The Nijmegen Four Days Marches: Costs, Registration Windows, and the Vierdaagsekruis

Every July, more than 45,000 walkers from over 70 countries converge on Nijmegen, Netherlands, for the International Four Days Marches — De Vierdaagse, "The Walk of the World." For four straight days they march 30, 40, or 50 kilometers a day through the towns around Nijmegen, and those who finish earn the Cross for the Four Day Marches, an official Dutch decoration first awarded in 1909.

This guide covers what the march is, what it costs, how the Cross is earned, and — most important for planning — exactly how registration works for individuals, groups, and military participants.

What the March Is

The first Four Days Marches were held in September 1909 as a Dutch military training event: fifteen four-day routes across the Netherlands, with 306 soldiers and 10 civilians taking part. Nijmegen hosted in 1925 and has been the march's permanent home ever since. Today it is organized by Stichting DE 4DAAGSE, an independent foundation that has run the event since 2002; KWBN, the Royal Dutch Walking Association, is the event's walking partner.

The march runs four consecutive days starting on the third Tuesday of July. Each day is named for the largest town on the route — Elst on Tuesday, Wijchen on Wednesday, Groesbeek on Thursday, and Cuijk on Friday — and Friday's finish comes down the St. Annastraat, the "Via Gladiola," where spectators hand finishers gladioli. Recent editions: the 107th on 15–18 July 2025, the 108th on 21–24 July 2026, and the 109th scheduled for 20–23 July 2027. Registration is capped at 47,000 participants, including roughly 5,000 military marchers.

For civilians it is a non-competitive walking achievement event: running, speed walking, and Nordic walking poles are prohibited, and at least one foot must stay on the ground. You walk your registered distance all four days — no dropping down mid-week.

The Standard: 30, 40, or 50 Kilometers a Day

Every participant has a regulation distance — the minimum they must walk, set by age and gender. You may register for a longer distance, never a shorter one. In the current table, the youngest walkers (turning 12 in the march year is the minimum) march 30 km; most adult women march 40 km; most adult men under 50 march 50 km; and walkers in the oldest bands return to 30 km.

The military category is different. Military participants march the regulation distance of 40 km carrying at least 10 kg of marching kit. Random weight checks are held on the route, and failing one can mean disqualification. Military marchers start from De Wedren in Nijmegen or from Camp Heumensoord — and anyone who starts the military 40 km from Heumensoord is required to stay at the camp.

The Cross for the Four Day Marches

Finishers earn the Cross for demonstrated marching skill (in Dutch, the Kruis voor betoonde marsvaardigheid), instituted by Royal Decree on 6 October 1909. It is an official Dutch decoration, not a souvenir medal. The five-armed cross hangs from a green-and-yellow ribbon, and the class rises with your number of completions:

• 1st finish — Bronze Cross
• 2nd finish — Bronze Cross with crown
• 3rd and 4th finishes — number pins "3" and "4" on the ribbon
• 5th finish — Silver Cross (crown at the 6th; number pins for the 7th–9th)
• 10th finish — Gold Cross (crown at the 11th; number pins through the 39th)
• 40th, 50th, 60th, and 70th finishes — distinct crowned crosses with different enamel

Only the most recent cross is worn; the years between classes are marked by the number pin. Groups and detachments that finish also earn the Group Medal of the Four Day Marches. Whether a foreign award can be worn on your uniform is governed by your own service's regulations and chain of command — our Foreign Badges page explains how that approval process generally works.

What It Costs

These are the organizer's fees, set by Stichting DE 4DAAGSE — Rucking Tough has no part in setting or collecting them. The civilian entry fee has risen steadily, then held flat for the two most recent editions:

• 2018: €80
• 2023: €109
• 2024: €115
• 2025: €120
• 2026: €120 (unchanged)

What the entry fee includes: your start ticket, the wristband and checkpoint card you receive at sign-in, and — for finishers — the Vierdaagsekruis itself, or the number pin or next cross for a repeat finish.

