King’s Day is the biggest national event in Holland. Everything and everyone turns orange and celebrates on King’s Day. You will find music shows, fairs, flea markets and parties throughout the country. Even the Dutch royal family goes on tour to be received by one or more Dutch towns for en entertainment-filled day. Amsterdam is transformed into the nation’s biggest orange party town. The Hague has Koningsnach or King’s Night with dozens of music performances in the city centre, and Utrecht boasts the biggest flea market in Holland. So mark 27 April in your agenda since we are sure you wouldn’t want to miss out on the biggest Orange fest of the year.

 

King Willem-Alexander was born on April 27, 1967 and today his birthday is celebrated all over the Netherlands as a festive day with a street carnival in all bigger cities. Amsterdam is the center of all King’s Day festivities with many street parties and parties on boats sailing through the canals. There is also a tradition of the flea market in the city center.
Before Willem-Alexander reign the Netherlands had decades of the female rules of Queen Wilhelmina, her daughter Queen Juliana and her daughter Queen Beatrix, the mother of the present King. The festivities began as the Queen’s Day before the World War II with the celebration of Queen Wilhelmina birthday on August 31. Since 1949, birthday of her daughter and successor on the Dutch throne Queen Juliana, has been celebrated on April 30 each year.
When Queen Beatrix succeeded Juliana in 1980, she decided to keep the Queen’s Day on April 30. Her own birthday is in the middle of winter (January 31), so celebrating it outside was seen as not practical. King Willem – Alexander was born on April 27 and now this day is celebrated each year.
There is a rule that if the day of April 27 falls on the day free of work, the King’s Day is celebrated on the day before.