Everything You Need to Know About King’s Day in the Netherlands

King’s Day, or "Koningsdag," is a vibrant and cherished celebration in the Netherlands that has a fascinating history dating back to 1885. While most people see it as a day to let-loose and enjoy themselves, it’s still technically a celebration of the monarchy. Whether you’re interested in learning more about this lively day or want to know what to expect when you celebrate, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ll cover everything you need to know about King’s Day in the Netherlands.

The History of King’s Day in the Netherlands

King’s Day dates back to 1885 and was initially celebrated as Princess’s Day as a way to help emphasize the need for national unity while honoring Princess Wilhelmina’s birthday celebrations. In 1890, this notable date became even more significant as Wilhelmina ascended to the throne and became queen. On August 31, 1891, Princess’s Day became Queen’s Day’s first “official” celebration of this long-standing holiday. This marked the beginning of a tradition that would continue to evolve over the years, although subsequent celebrations were often held on August 30th.

While the celebration date continued to experience changes with subsequent monarchs, it wasn’t until 2014 that a significant shift occurred. During this year, Willem-Alexander ascended the throne and became the first Dutch king in more than a century. This is how the current name came to be King’s Day. King's Day was then moved to April 27th to commemorate Willem-Alexander's birthday and has remained that way ever since.

Today, King's Day is not only a celebration of the monarchy but also a testament to the Dutch spirit of togetherness and community, as people from all walks of life and ages come together to celebrate.

When is King’s Day Celebrated?

Today, King’s Day is celebrated everywhere in the Netherlands on April 27th. However, if the 27th is on a Sunday, the celebrations are moved to the Saturday beforehand. To help you connect with like-minded individuals to celebrate King’s Day while learning Dutch, download Tandem today!

If you’ve got the energy for it, you can also participate in King’s Night. This is held on the evening before King’s Day, where several clubs throughout Amsterdam hold special parties and concerts. Some of which continue well into the morning. The hard-core King’s Day partiers may even keep going for the entire day.

How is King’s Day Celebrated

King’s Day is celebrated like a huge party, with tons of street parties, parades, open-air concerts, and even flea markets and fairs. In fact, it’s probably one of the biggest and best parties in all of the Netherlands! One of the most famous traditions is to visit one of the flea markets to buy or sell second-hand items or sample some homemade treats. The prices are quite reasonable as is, but one of the traditions involved in this day is negotiation—so have fun with it!

There are also several games you can get involved in, such as Spijkerpoepen (nail poop), koekhappen (biscuit bites), and tombola (bingo). Spijkerpoepen is a game that requires concentration and dedication, where players tie a long piece of string around the waist with a small nail on the bottom. They’ll then squat down to try and get the nail into the opening of a beer bottle or something of similar size. It’s entertaining both to watch and to play. Koekhappen is a game where you hang Dutch cookies (biscuits) on a string and then have players try to pull the cookie from the string using only their mouths. Spijkerpoepen is a more relaxing option, and is essentially a giant game of bingo!

King’s Day is widely celebrated throughout the entire country, but the cities with the biggest celebrations are The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Amsterdam.

King’s Day Amsterdam Celebrations

In Amsterdam, you’ll find millions of people joining together to celebrate King’s Day together with parades, dancing, and plenty of orange. One of the best ways to celebrate King’s Day in Amsterdam is by attending one of the festive boat parades. These are usually held along the Pringsengracht canal in the center of the city, where you’ll find several people dancing on boats or along the shore. If you’re lucky, you may even be invited aboard.

During celebrations, the city center is shut down to cars and other transport to allow pedestrians to enjoy the celebrations safely. Even trains will have a special schedule, so be sure to check the timetables in advance. Here are some of the most notable markets and celebrations across the city:

• South Amsterdam — this is the biggest market in the city, where most of the shopkeepers will set up.
• Vondelpark — a free kid’s market where children can sell toys and books, perform songs, and dip their feet in the long-standing traditions.
• Jordaan — a famous market that’s filled with folk singers and dancers in the street.
• Museumplein — the best place to catch an open-air concert or disco festival!

Just remember, if you want to celebrate King’s Day in Amsterdam, make sure you book your accommodation well in advance as things can sell out months before the big day.

Why Does Everyone Wear Orange?

The tradition of wearing orange on King's Day in the Netherlands is deeply rooted in the country's history and connection to the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau. The House of Orange-Nassau played a crucial role in the history of the Netherlands, particularly during the Dutch War of Independence in the 16th and 17th centuries when William of Orange, also known as William the Silent, led the Dutch in their struggle against Spanish rule.

Wearing orange on King's Day is a way for Dutch people to express their loyalty and support for the monarchy. Although orange is seen as deeply historical and cultural, it’s now one of the most distinctive features of King’s Day celebrations around the world. In addition to everyone being dressed in orange, the streets tend to be decorated with orange; people wear orange crowns, and you’ll even see many people with their faces painted completely orange.

If you’re interested in learning more about King’s Day in the Netherlands or other fun carnival celebrations around the world, sign up for Tandem today. Tandem is a unique language-learning platform that allows you to connect with native speakers of hundreds of languages. It’s a great opportunity to improve your fluency while learning more about cultural values and holidays. All you need to do is sign up, match with a native speaker of your target language, and start communicating. To join our community and work on your fluency, sign up for Tandem today.