King’s Day: A Celebration of Orange

If there’s one day a year when the Dutch truly let loose, it’s King’s Day—a national party unlike anything else in Europe. Imagine an entire country dressed in orange, dancing in the streets, floating down canals and celebrating with food, music and flea markets. It’s wild, joyful and uniquely Dutch. I recently had the chance to experience it for myself and let me tell you—King’s Day is pure magic.

Why Is King’s Day Celebrated?

King’s Day, or Koningsdag in Dutch, is the birthday celebration of the reigning monarch, currently King Willem-Alexander. The king was born on April 27, 1967, therefore the celebration is typically celebrated on April 27th. The tradition began as Queen’s Day in honor of Queen Juliana and later Queen Beatrix. Since 2014, it’s been officially King’s Day, but the heart of the holiday remains the same: a joyful explosion of national pride, community and celebration.

When Is King’s Day Celebrated?

King’s Day is held every April 27th, unless the date falls on a Sunday—then it’s bumped to the 26th. The entire country prepares for weeks in advance and the party kicks off the night before, especially in cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht. If you’re planning a spring trip to the Netherlands, make sure you’re in the country on April 26–27. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

How the Netherlands Celebrates King’s Day

Everything is Orange?

The Dutch royal family hails from the House of Orange-Nassau, making orange the national color. On King’s Day, it’s not just acceptable to go over the top… it’s expected. Everyone wears orange hats, wigs, dresses, suits, glasses, makeup, even dogs are dressed up! The streets become a sea of orange with flags, balloons and decorations to match.

Celebrations Around the Country

Each city and town in the Netherlands celebrates King’s Day a little differently and it’s worth visiting multiple places if you can:

Haarlem

Just 15 minutes from Amsterdam, Haarlem feels like a smaller more relaxed version of the capital. On King’s Day, the Grote Markt fills with music stages, food vendors and a family-friendly flea market that winds through charming cobbled streets.

Utrecht

Known for its canals and student energy, Utrecht hosts a huge night-before street party. Locals set up mini DJ booths, bars spill into the streets and the whole city buzzes with music until the early hours.

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the place to be if you love electronic music and big-name DJs. The city hosts major outdoor festivals and free performances with bold light shows and industrial-cool vibes unique to this modern city.

Amsterdam on King’s Day

Amsterdam is the epicenter for King’s Day madness, especially in the Jordaan neighborhood. If you’re lucky enough to be here, prepare for an unforgettable 48 hours. Here’s a look at how the city transforms:

Jordaan Neighborhood: King’s Night Kickoff

The celebration starts on the evening of April 26, especially in the Jordaan, a historic and artistic district known for its narrow alleys, cozy pubs and iconic canals. The night before King’s Day, Jordaan turns into a block party. DJs perch in windows of brownstone houses blasting dance music into the streets. Locals and tourists alike pack the sidewalks, beers in hand, dancing under string lights until midnight and beyond.

Flea Market Frenzy

On King’s Day morning, the party picks up again—but it’s not all techno and beer. Amsterdam transforms into one giant vrijmarkt, or free market. Families and children set up blankets and tables to sell used clothes, toys, books and household items. It’s a beautiful mix of community and creativity. Some stalls even offer handmade jewelry, artwork and crafts.

Street Food & Homemade Drinks

The food scene during King’s Day is incredible. Local restaurants roll out abbreviated menus to serve faster—and often more delicious—versions of their signature dishes. Even better? Families and home chefs bring out tables of homemade Surinamese, Indonesian, Moroccan, Turkish and Dutch dishes. You’ll also find homemade wines, beers and even fruit liquors—yes, it’s legal for one day only!

Party Boats on the Canals

The canals become rivers of celebration. Thousands of boats, many decorated with orange streamers and blasting music, cruise through the Canal Ring. If you can snag a spot on a boat (ask around early or join a public cruise), one of the best ways to celebrate is dancing, sipping and waving to crowds as you float by.

Canal Clean-up: Back to Normal the Next Day

The streets and canals pile up with trash, for the 2 days of partying. But crews are on the streets early the next morning quickly cleaning up. It’s back in business in a day or two post celebration, depending on the neighborhood trash & street sweep schedule. In the Jordaan, we are always surprised how quickly things get back to normal.  

2023 Our First King’s Day Experience: Orange is the New Black

The trip to Amsterdam we took in the spring of 2023 didn’t start out too well for us. It was almost a disaster, but turned into one of our best trips ever. All because of King’s Day! 

The Trip that Almost Wasn’t

The night before our flight, I started the traditional check in process and was only able to complete mine on my phone. After getting frustrated, I went onto the website to try to check my husband in and froze in my tracks when I realized that the expiration date of his passport was just a few days after our scheduled return. I had a faint memory of a friend of mine having this issue when visiting his girlfriend in Germany, the passport expiration date had to be within 3 months of the return date. I tried everything, but couldn’t get past a screen saying, “please bring documents to the desk to verify.”

We panicked! We jumped in the car and drove to the airport to verify the issue and see if we had any chance of getting an expedited passport at the airport… it was a reach. Ken was not going to Amsterdam the next day! 

 With the heaviest heart, I had to change our flight reservations for 4 weeks later, the soonest we felt was safe for the expedited passport service. We spent over $800 and 2 weeks of our lives stressing over getting his passport in time for our rebooked trip, but the lesson was clear, be on top of your passport expiration date! Six months prior to expiration date, you should start the renewal process. 

Amsterdam Spring Trip… Take 2!

