Love to party? You’ve got to head to the Netherlands! The country hosts King’s Day, the world’s biggest birthday party, every year on 27 April to celebrate the birth of King Willem-Alexander. Almost everyone gets the day off work to join the festivities and it’s an incredible day filled with parades, boat parties, flea markets, tompouce, and… orange? So what exactly is King’s Day all about? Read on to find out the King’s Day history, traditions, and how to celebrate King’s Day in the Netherlands.
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King’s Day was once Queen’s Day
King’s Day, or Koningsdag, is a national holiday in the Netherlands to celebrate the reigning monarch’s birthday. It was first celebrated on 31 August in 1885 to honour Princess Wilhelmina’s birthday and was called Prinsessedag (Princesses Day). When Princess Wilhelmina became Queen in 1891, the day was changed to Queen’s Day.
Queen Wilhelmina’s daughter, Juliana, was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Queen’s Day was celebrated on her birthday, 30 April, during this time.
Queen Juliana’s daughter Beatrix was the next Queen, however, Queen’s Day was still celebrated on 30 April in honour of Beatrix’s mother. The Dutch people no doubt preferred this warmer date as well, as Queen Beatrix’s birthday is on the chilly 31 January.
The Netherland’s current reigning monarch is King Willem-Alexander and he acceded to the throne following the abdication of his mother, Queen Beatrix, in 2013. Since he became King, the day is now called King’s Day and celebrated on his birthday, 27 April.
So how exactly do the Dutch celebrate King’s Day?
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How to celebrate King’s Day in the Netherlands
King’s Day is one of the biggest parties in the world, with hundreds of thousands of revellers hitting the streets to celebrate the day. While King’s Day is on 27 April, the festivities actually start the night before on Koningsnacht (King’s Night). Hordes of people hit the bars, clubs and pubs for special King’s Night events… And some even carry on until the next day.
If you’ve saved your energy for the big day itself, you’ll find hundreds of events taking place throughout the country from open-air dance parties to street BBQs, boat parades on Amsterdam’s canals, and flea markets. There are even big festivals like Kingsland Festival held in Breda, or you can join a party boat and cruise the canals of Amsterdam. In short, you’ll find the streets turn into a sea of orange with lots of music, booze, and high spirits.
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King’s Day traditions
Royals go on tour
In the time of Queen Juliana, the Dutch celebrated the day with a parade. The whole royal family would stand on the steps of Soestdijk Palace and people would walk by and offer gifts. Queen Beatrix changed this tradition by choosing to travel around the country to visit the people, instead of having them come to her.
Today, the royal family continues this tradition by visiting different cities on the day. Each year, one city hosts the official celebration, although there are festivities all over the country from parades to live music performances. The day ends when the royal family head home to their palace in the Hague and wave to the crowd from the balcony.
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Everyone wears orange
Orange is the national colour of the Netherlands, stemming from the Dutch royal family’s name, the House of Orange-Nassau. The origin of the orange obsession began with Prince William the Silent, or Willem van Oranje-Nassau. Willem led the rebels during the Eighty Years’ War and carried a flag in orange, white and blue, derived from his name and uniform colours.
Since then, the colour orange has been a symbol of the Netherlands and this comes out in full force on King’s Day. Orange decorations line the streets and people wear something orange, whether it’s an orange shirt, wigs or face paint. Everyone goes orange – and you should too!
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Flea markets
You’ll find vrijmarkt (flea markets) all over the country on King’s Day. It’s a fun tradition where people go out on the streets, put down a rug, and sell their knick-knacks and trinkets. You’ll find a lively atmosphere with people performing on the streets and playing games and raffles… And you might just snag a bargain or two!
As it’s the one day a year where people can sell things on the streets without a permit, people really make the most of it. In Utrecht, the flea markets start the night before the big day, while the biggest flea markets are in Amsterdam. You’ll even find a special children’s market in Vondelpark with hundreds of kids selling toys and books.
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What do you eat on King’s Day?
All that partying works up an appetite… But you’ll have no problem eating like a king all day on King’s Day! You’ll find tasty treats on every corner with hundreds of street food vendors lining the cities. The most famous traditional King’s Day food is tompouce. It’s a sweet puff pastry filled with cream and decorated with orange icing on King’s Day. You’ll also find plenty of other orange-coloured pastries from cream puffs and petit fours to ‘Oranjekoeken’ (orange cookies).
And to wash it all down? You can toast to King’s Day with Orange Bitter, a bright orange liqueur. It was first created in 1620 to celebrate Prince Fredrick Henry’s victories in the Eighty Year’s War. It became popular during the reign of the first William of Orange, and since then, the Dutch use Orange Bitter to toast to the royal family.
What is your favourite thing to do for King’s Day in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below!