Have you ever heard of King’s Day?
Let me share some facts with you then...It is the biggest and most famous national celebration in the Netherlands, no doubt about it! But it is more than that... Have you ever been to Amsterdam? You might consider visiting on this crazy day, you will never forget! The canals and the streets are packed and colored in orange and it is just fun to be part of it.
As it is April already, the countdown has began, the Dutch, and the hundreds of thousand of tourist from all over the World are busy planning where and with whom to party, what to wear, what to eat and (for more people more importantly) drink, where and what to sell on the street market. And of course the stores are well-prepared as well...orange costumes, cakes decorated with orange and/or red-white-and blue or even with little crowns, and accessories which will make you feel like a king/queen for one day (especially after you had some drinks :) ).
This is the day of the year when you are supposed to be in (fully) orange, be with your friends or/and family and just let it loose.
Why wearing orange?
Because of honoring Prince William I of Orange (Willem van Oranje) , who had a main role in The Netherlands becoming independent from the Spanish.
Why on this date?
The King's Day is celebrated on the 27 April, the birthday of the current king, Willem Alexander of the Netherlands.
What is the history behind?
King's Day was originally founded as Princess's Day on the 31th August in 1885, which was the Princess Wilhelmina's birthday. It became Queen's Day since 1898, and from 1948 it moved to 30 April,as it was the next queen’s, Juliana's birthday. Juliana's daughter, Queen Beatrix kept Queen's Day on her mother's birthday, so it was held 30 April from 1980 until she abdicated in 2013. Her abdication was also held on Queen's Day. The first King's Day was held in 2014, and because the 27th April was on a Sunday, it was celebrated the Saturday before, so on the 26th of April.
What exactly is the King's Day market?
It is a free street market, which means that anybody can sell her/his used items on the streets of Amsterdam without having any permission. This is the only day of the year when it is legally possible.
There are areas of Amsterdam where you can claim a spot well in advance, by writing your name on the asphalt with a chalk. You will find a big part of the street market in Old-South, Stadionweg or Apollolaan for instance. The cutest is when little kids are selling their old toys and/or clothes to be able to buy something (puppy, cellphone, a hamster...or even donating for charity) they have been saving up for for so long.
What to do?
There are many many different parties, gatherings if you would like to enjoy Queen's Day while fistpumping. :) If you have a boat or willing to rent one with friends, you should do it. You need an experienced captain though who is willing to be sober all along, and hopefully loves hard music and challenges. If you are more like an observer, you can just walk around and watch others doing the things mentioned above, that is what I am going to do as well. It will be fun!