Remembrance 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
Remembrance Day, or Nationale Dodenherdenking, is held in the Netherlands on 4 May. It remembers all civilians and service members who died in the Kingdom of the Netherlands or elsewhere in the world in war or peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of the Second World War. At 8 p.m. the whole country observes two minutes of silence. The national ceremony takes place at the National Monument on Dam Square in Amsterdam, and flags fly at half-mast from 6 p.m. until sunset.
- Date
- May 4
- Next dates
- Tuesday 4 May 2027
Thursday 4 May 2028
Friday 4 May 2029 - Country
- Netherlands
- Tone
- Solemn – remembrance
- Typical events
- Local ceremonies at war memorials, Dutch embassies and associations abroad, school commemorations in the days before, and quiet gatherings timed for 8 p.m.
- Length
- 179 spoken words · about 1.5 min at 130 words a minute · 5 cue cards
The Remembrance Day speech, ready as cue cards
A complete host script in 5 cards, about 1.5 minutes of speaking. Open it in the editor to add your names, change the card size or highlights, and print.
- GOOD EVENING1 / 5
Good evening. My name is {Your name}, and on behalf of {Organisation} I welcome you to this remembrance at {Memorial or venue}. Thank you for being here tonight, as people are in towns and cities across the Netherlands. - WHY WE GATHER2 / 5
On 4 May we remember the civilians and service members who died in war or on peacekeeping missions since the Second World War began. Some of their names we know; many we never will. Tonight we remember them together, in silence. - TWO MINUTES OF SILENCE3 / 5
In a moment it will be 8 o'clock, and the whole country will fall still. Please stand, and remain silent until the anthem begins.
[20:00 – TWO MINUTES OF SILENCE, THEN WILHELMUS]
Thank you. - LAYING OF WREATHS4 / 5
We now lay wreaths and flowers in memory of all who died. I invite {Wreath bearers} to come forward first. Anyone who wishes may follow and lay a flower. Please remain standing while the wreaths are laid.
[WREATH LAYING] - CLOSING5 / 5
Thank you for remembering with us. Tomorrow, on Liberation Day, the flags will fly at full height again. For now, please leave in quiet, and take a moment for those you carry in your thoughts. Good night.
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
- Time the programme so your two minutes of silence begin exactly at 8 p.m., together with the national silence. A visible clock or a radio or TV broadcast helps the host get it right.
- Flags fly at half-mast from 6 p.m. until sunset on 4 May. Avoid applause throughout, keep any music calm, and let guests leave in silence.
- Who is remembered at local ceremonies is sometimes debated. Follow the national committee's inclusive wording, keep the script factual, and avoid references to current conflicts or politics.
- Remembrance Day is not a public holiday. If your school or workplace commemoration takes place earlier in the day, replace the 8 p.m. reference with a one-minute silence.
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: 4 MAY - Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei : Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei. 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)
- Liberation Day · May 5