rhonda Albom
The Dickens Festival looks amazing. I can only imagine how engaging it must be with close to 1000 actors descending into a small town. I haven’t been to Christmas markets in Europe but I don’t think I’ve seen mention of them being held inside a large cavernous church. Great idea.
Cosette
Yes, I don’t think there are more in a church. In the south of The Netherlands, there’s aChristmas market in a cave.
Claire
Wow, I expected this to be in the UK, had no idea Dickens would be popular in the Netherlands. Deventer looks like a nice place to visit.
Cosette
Yes, Dickens is also popular in The Netherlands. I think his books propably have conquered the world.
Kirsten Wendlandt
Oh this is so neat! I would love to visit this festival. I’m obsessed with all things Christmas so this is right up my alley. I wish we had something like this in Toronto.
Cosette
Fellow one obsessed with all things Christmas. I bet you have other things around Christmas in Toronto and you have a higher chance on snow.
Laureen
This sounds so wonderful! Like walking through a living Oliver Twist! I’d love to do this someday.
Cosette
Hope you get here someday. They play it really well.
Kelly
OMG this looks amazing. I love Dickens and would love to go ro this festival. It looks so Christmasy and like so much fun! Thanks for sharing!
Cosette
It was lots of fun and if you love Dickens you will love this festival.
Courtney
This is incredible! Europe really knows how to bring Christmas to the next level. This is so cool, and i have never heard of a whole town joining into a reenactment. I have so many more questions, but the first is how do they decide who gets to play the Queen?! Also, thanks for sharing the list of stories that the event is based one. Would definitely want to do a refresher before going.
Cosette
For some characters there are actors who do them every year, I think the queen is one of them, I know Scrooge is.
Bliss
What a fun idea! I’d love to do this. It took me a while to figure out where it was, until I read further down and saw the “where is it”
Cosette
It’s in Deventer, a city in The Netherlands.
Rob + Ann @TravelLatte
This is fantastic! We love festivals like this, and go see them whenever we get the chance. Interestingly, there is a similar one in the U.S., called Dickens of a Christmas in the city of Franklin, Tennessee. It’s amazing how widespread the Dickens fandom is!
Cosette
Yes, when I did my research for the festival, I found a few others. Didn’t come across the one in Franklin, sounds amazing.
Taylor
I love Charles Dickens! Such a classic! I would love to attend the Dickens Festival when I travel back to Europe during Christams in the future. 🙂
Cosette
Hope you can go to the Dickens Festival next time your in Europe around Christmas time.
Chelsea
What a unique and festive way to celebrate the holidays! The performances and living statues look so neat.
Krystianna
Oh my gosh, this seems like so much fun! I’m a huge book nerd so I would’ve had a blast at this. I’m for sure adding it to my must-travel list!
Emma
What a fascinating festival! I’d love to visit one day! Thanks for the great guide!
Elyse
this would be such a fun and unique experience, i love everyone’s costumes
Shelby Lamb
Love the idea of festivals around authors! Dickens wrote so many great novels – we don’t celebrate Christmas but it looks like a good time!
Lenore | The Nitty Gritty Travel OT
Wow, what a cool experience! The next time I’m in the Netherlands I’ll be sure to check out this festival. They’ve really captured the time period it looks so realistic!
Sue
This sounds like such a fun way to celebrate the holidays! I would love to visit this some year
Brittany
I’ve never heard of The Dickens Festival before! It sounds like such a fun experience. I love all the costumes! Thanks so much for putting this on my radar for the holidays 🙂
ANUKRATI DOSI
Dickens festival sounds so so interesting. Interestingly, David Copperfield was the first novel I had read when I was 13 years old. And, I still remember Peggotty being one of my favorite characters.
Terri
I would absolutely love to attend this Dickens festival. I was so surprised to learn that it is in The Netherlands. The costumes are incredible – 700 outfits. Wow! Thanks for the great article.
Lorraine Caputo
What a cool experience.
But, curiosity — Why in the blue blazes did a Dutch village decide to have a Dickens festival?!?!?
Diana
What’s an amazing post!!! Immersing in the Dickens Festival is like stepping into a festive time capsule where Christmas charm and Victorian allure seamlessly blend—a perfect yuletide outing for cherished memories and holiday joy!
Anja
Great post! I only know the Dickens event in Rochester, this is so much closer! Would love to visit, in period costume, of course !
Sonia
Looks like a wonderfully unique way to celebrate the holidays!