What it does not include: the personalized certificate of participation is an optional extra ordered through the organizer's Service Desk — €22 printed or €6 digital. Civilian lodging is not provided; civilian walkers arrange their own hotels or campsites around Nijmegen. Walkers aged 12–15 can add a companion walker for €48 when added in advance, or €64.50 on the sign-in days (companions receive a goodie bag and a digital certificate, but do not earn the Cross). KWBN members received a €5 discount in 2023 and 2024; the 2025 and 2026 announcements do not mention one.

Military costs: service members from countries without an official delegation register through the Service Desk and pay the standard fee — the same €120. Military participants staying at Camp Heumensoord (military only, housing roughly 6,000 marchers since 1962) receive food, lodging, and medical support at the camp under Dutch Ministry of Defence regulation. Official delegations operate under separate arrangements published by the organizer.

Registration: The Timeline That Matters

Nijmegen registration is personal, happens online at the organizer's site (4daagse.nl), and the 47,000-place cap is hard: the moment it is reached, registration closes — even in the middle of a period. The three routes in work differently, so read the one that applies to you.

1. Individuals

Civilian registration runs in two periods, both first-come-first-served. For the 2026 edition:

• Period 1 — 26 January to 6 February 2026: open only to walkers who have successfully finished the march at least once in the past 10 years at their regulation distance, and to young people born 2008–2014.
• Period 2 — 9 February to 5 June 2026: open to everyone, until the cap is reached.

For comparison, the 2025 edition ran Period 1 from 24 February to 7 March 2025 (open to finishers from 2005–2024, civilian groups, and youth born 2007–2013) and Period 2 from 10 March to 13 June 2025. Dates shift a little each year, but the pattern holds: a short priority window for returning finishers and youth, then a long open window.

There is no civilian lottery. A draw was part of the system years ago, and many walkers still believe entry is decided by one — it is not. Entry is first-come-first-served until the cap. Nobody is guaranteed a place: even Period 1 closes the moment the overall maximum is reached. The one genuinely guaranteed route for a first-timer is KWBN's Via Vierdaagse preparation program, which held 2,000 places for 2026, each including a guaranteed starting ticket; registration for it opened on 19 January 2026. After a sell-out, tickets can be transferred through the organizer's official platform, with a waitlist added for 2026.

2. Groups

Group registration changed for 2026, and it catches people out: civilian groups can no longer register during the registration period. Instead, every member first secures an individual registration in the normal periods. After registration closes, the group's contact person forms the group through the Service Desk — for 2026, no later than 5 June 2026.

A group must field 11 to 41 named members at the start of day one. Members must be recognizable as a group (the same outfit) and walk the same distance together all four days — which can mean some members walk the longer "extended" distance. Group membership could still be changed until 21 June 2026.

3. Military Participants

Service members of official-delegation countries — including the United States — do not register through the public site. They register through their own armed forces, under separate rules and per-country quotas set by the organizer. Military detachments follow the group pattern: 11 to 41 members, the same uniform, marching together, and detachments march only the 40 km, starting from Camp Heumensoord, with rosters locked by the end of June.

For U.S. service members, the channel is the U.S. Delegation Nijmegen March (USDNM), which coordinates registration, logistics, and communications. Demand far exceeds supply: the U.S. allocation was reduced to 500 marching billets in 2025, and for 2026 the delegation drew 1,791 applications for roughly 500 spots before registration closed on 7 March 2026. Selection is competitive, not a lottery. (The only weighted lottery in the system is for individual Dutch military applicants, where the weight is your number of previous completions.)

U.S. civilians have no delegation channel and need none: register directly on the organizer's site in Period 2 and pay the €120 fee, then arrange your own travel and lodging.

Keep Exploring

Nijmegen is one of several great European marching traditions. Read our guides to the Diekirch March in Luxembourg, the Danish Flyver March, and the Norwegian Foot March — and for the foreign marching badges you can earn from your own route, start with our Foreign Marching Badges guide and the Foreign Badges hub.