Are you an international student who is looking forward to celebrating King’s Day or you are new with this topic and confused why everyone is so excited about this day? Do not worry, we got you covered. We have prepared for you 5 things you need to know about this holiday.
However, first, let’s see what Kingsday actually is. Kingsday a day is when Dutch king Willem Alexander celebrates his birthday. On this day you can find various parties and flea markets in each city. Besides that, the king is also visiting different cities in the Netherlands. Kingsday is an official holiday in the Netherlands since 2014. Originally Kingsday was also marking the beginning of festival season and might be even considered the best party day in the Netherlands.
1. Why do people wear orange?
On Kingsday you would see many people wearing orange. This color has been a national color in the Netherlands for hundreds of years. The lineage began with the famous William of Orange, who was crowned Prince of Orange in 1544. With his leadership, the color orange became a symbol of the Dutch Royal family.
Leadership of William of Orange, also known as William the Silent or William I, was extremely influential for the rebellion, contributing to the official independence of the United Provinces of the Netherlands in 1648. He is known as the father of the Netherlands and the first ancestor of the current Royal Family.
Besides that, in 1544 William of Nassau became Prince William of Orange in the French town called Oranghien. This name is also historically known to Dutch as orange. Because of this orange is so popular nowadays, especially on Kingsday.
2. Dress code of the day
To fit in with the atmosphere of Kingsday we would recommend you to wear something orange. You can go as far as you want with dressing up, but an orange shirt or small detail such as headband is fine as well. Besides that, you can do make-up in colors of Dutch flag.
3. Public transport
On this day many people are travelling between cities and we would recommend you to consider this. Do not take the last train home since it can get really overcrowded and then there is a chance to be stuck at the train station. Download the ‘reisplanner’ app for example from NS to schedule your trip. If you are travelling with a group, you can get group discount tickets. For more information you can check here.
4. Event facts
In 2019 about 1 million people arrived in Amsterdam on Kingsday for the festivities, in fact 250,000 people arrive by train on Kingsday! It seems that this year can even beat this number since parties are finally allowed after 2 lockdown years. If you’re planning on staying in Amsterdam on that day, then you’d better book your bed fast or choose another city to party.
5. Events on a budget
Since students have to live on a budget, we would like to recommend you to take a look at free events in different cities. Usually those are held in city centers and are with different kinds of live music. Some examples of such events in Enschede, Deventer and Apeldoorn you can find below.
Finally, you might still have a question how you can find events in your city. Here is an overview of events in Enschede, Deventer and Apeldoorn.
In Enschede, there will be fleedmarkets spread all over the the city centre streets (Korte Hengelosestraat, Korte Haaksbergerstraat, Zuiderhagen, Marktstraat, Van Loenshof, Langestraat, Kalanderstraat, De Heurne). From 9:00 – 17:00 you can wander around on these markets and go for a treasure hunt.
Moreover, there are pleny of music festivals in Enschede planned for Kingsday.
| Location and name | Time and date | Music | Tickets |
| Stationplein | 20:00 – 00:00 on 26th of April | Techno beats & electric | Free entrance |
| Oudemarkt podium A | 20:30 – 00:00 on 26th of April | DJ Kay | Free entrance |
| Oudemarkt podium A | 21:30 – 23:30 on 26th of April | Hiphop r&b/hiphop | Free entrance |
| Hofstraat | Bernard rocks | 22:00 – 00:00 on 26th of April | ACDC Tribute | Free entrance |
| University of Twente | 18:00 – 01:00 on 26th of April | Q music | |
| Stationsplein | 12:00 – 20:00 on 27th of April | Techno beats & electric | Free entrance |
| Oudemarkt podium A Willems feestje! | 12:00 – 20:00 on 27th of April | DJ Kay | Free entrance |
| Oudemarkt podium A | 16:30 – 19:30 on 27th of April | Dutch bar music vibe | Free entrance |
| University of Twente Basic grooves | 14:00 – 00:00 on 27th of April | Techno |
In Deventer on Kingsday different artists and kinds of music such as Brink or Hip-hop r&b dance will be played. Besides that, on Brink, different cover artists such as cover artist of Adele, AC/DC and prince will be playing from 15:00 until 00:00. Also, flee market on the Brink and on the Keizerstraat will take place from 9:00 until 14:00.
In Apeldoorn on Kingsday you can find different kinds of music and activities in a central park called Oranjeplein. Next, funfair will take place from Saturday 23th of April until 1st of May April on Marktplein. A flee market will be hold on 27thof April from 10:00 until 15:00.
Besides that, we would like to recommend you to check this website for events happening in other cities on this day in the Netherlands. We wish you a lot of fun during this day. Stay safe and enjoy your orange outfit!
