Kunst10Daagse Bergen aan Zee kunstfestival 2026

Free art festival in Bergen (North Holland) for art lovers and cultural professionals. More than 300 artists showcase painting, photography, sculpture, and installations at over 130 locations throughout the village.

Art in Bergen aan Zee

Every year in October, the North Holland village of Bergen transforms into a large open-air museum. The Kunst10Daagse Bergen brings together more than 300 artists and galleries at over 130 locations throughout the village. Museums, studios, cafés, hotels, gardens, and private homes participate. The event attracts around 40,000 visitors annually.

What Bergen has to offer

The offerings range from painting and sculpture to photography, ceramics, installations, and film. At Landgoed Het Hof, life-size photo prints measuring 2 by 3 meters hang outdoors in the forest. That part can be visited earlier in October, even before the official start of the festival.

Featured: artists in the spotlight

Fifteen artists receive special attention in the K10D Information Centre next to the Ruïnekerk. Visitors vote for the audience award. A jury awards a jury prize. The two winners exhibit the following year at Museum Kranenburgh in Bergen.

Program: from concert to lecture

The program combines visual arts with music, theater, and literature. Think of chamber music in the Ruïnekerk, lectures by writer Geert Mak and art detective Arthur Brand, and a children’s performance by Puppet Theater Belletje Sterk. There is also a youth photography competition for young people aged 10 to 18, coupled with a photography workshop.

Free access in North Holland

All exhibitions are free to visit. This makes the Kunst10Daagse one of the few major free art events in the Netherlands. An extensive art catalogue provides additional context to the work of the participating artists. Those who want to know more about the full program can find everything on the official festival website.

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