King's Day

King’s Day, or ‘Konings Dag‘ in Dutch, is a day where Dutch nationals celebrate their King’s birthday. On the 27th April every year parties and celebrations take place all over the country, with people dressing up in orange, gathering with friends, and drinking and dancing in the city centres. Amsterdam is one of the most popular places to be for King’s Day – it gets crazy! Definitely a day to experience and tick off the bucket list.

10 Things to Know About King's Day

1. King's Night

The celebrations actually begin the night before, April 26th, where locals take to the bars, clubs and streets to experience a lively atmosphere – busy streets, open-air DJ’s and live music. A great place to be is Westerstraat – in the heart of the Jordaan area – near Cafe Nol).

2. What to Wear

Anything coloured orange – may sound strange – but it’s because orange is the national colour in the Netherlands. It’s also a good idea to wear some comfy trainers (bars clear lots of their chairs so you probably won’t get to sit down) and something warm – typical Dutch weather in April is rainy and windy. Extra large orange T-shirts that fit over coats and jumpers are a good way forward!

3. Flea Markets

This is the one day of the year that the ban on free trade is lifted – meaning that locals can legally pitch a stand anywhere on the streets and sell items to passers by. This can often be children selling old toys or Dutch people selling clothes – but the most popular vendors are definitely those selling cans of Heineken and fruit punches.

If you find that you’re not quite orange enough, you’ll be able to find orange jumpers, hats and garlands at the markets.

4. Open-Air DJs

All around Amsterdam you’ll find free access temporary stages, DJs, dancers and live music. The Jordaan is a popular area to go – with stages on the streets of Westerstraat, Noordermarkt and Lindengracht. One of the most popular (and free) places to party is at Homomonument. Just walking round the Prinsengracht means you’ll pass several smaller music stages.

5. Dance Events

Although there’s plenty to do on King’s Day without spending a penny on entry, there’s also loads of clubs and outdoor festival venues that will be selling tickets to huge parties with big DJs. Buy tickets in advance and check where they are as most will be outside the city centre.

Cartel Kings Day @ Westerpark – opens at 12:00 and runs till 07:00.
Kingsland Festival @ RAI
Loveland van Oranje @ Meerpark

6. Boats

Hundreds of boats with hundreds of people take to the canal, sailing round the Prinsengracht and inner canal rings. Lots of these will be private boats (and you won’t get on unless you have a boat owner friend), but some will be public boat that take ticket bookings. Tickets usually include 3-4 hours on a boat, and some will include drinks. Buy in advance.

7. BYOB

Whilst the beer street vendors aren’t too expensive (expect a can of beer to cost 1 Euro), it’s sometimes best to buy your own drinks and carry them around with you. Go shopping the day before, as the supermarkets often sell out of cold beer on the day.

8. Stick Together

The streets get pretty crowded, especially along the Prinsengracht. It can be a good idea to pick a foolproof meeting place in advance so that you don’t spend half the day losing each other and then trying to reunite!

9. Toilets

You’ll want to bring cash, not just for the flea markets, but also to use a toilet. Needing the toilet can be an inconvenience on King’s Day, especially for ladies (since guys can just use the street urinals dotted around the city). Some of the bars and restaurants and even the locals open up their toilets to the public for a fee of 1 or 2 euros. When you see one, use it!

10. Plan in Advance

If you plan to visit Amsterdam for King’s Day, you’ll need to be very organised. Travel and accommodation will be more expensive than usual, and since it’s such a busy time for the city the accommodation gets booked up quick. Same goes for tickets for events and boat parties, these will need to be booked as soon as they go on sale.

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