King’s Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands celebrated by the Dutch for the birthday of their King, Willem Alexander, who was born on April 27. During this day, the Dutch celebrate by holding many parties, selling and buying on flea markets, and the king himself visiting various cities with his family around the country. King’s Day is one of the most important holidays in the Netherland. Hence, knowing more about it is indeed crucial. By reading more below, you will find out more facts and important details about King’s Day.
What is King’s Day in the Netherlands?
Kings’s Day or Koningsdag is perhaps the biggest birthday party of the world. The day marks the birthday of King Willem Alexander on April 27. Everyone in the Netherlands gets off at work to celebrate this important. King’s Day is celebrated with various festivities where locals and visitors alike enjoy Amsterdam’s open-air fun. Everywhere in the city, including the streets, parks, and canals, the city bursts with the color orange and fun as the people have fun in the biggest birthday street part of the year.
History of King’s Day
The first time that Amsterdam celebrated King’s Day was in 2014 after King Willem-Alexander was inaugurated as King on April 30, 2013. However, before this, the royal celebrations were first celebrated as Queen’s Day or Koninginnedag on August 31, 1885, to honor the birth of Queen Wilhelmina. The day was then changed to April 30 when Queen Wilhelmina’s daughter, Juliana, succeeded her in the throne in 1949. And in 2014, the day was changed again to April 27 to celebrate King Willem-Alexander’s birthday.
Although a few changes to the date has been done, the festivities did not. The spirit of the day remained the same as people celebrated with the color orange. Each year, the royal entourage visits cities, towns, and municipalities in the Netherlands as part of their celebration.
When is King’s Day?
King’s Day will be celebrated on April 27th.
King’s Day Celebration
As mentioned above, King’s Day is a day full of celebration. In this section, we are going to discuss the many different fun-filled activities conducted during King’s Day. Let us start with the color of the day – Orange.
Orange is the Color of the Day
The name of the Dutch royal family is House of Oranje, which literally means the color orange. Because of this, orange has become the national color during King’s Day. People wear orange clothes, orange wigs, orange-inspired make-up and more. Hence, if you are one to celebrate King’s day then you should raid your wardrobe already to find anything you can wear that is color orange. If you have none, then don’t miss out the big sales in shops and boutiques that sell various kinds of clothing that are color orange.
King’s Night
King’s Day happens during April 27. However, there is actually a pre-celebration the night before this day which is called King’s night. During this night, Amsterdam welcomes flocks of visitors who go to the Netherlands to celebrate King’s day the next day. there are lots of bars, clubs, and pubs that are open for these visitors to the party. In fact, a lot of people party straight from this night up until the next day without sleep. That just shows how much they celebrate King’s day.
Street Sales in the City
Amsterdam is a city built on trade. Hence, King’s day is celebrated by merchants and traders in the Netherlands by selling and buying on flea markets. Across various streets, you will see these flea markets laid down on the ground. You can choose from a wide variety of products and goodies most of which are sold for a cheap price. There are also markets called vrijmarkt which gives a chance for everyone to sell their second-hand goods.
Aside from shops that sell goodies, there are also tons of food stalls around. So you can take a look at these stalls and choose the foods that interest you the most.
Family Activities
Of course, a major part of King’s day celebration is families bonding together and spending some quality time together. There are various activities that families can enjoy during this day. there are face-painting, sports events, and games.
Canals on King’s Day
Another delight during King’s day is the sight of beautifully decorated boats afloat the narrow Amsterdam canals. You can watch these boats as you travel across the cities. You can get the best view atop of the many bridges in town. You can take pictures of these boats or even selfies. If you live in Amsterdam, then you can also enjoy the celebration by riding your own boats in this canal. You can decorate them using the bright color orange to fit into the color of this celebration. if you don’t have one, then you can look for a friend with a boat. You may ask that friend if you can jump in on the fun in his or her boat during King’s day.
King’s Day Museums
Even though King’s day is a national holiday, there are some major museums around the cities that are still open to visitors. Examples include Anne Frank House, Stedelijk Museum, Van Gogh Musem, and Rijksmuseum. These museums are open to entertaining the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come into the Netherlands to join in on the celebration of King’s day.
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King’s Day Quotes, Messages, Greetings, and Wishes
As part of your celebration of King’s day, it is a good idea to share some King’s day quotes, messages, wishes, and greetings to your friends and family members so that you may be able to emphasize the essence of the celebration. below is a list of such quotes, messages, and wishes that you can use for this event:
- Friendships—and community—will be formed. For me, that’s really what Queen’s [Kings from 2013] Day is all about. It’s not an outburst of patriotism, it’s not even about the popularity of the royal family. It’s about a sense of belonging. For one day, everybody is the same in Holland. Bright orange and barmy.
- Happy Birthday King Willem-Alexander. Long live the king and long live the country!
- Let us all celebrate this day with the color orange. Let us wear orange and decorate orange as we celebrate the King’s glorious birthday.
- May you all have fun on this wonderful day. it is King’s Day and the King’s Birthday.
- Let us eat the many delicious foods available today in King’s day and let us not forget the flea markets on the streets. There is a lot to buy!
Conclusion
Now, you know all the most important facts and details you need to know about King’s day. Hence, it is time for you to go and prepare yourself for the upcoming King’s Day . It is a good day to celebrate and there are tons of activities to participate in.