diff --git a/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-event-editor-dialog.blp b/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-event-editor-dialog.blp
index 18a204e6..fdbc6669 100644
--- a/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-event-editor-dialog.blp
+++ b/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-event-editor-dialog.blp
@@ -75,8 +75,6 @@ template $GcalEventEditorDialog: Adw.Dialog {
             }
 
             Adw.PreferencesGroup {
-              title: _("Notes");
-
               $GcalNotesSection notes_section {
                 sensitive: bind template.writable;
                 vexpand: true;
diff --git a/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-notes-section.blp b/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-notes-section.blp
index fa6d5623..2b332b99 100644
--- a/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-notes-section.blp
+++ b/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-notes-section.blp
@@ -10,17 +10,40 @@ template $GcalNotesSection: Adw.PreferencesRow {
     "notes-section",
   ]
 
-  Box {
-    TextView notes_text {
-      hexpand: true;
-      top-margin: 6;
-      bottom-margin: 6;
-      left-margin: 6;
-      right-margin: 6;
-      sensitive: true;
-      wrap-mode: word_char;
-      accepts-tab: false;
-      state-flags-changed => $on_notes_text_state_flags_changed_cb(template) not-swapped;
+  child: Overlay {
+    [overlay]
+    Label placeholder {
+      label: _("Notes");
+      can-focus: false;
+      can-target: false;
+      xalign: 0.0;
+      yalign: 0.0;
+      visible: bind $empty_string(notes_text.buffer.text);
+
+      styles [
+        "dimmed",
+        "placeholder",
+      ]
     }
-  }
+
+    child: Adw.Bin {
+      css-name: "box";
+
+      child: TextView notes_text {
+        hexpand: true;
+        top-margin: 6;
+        bottom-margin: 6;
+        left-margin: 6;
+        right-margin: 6;
+        sensitive: true;
+        wrap-mode: word_char;
+        accepts-tab: false;
+        state-flags-changed => $on_notes_text_state_flags_changed_cb(template) not-swapped;
+
+        accessibility {
+          placeholder: _("Notes");
+        }
+      };
+    };
+  };
 }
diff --git a/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-notes-section.c b/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-notes-section.c
index f3a7ecdc..16be56fe 100644
--- a/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-notes-section.c
+++ b/src/gui/event-editor/gcal-notes-section.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ struct _GcalNotesSection
   AdwPreferencesRow   parent;
 
   GtkTextView        *notes_text;
+  GtkLabel           *placeholder;
 
   GcalContext        *context;
   GcalEvent          *event;
@@ -64,6 +65,12 @@ on_notes_text_state_flags_changed_cb (GtkTextView      *text_view,
     gtk_widget_remove_css_class (GTK_WIDGET (self), "focused");
 }
 
+static gboolean
+empty_string (gpointer     user_data,
+              const gchar *text)
+{
+  return g_utf8_strlen (text, -1) == 0;
+}
 
 /*
  * GcalEventEditorSection interface
@@ -208,7 +215,9 @@ gcal_notes_section_class_init (GcalNotesSectionClass *klass)
   gtk_widget_class_set_template_from_resource (widget_class, "/org/gnome/calendar/ui/event-editor/gcal-notes-section.ui");
 
   gtk_widget_class_bind_template_child (widget_class, GcalNotesSection, notes_text);
+  gtk_widget_class_bind_template_child (widget_class, GcalNotesSection, placeholder);
 
+  gtk_widget_class_bind_template_callback (widget_class, empty_string);
   gtk_widget_class_bind_template_callback (widget_class, on_notes_text_state_flags_changed_cb);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/theme/style.css b/src/theme/style.css
index f38a264f..ecf51e1a 100644
--- a/src/theme/style.css
+++ b/src/theme/style.css
@@ -400,6 +400,10 @@ monthpopover > box {
   padding: 8px;
 }
 
+.notes-section label.placeholder {
+  margin: 14px;
+}
+
 .notes-section box > textview > text {
   background: none;
 }