Dickens Festival

The last weekend before Christmas, the annual Charles Dickens festival brings some 120,000 visitors to Deventer's Bergkwartier. Local volunteers and business owners turn the city quarter into a 19th-century town by enacting famous scenes from Dickens' novels and dress up to be Oliver Twist, Scrooge and hundreds of other characters. The rest of the city joins in the celebrations with Christmas markets and other activities, providing a lively, overall buzz. Admission is free, but count on some queueing to enter.

free

Address: Bergstraat
Website: dickensfestijn.nl (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Deventer, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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See
Bergkerk
Saint Nicholas Church
The Gothic church dates from circa 1200 and stands on the highest part of the Bergkwartier. Today, it is used for concerts and exhibitions.
Eat
Chez Antoinette
bar bodega Chez Antoinette
Portuguese restaurant, bar and bodega in the historic heart of Deventer. It is the town's evergreen—this place has been around for a long time and is rated high by the locals. Don't get fooled by its French name—this place serves truly authentic Portuguese drinks and dishes. There's a very nice bar which is open till late at night and things can get quite crowded or gezellig as the Dutch would call it. The restaurant definitely requires a booking if you want to be sure of a table. Just ring and make a reservation.
Eat
Deventer Koekwinkel
Bussink Koek
Brink 84
The average cake sells for a couple of euros, but bundles with Deventer Koek and other local products are available as well, with seasonal bundles selling for €15 and the average bundle coming in around the same price
See
Waag
Weigh house
Deventer has its own Leaning Tower of Pisa, the 'Waag', which leans quite a lot. The museum, located within the Waag, of course features some of the best works of art from Deventer, as well as a large collection about the city itself. It also has rotating exhibitions, often of more contemporary themes to accompany the main collection.
Mon closed, Tue-Sun 11:00-17:0018+: €9, 13-18: €2.50; <13: free