A record 3,130 schools across the Netherlands are taking part in Purple Friday on 9 October, marking the first time participation has exceeded 3,000 schools. The annual initiative promotes acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people and aims to make schools safer and more inclusive for all pupils and students.
The total includes 2,130 primary schools and 1,000 secondary schools and institutions providing secondary vocational education (MBO). Last year, 2,980 schools participated, according to LGBTQIA+ organisation COC Nederland, which supports the initiative.
Hundreds of thousands of pupils, students and teachers are expected to wear purple clothing and organise activities to show their support for LGBTQIA+ people. This year’s theme is Our Purple Friday, for each other, together, emphasising solidarity and the shared responsibility for creating safe school environments.
COC director Marie Ricardo said the strong participation was particularly encouraging amid concerns about declining acceptance of homosexuality among young people. The organisation reported receiving a surge in requests from schools following the publication of recent research on the issue.
A study by Utrecht University and the Trimbos Institute, published on 21 September 2026, found a substantial decline in acceptance of homosexuality among young people between 2021 and 2025. Among boys, acceptance fell from 40% to 22%, while among girls it dropped from 78% to 51%.
According to COC, the findings have reinforced the determination of many schools to participate in Purple Friday and promote an environment in which pupils can be themselves without facing exclusion or bullying.
The initiative emphasises that everyone deserves respect, protection and the freedom to express their identity, regardless of whom they love, their skin colour or their religious beliefs. Although the campaign addresses inclusion more broadly, it gives particular attention to LGBTQIA+ people.
COC provides participating schools with Purple Friday packs and educational resources, including lesson plans, picture books and guidance for teachers. The materials are adapted to different age groups and can also be used throughout the school year, rather than exclusively on Purple Friday.
Purple Friday moves from December to October
This year’s edition is the first to take place in October. At the request of schools, the event has moved from its traditional December date, when end-of-year activities and other celebrations can leave less time for the initiative.
Purple Friday was first organised in 2010 by student Nazmul Zaman and COC. Its inaugural edition involved around 50,000 pupils at 150 schools. Since then, the campaign has grown into a nationwide event involving more than 3,000 schools.
The 2026 edition is the seventeenth. COC says its aim is to encourage schools to make inclusion and solidarity a year-round commitment, rather than something marked on a single day.
