# Winter time starts: lighter mornings, darker evenings

> Winter time has begun in the Netherlands, so mornings get light earlier and evenings turn dark earlier for the next five months.

Society · published 2026-10-25 04:46 · https://nlnow.nl/a/winter-time-starts-lighter-mornings-darker-evenings/

Winter time is now in force in the Netherlands. It gets light earlier in the morning and dark earlier in the evening.

Summer time starts again in the last weekend of March.

Winter time is the standard time in the Netherlands. Artificial summer time has applied since 1977. It was introduced because daylight then matches better with the hours most people are awake. The idea was that less lighting is needed in the evening, which saves energy.

The switch between summer and winter time has been regulated at European level since 1980. The European Commission wanted to end it in 2018, but several countries postponed a decision.

From NLnow, news from the Netherlands in English. How stories are made: https://nlnow.nl/about/