King’s Day, falling every year on 27 April, is one of the biggest events in Amsterdam and The Netherlands and it’s not one you want to miss if you’re planning on visiting the country.
In 2025, King’s Day falls on a Sunday, so will actually be celebrated on Saturday 26 April this year.
Five of the most active King’s Day cities are Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven.
What is King’s Day (Koningsdag)?
King’s Day, or ‘Koningsdag’, is a national holiday during which people cover themselves and everything else they can get their hands on in orange to honour the royal family, or ‘The House of Orange-Nassau’. Celebrations begin on King’s Night (Koningsnacht), the 26 April, and last until the end of the next day.
A special tradition that celebrates the birthday of King Willem-Alexander, there are many way to join in when you’re there, and here are some of the best!
- Wear orange
- Browse the flea markets
- See the Royal Family
- Attend a festival
- Drink beer
- Jump on a boat
- Eat Tompouce
Celebrate King’s Day 2025
Wear Orange
It’s all about orange on King’s Day – paint your face, dye your hair, deck yourself out in head-to-toe orange, you’ll fit right in!
Orange is the national colour of The Netherlands due to the Royal Family, who bear the name ‘House of Orange’ or ‘Huis van Oranje’. The dynasty dates all the way back to 1544, when William of Orange inherited the estate and title.
Everyone covers themselves in orange on King’s Day to show their appreciation, and it’s become a huge tradition. You’ll look more out of place if you’re not wearing the bright colour, so at the very least, accessorise with an orange scarf or bag.
Browse the flea markets
You can’t walk around on King’s Day without stumbling across a Vrijmarkt, or flea market. For this one day only, the Dutch government allow street sales without a need for a permit, and everyone takes to the pavement to sell their second-hand goods.
Sellers start hawking their stuff at Vondelpark in Amsterdam from 9am on Saturday 26 April, so be there on time for a bargain. But there will be plenty of people on the streets as well, and one of the biggest spaces for browsing people’s second-hand goods is the Jordaan area. Otherwise, check out Amstelveld, Noordermarkt, Westerpark, the Pijp and Beethovenstraat.
In Utrecht, it starts a bit earlier, with people setting up the night before. This year, you’ll start seeing the flea markets set up on Friday evening, April 25, around 6pm. They’ll then run until 6pm the next day, covering the area from Vredenburg to the Wijde Begijnhof.
The Rotterdam vrijmarkt runs from 9am to 5pm, and you can find most of it in the city centre around Hofplein, Hoogstraat, the Coolsingel and the Blaak.
The vrijmarkts in The Hague are scattered all across the city, but you can find a complete list here.
Lastly the Eindhoven vrijmarkt is running at Piet Hein Eek this year.
See the Royal Family
In 2024, King Willem-Alexander and his closest family members celebrated King’s Day in Emmen.
As seen in previous years, the city organised special celebrations to welcome the Royal Family, packing the day with parades, concerts, performances, exhibitions and more. It was definitely worth traveling to the municipality if you wanted to celebrate the King’s 57th birthday in person!
The King’s walking route started at Noorderplein, continuing to the Market Square via the Hoofdstraat, then on to the entrance of Rensenpark and then the Town Hall via Kerkplein.
The last part of the walk took them through the skate park and Wildlands to finish in Raadshuisplein.
Where the King will be celebrating in 2025 has yet to be announced.
Attend a festival
The night before King’s Day is known as King’s Night, or Koningsnacht, and there are many parties in the city centres that invite people from everywhere to celebrate.
A lot of people go to Amsterdam, which boasts the largest open-air festivity, and head for central locations like Rembrandtplein, Spui and Leidseplein, or popular party venues like Westerstraat, Prinsengracht, and Reguliersdwarsstraat. But there are other places in The Netherlands that also throw all-day festivities.
