Of course, no one can predict the future. But with the agenda, the tarot cards and the crystal ball at the ready, we look ahead to the coming year. This is what you can expect in 2026.
The first good intentions have already fallen, the bottle banks are overflowing with uncorked champagne bottles and gyms are once again full of fanatics who want to shed their winter coat. And 2026 is only a few days old. This is what Brabant can expect in the coming year.
January: Lawsuits left and right
Now that the Christmas holidays are over, another busy period begins for the Brabant courts. In January, the verdict against Elias M will follow. He is suspected of the rape and murder of 75-year-old Yvonne from Halsteren. The Public Prosecution Service demands twenty years’ imprisonment and TBS with compulsory treatment. The verdict will be announced on January 26.
Eindhoveen resident Justin B. also appears in court again. He is suspected of founding the sadistic terror network No Lives Matter. According to the Public Prosecution Service, members of that network are alleged to have been guilty of, among other things, terrorism, school shootings, child pornography, vandalism and sextortion. The case will continue at the court in Rotterdam on January 20.
February: Winter Games and Who is the Mole?
In snow-covered Italy, the crème de la crème of winter sports will compete against each other in the Winter Olympics in February. Brabant is also represented.
Several members of the province take action in skating. In the short track, Friso Emons from Tilburg and Zoë Deltrap from Lage Zwaluwe will compete for the medals. Bobsledders Janko and Jelen Franjic from Breda and Stephan Huis in ‘t Veld from Bergen op Zoom also have a chance of a downhill at the games in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
February is packed with sports anyway. On February 2, Mathieu van der Poel can win his eighth cyclo-cross world title in Hulst. This also sets the record for the most world titles ever in this discipline. Van der Poel is still undefeated this season. Now that rival Wout van Aert is missing due to an injury, the road to the title seems clear.
A new season of the popular TV program Wie is de Mol? will also start on February 28. Among the participants this year: actor Nasrdin Dchar from Steenbergen, known from Mocro Mafia and De Zwarte Tulp, and ‘sexologist of the country’ Eveline Stallaert from Geldrop, previously seen on Married at First Sight and RTL Boulevard.
March: Gillis back in court and Brabant to the polls
On Wednesday, March 18, Brabant can go to the polls for the municipal elections. In all 56 Brabant municipalities, residents choose who will represent them in the municipal council in the coming years.
In addition, Peter Gillis must appear in court again. His appeal will be due on March 19, after he was convicted of large-scale tax fraud last year. According to Gillis, the court was influenced by external sources. The holiday park owner says he has now spent millions on lawyer fees.
April: Gillis back in court and the tastiest sausage roll
On April 15, Gillis will be in court again, this time for the substantive hearing in the case surrounding the alleged abuse of his ex-partner Nicole Kremers. During an earlier hearing, the judge ordered an investigation into the authenticity of photos of injuries. Gillis will also hear the demand from the Public Prosecution Service.
Later that month, on April 23, it will be announced who bakes the tastiest sausage roll in Brabant. Last year the title went to Pim Filius from Dongen, who convinced the jury with taste and appearance.
May: Grandpa Frans and a blue micromoon
A special period begins in May for Frans Bauer. His son Jan and daughter-in-law Danique are expecting their first child. “Our hearts are almost bursting with pride and happiness,” (future) grandfather Frans and grandmother Mariska said earlier.
Fans of a different kind of stars will also get their money’s worth. On May 31, a rare blue micromoon will appear in the sky: the second full moon of the year, which is also the farthest from Earth and therefore looks smaller and less bright.
June: Football World Cup
The World Cup is scheduled for June in Canada, Mexico and the United States. For Eindhoven’s Virgil van Dijk it will probably be his last world championship in Orange. For former NAC goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from Breda, it is his World Cup debut. The goalkeeper is currently under contract with Brighton.
July: Summer holidays
Sunscreen at the ready, slippers out of the closet: the summer holidays start in July. The holiday periods differ per region. Most of Brabant is free from July 11 to August 23.
The Central Region, which includes the municipality of Altena, starts a week later. The holiday there runs from July 18 to August 30.
August: Solar Eclipse
On August 12, stargazers can enjoy a total solar eclipse. However, the best place to see the phenomenon is not in Brabant, but in Patreksfjörður in Iceland. It is the first total solar eclipse visible in Western Europe since 1999.
September: Merry-go-round festival may stay
After months of uncertainty, the Draaimolen festival will be allowed to take place in September at its current location at the MOB complex in Tilburg. New agreements with the province make this possible. The festival may continue for the next three years, under strict conditions such as a maximum of two festival days per year and ecological monitoring.
October: Marathon month
Traditionally, the Eindhoven marathon is run in October. After last year’s record crowds, the organization is investigating expansion and a possible return of the course to Stratumseind.
With a running trend that is hardly decreasing, the event is heading for another record year.
November: Eleventh of the Eleventh
The start of the 2027 carnival season still seems far away, but Eleventh of the Eleventh 2026 is just around the corner. Last year’s edition was one of the most visited ever. Interest is also growing in cities where the party was less lively, such as Uden. The festivities have been increasing in Den Bosch, Tilburg, Oss and Eindhoven for years.
December: Fireworks ban
With the turbulent New Year of 2025 still fresh in our minds, we are looking forward to December 2026, when the national fireworks ban will come into effect for the first time. More than 65 percent of Brabanders support that ban.
Yet not everyone is convinced. For example, acting mayor of Tilburg Onno Hoes fears that fireworks will be stocked and stored en masse across the border. “That is life-threatening.” Fireworks sellers also warn that young people will mainly get their fireworks from the illegal circuit.