NOS broadcasts Zomercarnaval 2026 live

ROTTERDAM, 6 July 2026 – The NOS will bring Rotterdam’s Zomercarnaval (summer carnival street parade) to viewers across the Netherlands and abroad on Saturday 25 July. A daytime livestream will follow the Street Parade, while two programmes on NPO 1 will cover the parade, Royalty Election, Children’s Carnival and Battle of the Drums.

_{Photo credit: NOS}

The broadcasts mean you can still follow one of Rotterdam’s biggest annual celebrations without squeezing yourself between thousands of spectators in the city centre. Evita Mac-nack and former Zomercarnaval Queen Larisa da Veiga will provide commentary and present the television coverage.

Street Parade streams live

The NOS livestream runs from approximately 12:30 to 15:00 on Saturday 25 July. You can watch through https://nos.nl, the NOS app, NPO 1 Extra and NPO Start.

The Street Parade itself begins at 12:00 from Blaak and moves through central Rotterdam. Around 25 carnival groups and more than 2,500 dancers take part, joined by floats, brass bands and musicians during a route of approximately five kilometres.

Mac-nack and Da Veiga will guide viewers through the groups, costumes, music and traditions during the stream. Da Veiga was crowned Zomercarnaval Queen in 2024, giving her a rather more informed view of the parade than someone simply shouting “lovely feathers” from the pavement.

The livestream offers the most direct way to watch the procession during the afternoon. The evening programmes then add reports, interviews and a wider look at the different parts of Zomercarnaval.

Two programmes on NPO 1

The first television programme airs on NPO 1 from 19:33 to 19:54. Broadcasting from Witte de Withstraat and Blaak, it looks at the events leading up to the Street Parade, including the Royalty Election, Children’s Carnival and Battle of the Drums.

Mireyna Richardson and Shayron Tremus were crowned Queen and King Zomercarnaval 2026 during the Royalty Election in June. The programme will also cover the young participants of the Children’s Carnival and the brass bands competing in Battle of the Drums.

After the 20:00 NOS Journaal, the main Zomercarnaval programme runs from 20:28 to 21:19 on NPO 1. This second broadcast focuses on the Street Parade, combining footage of the procession with reports about several participating groups.

The two programmes are also available worldwide through BVN. The first is scheduled there at 19:45 Dutch time, followed by the main parade programme at 20:35.

Rotterdam tradition reaches the world

Zomercarnaval Rotterdam has been included on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2023. The recognition centres on the cultural diversity of the parade and the communities that spend months preparing their costumes, music, choreography and floats.

The traditions represented in the procession have roots in the Dutch Caribbean, Cape Verde, Suriname, Spain and other parts of the world. Together, the groups have shaped a distinctly Rotterdam celebration, built through migration, shared creativity and the city’s talent for turning the centre into one very large dance floor.

The 2026 edition is the 42nd Zomercarnaval. The full event takes place on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 July, with the Street Parade forming the main attraction on Saturday.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected in central Rotterdam. Anyone planning to attend should expect busy streets, public transport changes and road closures, while anyone staying home now has several ways to watch without missing the drums, dancers or occasional costume that appears to have defeated gravity.

NOS Zomercarnaval schedule

The daytime livestream runs from approximately 12:30 to 15:00 through NOS.nl, the NOS app, NPO 1 Extra and NPO Start.

The first television programme airs from 19:33 to 19:54 on NPO 1, followed by the main Street Parade programme from 20:28 to 21:19. Worldwide broadcasts through BVN are scheduled for 19:45 and 20:35 respectively.