Here’s where you can celebrate a King’s Day Festival in 2025:
- Perhaps the best well-known and largest King’s Day festival is the Kingsland Music Festival, which can be celebrated in Amsterdam and Groningen on Saturday 26 April (18+ only).
- Amsterdam’s Kingsland takes place from 12pm to 8pm at the Olympic Stadium. You can buy tickets for €59.50. Check the line-up here!
- Groningen’s Kingsland takes place from 1pm to 12am in the Stadspark Drafbaan. You can buy tickets for €49.50 . Check the line-up here!
- The Oranjebitter Festival is taking over the Roel Langerakpark in Rotterdam from 2pm to 11pm on Saturday 26 April. This 18+ party has three stages blasting rave, techno and house music, and the line-up this year includes Young Marco, Angelboy, Rayzir, Diffrent, Benny Rodrigues and many more.
- You can buy tickets for €59.95.
- The Loveland van Oranje Festival in Amsterdam is held on Saturday 26 April in the Meerpark, an 18+ outdoor party that plays top tunes for a chilled-out vibe.
- Tickets cost €69.50 and are available now.
- For more techno and house music, the Orange Blossom Festival (18+) is taking place in several locations in Amsterdam on 26 April. This large-scale party is packed with the latest rave music from the biggest names, and runs from 8pm – 5am.
- Tickets cost €23.50 for Multipla (purchase here), and €33 for Ijland (purchase here).
- Yet more techno music is to be found at the Free Your Mind festival at both Breda Airport and in Arnhem.
- Breda – Day Tickets cost €41.95 and can be bought here. The festival runs from 1pm to 11pm.
- Arnhem – this event is free, and takes place at the Roermondsplein from 6pm to midnight.
Free festivals
- THE LIFE I LIVE is a free music festival that you can attend in the city centre of The Hague on King’s Night, Friday 25 April. Countless acts are presented on four stages, from local bands to internationally renowned artists.
- It starts at 7pm and continues until 1am the next morning. It’s free attendance, but you will need to pay for food and drinks on site.
- Royal Dutch Eindhoven (18+) has free entrance and celebrates over both 25 and 26 April. Held at Stadhuisplein, you can attend between 8pm and 1pm on the Friday, and 12pm to 1am on the Saturday.
- ‘Het Foute Oranjefeest‘ or ‘The Wrong Orange’ Festival is a family-friendly event that’s held at De Trans in Arnhem from 7pm to midnight on Friday 25 April and 12pm to midnight on Saturday 27 April.
Drink Oranjebitter
Try a shot of De Kuyper Orangebitter. This orange-coloured liqueur, perfect for celebrating King’s Day with, is distilled from orange apples and contains anise, leaving a sweet yet also sour note in the mouth.
Rather get on the beer? The Netherlands is the home of Heineken, Grolsch and Amstel, but there are lots of other pales ales and beers produced that go down just as well. Try a dark brown Dubbel with a hint of caramel, or the notoriously strong Tripel with its complex and hearty flavours.
Just make sure that you only have one drink in your hand on the streets – whereas in previous years you could take as much as you wanted, authorities have cracked down on the rules a bit for safety.
Jump on a Boat
Taking advantage of the country’s vast network of canals, many people jump into a boat for King’s Day.
If you’re planning to take to the water in Amsterdam and don’t own your own boat, you can book a place on a shared boat or rent a private boat through the Amsterdam Boat Experience.
The shared King’s Day boat is possibly the most fun option, as it includes an open bar with unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, a skipper (so you don’t have to worry about driving), onboard music, and of course, a bunch of other people in the party spirit! A single ticket costs €75, but book early, as these will run out quickly.
Eat Tompouce
Tompouce is a classic Dutch pastry, sandwiching a thick layer of cream with two slices of pastry and covered in pink icing. Especially for King’s Day, the tompouce gets a makeover in orange!
Grab a pack from a local supermarket like Albert Heijn, Jumbo or Hema, and enjoy with a cup of coffee to start off your day.
