April 27 – King’s Day (Koningsdag) is a national holiday that celebrates the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. This year, the King turned 56.
Celebrations begin the evening of April 26, King’s Night. Many towns have outdoor stages and live music DJs. Or you can go to a local bar, pub or club. In some areas this celebrating can go into the early morning hours.
The typical festivities include music, dancing, flea markets, boat parades, and fun fairs – all while dressed in orange. If you are in your late teens or early 20s, this has got to be your favorite day of the year with all the partying. For our first King’s Day, we ventured to the home of the country’s largest celebration – Amsterdam.
When I told friends here that we had gone to Amsterdam, they worried about my sanity. It can get pretty rowdy, but we took the advice of everyone online and went in the morning, so it was pretty quiet still.
Each year the King and his family visit a different Dutch town to celebrate, this year it was Rotterdam. So that would have been a busier than usual celebration.
One thing you will notice in all of these pictures is the overwhelming appearance of the color orange. While the flag is red, white and blue, the Dutch royal family is known as the House of Orange (Huis van Oranje), orange has become the national color.
All in all, we had a pretty low-key first Koningsdag. Next year I think I would like to stick to our little town and check out their festivities.
Red, White and Tulips 