Schools across the Netherlands will turn purple on Friday 9 October 2026 as COC Nederland’s Purple Friday is held in October for the first time. Hundreds of thousands of students, teachers and other education staff are expected to take part in the annual campaign promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusion and safer schools.
Purple Friday has traditionally been held in December, but schools themselves asked for the event to be moved to the second Friday of October. The December edition often coincided with end-of-year activities, holidays and other school events, leaving less time and attention for the campaign.
COC Nederland says schools expect October to provide more space to organise activities and focus on the message of Purple Friday: that everyone should be able to be themselves at school, without exclusion or bullying.
Students and teachers taking part traditionally wear purple clothing and organise activities in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. The campaign emphasises that everyone deserves respect, protection and space, regardless of who they are, who they fall in love with, their skin colour or their religion.
The 2026 campaign is called Our Purple Friday, with the motto “Our Purple Friday, for each other, with each other – together for the whole school”. COC says the emphasis is deliberately on collective responsibility for creating a safe and welcoming school environment.
Materials for the campaign include teaching resources, activities and suggestions for students and education professionals. Resources are also available for primary schools, including picture books and lesson materials tailored to younger children.
Thousands of schools are expected to participate again this year. Free Purple Friday packs for primary schools are still available, while the packs for secondary schools and vocational education have already sold out. The materials can also be downloaded separately from COC’s online knowledge library.
Growing need for LGBTQIA+ inclusion
COC says the campaign is particularly important against a backdrop of rising discrimination. According to figures cited by the organisation, the number of reported cases of discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people in the Netherlands doubled over the past two years, while discrimination against other minority groups has also increased.
LGBTQIA+ young people are up to three times more likely to be bullied than other young people, according to research cited by COC. The organisation also points to government figures showing that 41% of young people do not believe that LGBTQIA+ people are treated equally.
“Purple Friday” is therefore intended to be more than a single day. COC encourages schools to use the campaign materials throughout the year and to make LGBTQIA+ inclusion part of their wider efforts to create a safe school environment.
The campaign is organised by COC Nederland, the Netherlands’ national LGBTQIA+ organisation.
Schools, students and teachers can order or download Purple Friday materials through COC’s education website.
