# Gijs Naber unveiled as new Sinterklaas in Grave

> Naber, 46, was revealed on Saturday at the national arrival in Grave, taking over from Stefan de Walle, who had played the role since 2011.

Society · published 2026-11-14 23:17 · https://nlnow.nl/a/actor-gijs-naber-is-the-new-sinterklaas/

Actor Gijs Naber stepped ashore in Grave, in Noord-Brabant, on Saturday afternoon as the new Sinterklaas at the Nationale Intocht, the national arrival of Saint Nicholas. He is 46.

Naber succeeds Stefan de Walle, who said in September that he was stopping. De Walle had played the part since 2011. Names such as Daan Schuurmans and Ramsey Nasr had been mentioned in speculation about a successor.

The Sinterklaasjournaal, the children's news programme that follows the Sint's arrival, drew more than 2.3 million viewers on Monday and Tuesday. So as not to confuse young children, the programme sometimes calls the man who plays Sinterklaas, now Naber, the "adviser to the national Saint Nicholas".

In the programme the Sint and his adviser had gone missing, which caused panic. Everything came right at the arrival in Grave, where Naber appeared in the role for the first time in public.

Naber rode through the streets of Grave on the grey horse Ozosnel in the sunshine. He greeted the crowd with "Dág allemaal!" and "Adios!", and waved to "Ramsey", "Daan", "Kasper" and "Gijs", the names that had been linked to the role. To the press he said: "Here I am, then!"

The programme had hinted at the choice. A mysterious motorcyclist appeared in it during the past week. Naber is also known for playing the criminal Willem Holleeder in the series Judas.

## Background

- **Nationale Intocht**: The Nationale Intocht is the national arrival ceremony of Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) in the Netherlands. Each year the Sint arrives by steamboat from Spain and is welcomed in a different town, with a parade and festivities that mark the start of the Sinterklaas season in November.
- **Sinterklaasjournaal**: The Sinterklaasjournaal is a Dutch children's news programme broadcast on television during the Sinterklaas season. It follows the Sint's arrival and stay in the Netherlands with short news items and reports made for young viewers.

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