Liberation Day speech template (Netherlands)
Published 10 October 2026 · Date checked on 5 October 2026 · Written by the Cue Card Converter team at EventProgrammer, event production professionals
Liberation Day, or Bevrijdingsdag, is celebrated in the Netherlands on 5 May. It marks the end of the Nazi German occupation in 1945 and celebrates freedom and democracy. Coming the day after Remembrance Day, it turns the country from remembrance to celebration. A liberation fire is lit in Wageningen, where the German capitulation was negotiated, and carried by runners to towns across the country. Liberation festivals with free concerts are held in many places, and flags fly at full height.
- Date
- May 5
- Next dates
- Wednesday 5 May 2027
Friday 5 May 2028
Saturday 5 May 2029 - Country
- Netherlands
- Tone
- Celebratory
- Typical events
- Liberation festivals, school celebrations, Dutch embassies and communities abroad, town squares, veterans' associations and company gatherings on 5 May.
- Length
- 166 spoken words · about 1.5 min at 130 words a minute · 4 cue cards
The Liberation Day speech, ready as cue cards
A complete host script in 4 cards, about 1.5 minutes of speaking. Open it in the editor to add your names, change the card size or highlights, and print.
- FROM SILENCE TO CELEBRATION1 / 4
Good afternoon, and welcome. I'm {Your name} from {Organisation}. Last night we stood in silence. Today we celebrate. That is the rhythm of these two days in the Netherlands, and it is good to share the second one with all of you. - FREEDOM REGAINED2 / 4
In 1945, after almost five years of occupation, the Netherlands was free again. Freedom brought back what had been taken away: the right to speak openly, to vote, to meet and to live without fear. Today we celebrate that freedom, and remember that every generation has to look after it. - THE LIBERATION FLAME3 / 4
Every year a liberation fire is lit in Wageningen and carried across the country by runners. In that spirit, I invite {Flame bearer} to light our own flame of freedom.
[LIGHTING OF THE FLAME]
May it remind us that freedom is never finished. - LET THE MUSIC BEGIN4 / 4
Across the country, liberation festivals are starting their concerts, and ours begins now. Please give a warm welcome to {Band or performer}.
[APPLAUSE – MUSIC BEGINS]
Enjoy the afternoon, dance if you feel like it, and happy Liberation Day.
Red is used only for names, titles, organisations, dates, times and section headings. Replace the words in {curly brackets} with your own details; lines in [SQUARE BRACKETS] are stage directions and are not read aloud.
How to adapt it
- Acknowledge the silence of 4 May in a single sentence, then let the tone become festive. Flags return to full height on Liberation Day, so fly yours if you can.
- Runners carry the liberation fire from Wageningen to many towns. Ask your municipality whether it passes nearby; otherwise a candle or lantern makes a good symbolic flame.
- Keep freedom universal. Avoid linking the day to current wars or political debates, and remember that guests may have family histories on different sides of the Second World War.
- Whether 5 May is a day off depends on the employer or collective agreement, so school and workplace celebrations sometimes happen on another day; adjust the timing words.
Print and rehearse
“Edit and print these cards” opens the script in the free cue card maker, where you can choose A5, 4 × 6 or 3 × 5 inch cards, print several per sheet with cut lines or export PDF, PowerPoint and Word, and rehearse full screen in practice mode. To write your own programme around it, see how to write an MC script and the run of show template.
Sources
Date and background checked on 5 October 2026 against: English - Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei : Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei, Which days are official public holidays in the Netherlands? | Government.nl. Customs vary between organisations and regions; always follow the official programme of your event.
More Netherlands speech templates
- King's Day · April 27 (April 26 if Sunday)
- Remembrance Day · May 4