a complete guide to: KONINGSDAG (king’s day)

a blog by Chiamaka 🎀(Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands)

The city is fully recovered from King’s Day celebrations this past April 27th. The streets were filled with orange, the sun was shining and speakers were blasting. In this blog I will prepare you for the most anticipated bank holiday of the year.

0. what is King’s Day ?

It is a annual bank holiday celebrating the Dutch monarch’s birthday. It was originally Queen’s Day (the Netherlands had a queen for 123 years), but the current monarch is a man. People take to the streets for parades, festivals and markets, and the streets are decorated in orange. People also celebrate King’s Night the day before.

1. music events

There are so many events throughout the city and beyond, from block parties to DJ sets, and much more. If you are looking to attend a party, make sure to get tickets well in advance. Tickets for my preferred event sold out at the start of April (T-T). Also, many events are free, so unless you feel like shelling out 30 euros for a ticket I would recommend searching for these. There are street parties at Leidseplein and Museumplein, for example. I attended two pop ups, one in Oosterpark and the other in Westerpark (where I saw Erykah Badu !) which were free ! There are also festivals to attend, such as King’s Land. Finally, don’t feel pressured to stay in Amsterdam – other cities will have equally fun events but without the crowds.

2. flea markets

If I could go back in time I would have set aside part of my day to look through the markets. People sell a lot of their unwanted items for very cheap, so it’s a great way to find bargains. Many evens are actually geared towards kids, so you will see them selling random used items.

3. wear good shoes

Whatever you choose to do that day you are sure to get your steps in – I got 23k (despite cycling most of the day). Make sure you’re wearing comfy shoes. Trust me.

4. bring snacks

There are food trucks all around the city, but if you’re anything like me, you don’t want to be paying 7 euros for small fries. Most events don’t check bags. I brought 2 wraps, a thing of chocolate digestives, an apple and a bottle of water. This kept me fueled throughout the day. If you drink, it is probably smart to bring your own beers, but this can get heavy. Make sure to bring your own rubbish bag to avoid adding to the litter.

5. wear your orange !

Of course, this isn’t compulsory, but it was fun to get dressed up and join in the oranjegekte. You could by hats and glasses from street sellers, or dig deep into your wardrobe for that one random piece.

6. sober fun

Don’t feel pressured to drink. I am sober and I had a really fun time. You just need to go to events you enjoy. If DJ sets aren’t your vibe, you could go to parks and find fun fairs and markets to look around. People host really random activities – my friend told me she saw a man charging 1euro to sit on a chair for 1 minute.

7. go solo !

Don’t be afraid to go to events alone ! Since I missed out on ticket sales, I was lost on where to go. I decided to just turn up the park and I made loads of new friends. Exchange is for coming out of your comfort zone, after all.

8. travel

I chose to cycle, which was both the best and worst decision of my day. I avoided the packed out buses, but I ended up in the centre where my bike made me very unpopular. Some areas are so choked up that you can’t even move – a bike doesn’t help matters.

9. toilet

If you’re a girl, good luck finding a bathroom. Queues were half an hour long and some cost 3 euros to use. This is the worst part of King’s Day. It was like a Victorian sewage crisis in some parts of the city.

Go out and enjoy your King’s Day ! Chances are, you will want to come back next year too !