In the end, we had to find an alternative hotel in Westerpark. Close to our beloved Jordaan area, but still outside of the neighborhood. Why was it so busy? We unknowingly rebooked for one of the busiest few days of the year, the end of April. Between the Tulip festival and the celebration of King’s Day the dates around April 26-27 are the most difficult to find a hotel. We were not prepared! Two days prior when people started to ask us what our plans were for King’s Day and if we had an orange outfit? The answer was no to both so we read up on King’s Day. 

Koningsdag is the official name of the holiday and it’s to celebrate the King’s birthday. How do you celebrate? First you have to get something obnoxiously orange to wear. This is nonnegotiable. Orange isn’t my color, but I now own an orange Holland hoodie, King’s Day shirt, orange scarf and hat just for the occasion. The royal family is named the Huis van Oranje “House of Orange” and as a result it has become a national color, even without being on the Dutch flag. 

The whole country celebrates and each city has their own parties, but in Amsterdam the biggest celebration is in the Jordaan neighborhood. The festivities start the night before with free concerts and dance festivals set up and people from all over Europe and the world dancing and partying together in the streets. As well as trying not to fall into the canals!  

A Country-Wide Yard Sale!

In the morning, we woke up to a sea of market style vendors in Westerpark and along ALL the streets. Like a giant flea market! We  learned that this is the only free day in The Netherlands to sell your personal goods. Think of a cross between a flea market and block party selling family treats and cold drinks. Some families who live in the main areas have house parties and some homes even sell use of their personal bathrooms for a euro or two!

As afternoon sets in, the canals are FULL of party boats and full is an understatement! Watching the boats zig zagging around the canals, with different dance music playing all over the city and partiers enjoying this fun day off. The city swells with tourists, but they leave just as quickly as they arrived 48 hours prior. 

I never would’ve intentionally planned a trip for this specific celebration, I often choose to travel during off times or less peak dates for both enjoyment as well as good travel deals, but I think we will plan to celebrate a future Koningsdag on purpose.

2025 Weekend Vibes: Extra Fun into The Late-Night

In 2025, King’s Day falls on a Sunday, turning the entire weekend into a prolonged party. One unexpected bonus? No official noise restrictions late into Sunday night. The after-parties and boat raves last hours longer than usual. Streets stay lively until dawn and the relaxed vibe makes it feel even more festive than usual. If you’re planning for the future, watch for King’s Day weekends, they’re extra special. 

King’s Day 2025: Fun on a Boat

Our 2025 experience at King’s Day was completely different then our first. We packed all our orange gear and found the perfect Browersgratch Canal House apartment available over a year in advance. This time we went all out, we ate the orange tompouce cake and even had facepaint flags!

The night prior to King’s Day is when the celebration gets started. I booked a reservation for that evening prior to the Jordaan for 8:00.  Some place close enough to walk and dance our way home. After dinner we walked by the church where we had enjoyed the free concert a few years prior at our first King’s Day.

We let the night take us to bars or coffeeshops that were not too crowded and thought of a favorite cafe to try. The Papeneiland cafe is a very old, traditional Dutch Brown Bar with great apple pie. What we didn’t know is that this is where the largest street party in the Jordaan would be kicking off. It looked like a bullseye of partiers radiating out from the 2nd story DJ booth.   

King’s Day Morning

In the morning, there were children and families lined up on the streets selling their boots, coats, toys and books that they have outgrown. There is a strong sense of reducing waste and recycling in the Netherlands. The narrow canal streets don’t allow as much of the block party feeling, but heading to the parks and larger streets like Haarlemstraat for the best selection. The party continues all day, even after the flea market finds are gone for the day.  

I planned a party boat ride in the afternoon of King’s Day and the weather could not have been more perfect! The sunny, warm weather was an unexpected treat. Since public transportation doesn’t run the same on King’s Day, we walked half way across Amsterdam to Piet Heinkade to board our Flagship boat. Many party boats are used on this day, they take out seating and add a bar and DJ booth. Then passengers are hearded into boats like cattle and spend 2 hours dancing and enjoying the party atmosphere on the canal loop.

The need so boats is huge on this day, so they are all in use. However, next time I will make sure the whole boat is open on the sides. Some have windows or plexiglass that isn’t as apealing. I spent most of my time in front of the speaker, and could hear for two days. So I don’t suggest that kind of dedication! 

Riding the Canal Ring

During the evening, boats continued to pour around the large canal ring until well after dark. Even after dark, the parties in the streets and house parties continued on until dawn the next morning. As the trash trucks and street sweeps headed out to clean in the early Sunday hours, the last of the partiers were headed home to recover before work on Monday. 

We stayed in a Canal House apartment on Browersgratch in the Jordaan neighborhood. This apartment had huge windows opened to the boat parade and I moved the furniture to watch the canal. This location also allowed us to have a room and our own bit of peace, from the crowds to come and go from the 48 hour long party.  

Looking Ahead: Future King’s Day Fun

King’s Day is more than a royal birthday—it’s a day where the Dutch identity comes alive in every sense. It’s pride, chaos and pure joy. It’s flea markets, techno beats, boat parades and community spirit wrapped in orange.

If you love street festivals, local traditions or unforgettable parties, King’s Day needs to be on your travel list. And the best part? Everyone’s invited… as long as they are wearing orange!

Final Thoughts

King’s Day will always be the biggest party day in the Netherlands, but so is Liberation Day, New Year’s Eve and Carnaval in the Southern part of the Country. Liberation Day is celebrated just a few days after King’s Day on May 5th. Planning a trip to the Netherlands for King’s Day or any celebration? I can help you build an itinerary that maximizes fun while keeping things local and affordable. Just ask!

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