When the sun is high in the sky and the city hums with energy, something magical happens in Rotterdam. The city comes alive, in every sense. Music drifts from every corner of the centre, bodies move to the rhythm of brass bands, and feathers, glitter, and flags from every corner of the world fill the streets. It’s time for the Summer Carnival.
A city of the world, a celebration for everyone
Rotterdam is home to more than 170 nationalities. People with roots in the Caribbean, West Africa, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and far beyond. What connects them? A city where everyone finds their place, and an event where everyone feels seen.
This is no ordinary event. It is a living story.
The Summer Carnival began as an initiative of a small community, a way to make the culture of Curaçao and other Caribbean islands visible. But it grew quickly. Today it is one of the biggest parades in Europe, with more than 25 floats and a wonderful mix of visitors from near and far.
From street party to cultural heritage
In 2023, something remarkable happened. The Summer Carnival was officially inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A global recognition of what Rotterdam had always known: this is no ordinary event. It is a living story.
A story about migration, culture, expression, and freedom. A story that connects generations and keeps traditions alive. A story that is written anew every year by the people who make it possible.
From the costume designers who spend months crafting handmade creations, to the musicians who feel every beat in their bones. From the visitors who lift their children onto their shoulders, to the dancers who surpass themselves.
Forty years of Summer Carnival
That significance was underlined again in 2026 with the award of the Oeuvre Prijs Rotterdam. This prestigious distinction is presented only once every five years to individuals or organisations of lasting importance to the city and its international profile. The prize is a recognition of more than forty years of Summer Carnival and of all the communities, makers, volunteers, and partners who have built the event into what it is today: a powerful symbol of Rotterdam identity.
Here we celebrate what connects us. Here we show the richness of who we are.
The recognition by UNESCO and the Oeuvre Prijs together offer a new opportunity: to tell Rotterdam’s story to the world. As a city unafraid of change. As a city that makes room, for expression, for identity, for one another.
Celebrating what connects us
This event shows what makes Rotterdam unique: a vibrant city where differences don’t stay apart, but come together. Here we celebrate what connects us. Here we show the richness of who we are. It’s no coincidence that the Summer Carnival is one of the six iconic events through which Rotterdam presents itself internationally. You feel it in the energy of the parade, see it in the faces of the crowd, hear it in the drums that keep sounding deep into the night.
Want to know more? Visit the website via this link.
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