Shipping Disruption Calendar: Key Dates for 2025
This article provides a complete overview of national holidays, peak periods, and external events that may affect shipping and delivery schedules throughout 2025. Use this calendar to proactively manage customer expectations and avoid surprises in your logistics flow.
NATO Summit 2025: Possible Delays in the Netherlands
From Sunday, June 22 through Thursday, June 26, 2025, strict security measures will be in place in The Hague (Netherlands) due to the NATO summit on June 24 and 25. These measures may cause logistical delays, especially in the Randstad region (including The Hague, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Utrecht).
What to expect:
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Heavy traffic and roadblocks in and around The Hague, especially near the World Forum.
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Restricted access to certain areas, including closed streets and bridges.
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Temporary delivery disruptions in the affected zones.
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Pickup delays at business addresses and depots.
What happens to your shipments:
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Parcels that cannot be delivered will be rerouted to the nearest pickup point.
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The status of each shipment can be tracked via your Track & Trace.
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Updates will be posted on our platform-wide Shipping Updates page.
We do everything we can to minimize the impact and keep you informed. For any urgent questions, please contact our support team.
National Holidays (No Delivery)
On the following official holidays, most parcel carriers (including national and international services) do not deliver:
| Date | Day | Region | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Wednesday | NL, BE, DE | New Year’s Day |
| 29 March | Saturday | NL only | Good Friday (not observed in BE) |
| 31 March | Monday | NL, BE, DE | Easter Sunday |
| 1 April | Tuesday | NL, BE, DE | Easter Monday |
| 27 April | Sunday | Netherlands | King’s Day (NL only) |
| 1 May | Thursday | Belgium | Labour Day (BE only) |
| 9 May | Friday | NL, BE, DE | Ascension Day |
| 19 May | Monday | NL, BE, DE | Whit Monday (Pentecost) |
| 25 December | Thursday | NL, BE, DE | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Friday | NL, BE, DE | Boxing Day / Second Christmas Day |
Peak Volume and Delivery Risk Periods
These dates are not public holidays, but often cause delays due to high parcel volumes, shortened carrier hours, or increased consumer activity:
| Date / Period | Expected Disruption |
|---|---|
| 24 December | Christmas Eve – limited delivery hours |
| 31 December | New Year’s Eve – limited delivery hours |
| 2–10 January | Return volume peak |
| 14–20 April | Pre-Easter peak – gifting & decor |
| 5–11 May | Pre-Mother’s Day – high parcel traffic |
| 24–30 November | Black Friday Week – logistics overload |
| 1 December | Cyber Monday – peak online traffic |
| 1–5 December | Sinterklaas (NL only) – shipping bottlenecks |
Special Events With Potential Delivery Disruption
These events may cause local delivery delays or temporary shipping disruptions due to road closures, staffing issues, or security protocols:
| Date / Period | Description |
|---|---|
| 22–26 June 2025 | NATO Summit – The Hague, Netherlands: major road closures expected |