Summer holidays 2030
Flanders
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Estimated dates - verify with official sources before use.
Summer holidays
The summer holidays 2030 runs from 29 June to 1 September.
The summer break in Flanders runs from 1 July to 31 August, totalling nine weeks off. It is by far the longest school holiday and the peak of the Belgian holiday season.
This period includes the national holiday on 21 July and the Assumption of Mary on 15 August, two official public holidays. The long summer gives families the chance to combine multiple activities, from trips abroad to camps and day trips.
The debate about the length of the summer break flares up regularly, but for now Flanders sticks with nine weeks.
Activities during the summer holidays
The Belgian coast with seaside resorts such as Ostend, Knokke, and Blankenberge is the number-one destination, with 67 kilometres of beach to choose from. The Ardennes offer camping and kayaking, with the Lesse and the Ourthe as the most popular rivers.
Theme parks like Bobbejaanland, Plopsaland, and Bellewaerde run at full capacity and offer evening openings during peak season. Summer festivals such as Rock Werchter, Tomorrowland, and Pukkelpop attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.
City trips to Bruges, Ghent, or Antwerp are ideal for combining culture and gastronomy. Open-air swimming ponds like the Blaarmeersen in Ghent and the Provincial Domain Kessel-Lo offer free or affordable cooling off.
Practical info about the summer holidays
Play areas, sports camps, and youth movement camps offer childcare throughout the summer, but the most popular weeks in July fill up fastest. The E40 motorway towards the coast is notorious for traffic jams on sunny days; departing before 9 a.m. or after 11 a.m. helps avoid the worst congestion.
The Coastal Tram is a handy alternative for travel along the coastline and runs at increased frequency in summer. Many Flemish cities organise free summer events, from open-air cinema to street theatre.
Families on a limited budget can enquire with their municipality about affordable or free holiday camps.
Did you know this about the summer holidays?
Wallonia-Brussels has had a shorter summer break of around seven weeks since 2022-2023, while Flanders stays at nine weeks. The two extra weeks have been redistributed to longer autumn and carnival breaks.
The difference in summer length means Flemish children start earlier and finish later than their Francophone peers. The Belgian coast is busiest during the period when both communities are on holiday simultaneously, roughly from mid-July to mid-August.
According to figures from Westtoer, the coastal municipalities receive more than 30 million day visits each year during the summer months.