{"id":7704,"date":"2021-04-23T08:43:18","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T08:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiqets-blog-staging.local\/kings-day\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T10:08:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T10:08:07","slug":"kings-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/kings-day\/","title":{"rendered":"King’s Day 2021: How to Celebrate at Home","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2013<\/em>\u00a0This post was written by\u00a0Fauve de Ruiter<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2013<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Netherlands has many famous cultural sights like\u00a0the Rijksmuseum<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Keukenhof<\/a>. But one of our legendary tourist attractions is King\u2019s Day. People from all over the world fly in for this yearly Dutch nationwide party. It’s a 135-year-old national event that is getting increasingly more popular by the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people have seen the famous pictures of thousands of Dutchies decked out in orange, playing weird games, or partying their red, white and blue socks off. King’s Day (Koningsdag<\/em>) is a celebration like no other. 

But, for some, many questions still remain; what is King’s Day? Why do the Dutch celebrate it? When is it celebrated? And now, because of the measures in place to contain the coronavirus, is it possible to celebrate King’s Day 2021 at home somehow?  

Yes, you can! Buckle up and get ready for a crash course on the most important national holiday there is. By the end of this article, you\u2019ll be singing the Dutch national anthem backward, while frying up some tasty bitterballen<\/em> with your eyes closed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is King\u2019s Day?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Amsterdam
The streets and canals of Amsterdam filled with people in orange during King’s Day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It all started with Princess Wilhelmina on 31 August 1885. This might seem like an excessive time-jump, but rest assured that it’s relevant. It was her fifth birthday, and to commemorate this occasion and to celebrate the union of the country, the liberals initiated Princess Day. Thus, a national holiday dedicated to the monarch\u2019s birthday was born.

Wilhelmina\u2019s father, King Willem III, died when she was only ten years old. This unfortunate event turned the fifth edition of Princess day into the first Queen\u2019s Day, as Wilhelmina became queen at only ten years old (with her mother Emma as regent). By 1902, Queen\u2019s Day had evolved into a massive national event.

By the time Queen Juliana (the daughter of Wilhelmina) took over, it was already 1948. Since the national holiday began with the birthday of the queen, Queen Juliana figured it should be celebrated on her<\/em> birthday: April 30th.

She held a Royal March-Past at Soestdijk Palace, where people could queue up to meet and\/or give flowers and presents to the royal family. This queue sometimes went on for kilometers and was always livestreamed on television. As a result, under the reign of Queen Juliana, Queen\u2019s Day evolved into a spectacular day of national ‘togetherness’ and celebration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Queen
Queen Beatrix relaying to the people that she will abdicate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over time and under the reign of Queen Beatrix, the celebration really <\/em>took became what we know today.

When she took center stage in 1985, she gave the national holiday a personal spin. Though she kept the date the same as her mother\u2019s birthday for the celebration (her own being in September), she completely reinvented the concept of Queen\u2019s Day. Instead of having the people come to her, she would go to them.

During her reign, she visited over 50 different cities during Queen\u2019s Day, which always drew massive crowds and was heavily watched on television.

King Willem-Alexander, who claimed the throne in 2013, made only a few changes to his mother\u2019s recipe. Obviously, since he is a king and not a queen, the day was renamed King\u2019s Day. But he also changed the date. Seeing that his birthday falls on the 27th of April, he figured there was no harm in moving it three days earlier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What he didn’t realize was that this would result in many hilarious situations where tourists showed up at train stations on the 30th of April, decked out in orange and holding a six-pack of beer in one hand, clutching an expired guide to the Netherlands in the other.

The only thing they would run into were local street cleaners, cleaning up the leftovers of King’s Day that had taken place three days prior\u2026 Spotting these poor tourists almost became a yearly tradition!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do people normally do on King\u2019s Day? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Orange<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

King’s Day has something to offer for everyone. The royal family visits a lucky town in the Netherlands, where a parade and other types of celebrations are arranged.

This is televised and often watched by people who prefer to stay indoors \u2013 because outside is absolute mayhem! Parties on the streets, local games, and people setting up impromptu flea markets. King’s Day is the one day a year where people can sell all sorts of things on the street without any legislation needed. This is such a popular activity that people often \u2018reserve\u2019 a good spot in the days leading up to King’s Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
Three local Dutch women on King’s Day behind their flea market stand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What else would normally happen on King\u2019s Day? Well, people who are keen for a party will be spoiled with options. Turn any corner in any city center (pro tip: follow the music) and you will walk into the celebration of a lifetime. Imagine a big crowd of Dutchies, decked out in orange, beers everywhere, and everyone having a ball.

People who don\u2019t want to leave it up to faith usually go for one of the many ticketed events scattered throughout the country. In cities with canals, you\u2019ll also notice many people venturing out on the waterways, accompanied by many crates of beer, their 30 or so mates on a boat too small, and a (very) loud set of speakers. And yes\u2026 sometimes you\u2019ll see a partygoer take an accidental and rather refreshing dip in the canal!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But unfortunately, the King\u2019s Day ship won’t be sailing this year. It’s still not safe to organize any gatherings due to the coronavirus, and that includes having the entire country venture outdoors for a national celebration of togetherness. Yet, there are still many things you could do at home to enjoy a memorable King’s Day 2021!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to do at home for King’s Day<\/strong> 2021<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is not that hard to crack open a cold Heinkenen, put on some Dutch bangers<\/a> and party like there\u2019s no tomorrow. Of course, doing everything while wearing your best orange attire helps. Dutch singers like Marco Borsato, BL\u00d8F, and Guus Meeuwis will quickly get your quarantine King\u2019s Day celebrations going. 

Of course, any King’s Day playlist worth its salt will need to start off with one particular song: the Dutch national anthem, also known as The Wilhelmus<\/a><\/em>. 

It was composed in the 16th century, making it the oldest national anthem in the world. The full anthem consists of 15 verses, but don\u2019t worry; you usually only have to sing the first and sixth verses. 

Fun fact: the first letter of each verse spells out \u2018WILLEM VAN NASSOV\u2019. This is in honor of Willem van Nassau, the first Prince of Orange, who, with his sons, led the Netherlands towards independence during the Eighty Years’ War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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