School holidays in Belgium: 2023 and 2024

If you live or work in Belgium and have children at school, you’ll need to get those school holiday dates in the diary as soon as possible so that you can plan activities and childcare arrangements if necessary. School holidays cross over with some public holidays in Belgium (e.g., Christmas and Easter), plus there are seasonal breaks including a lengthy summer break.

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School holidays in Belgium

Belgium is split into three different language-speaking communities:

• Dutch-speaking Flanders
• French-speaking Wallonia
• German-speaking eastern Wallonia

The Dutch-speaking and German-speaking communities share the same school holidays, however, the French-speaking community has different dates.

Belgian schools typically have five holidays across the year: Christmas and Easter breaks which last two weeks each, a two-month summer break in July and August, plus a week off in spring and in autumn. There are also a few individual days off, such as Whit Monday and Armistice Day.

International schools in Belgium generally follow the same school holiday dates as other schools, although summer holidays in some international schools start and end one to two weeks earlier than the general holiday dates. Check with your child’s school for full details.

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Public holidays in Belgium: important dates in 2022 and 2023

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Belgian families typically use school holidays in Belgium as a time to get together and celebrate festive holidays such as Easter or Christmas, to go on family holidays, or to plan activities for kids. Some important public holidays and celebrations usually fall on school holidays, such as Belgian National Day in July and the annual carnival before Lent, which occurs during the spring break.

Belgian school holiday dates 2023–2024

Belgian school holiday dates 2024–2025

All dates subject to change

Additional holidays and days off

In addition to the standard school holidays in Belgium, there are some days throughout the year when there will be no school.

These are mostly due to teacher training/professional development, plus there may be individual school days off or pupil book days. These tend to vary between schools so you will need to inquire with your child’s school for details. Many Belgian schools also publish yearly calendars on their websites.

Childcare during Belgian school holidays

If you are working during school holidays, you may need to make childcare arrangements. You have several options:

• Flanders – daycare for school children: You can choose between family daycare (gezinsopvang in Dutch), which is usually a maximum of eight children looked after at the home of a certified childminder; or group reception (groepsopvang in Dutch), which is a larger building with several childcare providers. Information can be found on the Kind & Gezin website.
• Wallonia – Holiday centers (Centres de Vacances): You can search for suitable activities and centers on the website for ONE. Another useful resource is La Ligue des Familles, a membership organization that offers a range of holiday activities and opportunities for children aged 3 and above.
• Summer camp in Belgium: There are a number of such camps in Belgium including language schools, sports camps and adventure camps that are popular with expat children.

Prices and availability for activities vary, so it’s advisable to make inquiries at the earliest opportunity and find out if any discounts are available. Ask your child’s school to see if any school-related provisions exist.

You can find out information on school holidays in Belgium for the Flanders, Wallonia-Brussels, and German-speaking regions.