When Amsterdam Wears an Orange Coat
Every year on 30 April, Amsterdam will turn into an orange sea – a huge crowd dressed in orange celebrating the Queen’s birthday (or use the Queen´s birthday as a partying excuse?!). The orange dress code comes from the Royal family’s name ´House of Orange´ (Huis van Oranje-Nassau).
Queen’s Day or in Dutch, Koninginnedag, is a national holiday in the Netherlands. It is not the birthday of Queen Beatrix, the current queen. Rather, it is the birthday of her mother’s. However, just to keep it handy for celebration activities, Queen Beatrix opted for keeping 30 April as Queen´s day, as April is much warmer than January, which is Queen Beatrix´s own birthday month.
Queen's day on a canal
Queen Beatrix dancing.
Free Market (vrijmarkt)
Not only Amsterdam, but almost every cities in the Netherlands would turn into ´Free markets´, same concept as a garage sale or flea market. The difference is that EVERYBODY is allowed to sell anything on the street without a license.
Vondelpark Koninginnedag
If you are lucky, you can find treasures in these free markets, as people tend to throw things away for sale in really low prices, talking about 50 EUR cents for an old painting for instance. There are street performances around these free markets as well.
Popular places in Amsterdam for Free Market:
Vondelpark (reachable by tram & bus from Central Station)
Sloterdijk (reachable by tram, train & bus from Central Station or Sloterdijk train station)
Check official website for more information. http://www.koninginnedagamsterdam.nl/2010/
Open air concerts |http://www.koninginnedagamsterdam.nl/2010/
Next to the various free markets, are loads of open air concerts. These concerts started already during the day. Check the link for the activities for Queen´s day 2010.
Outdoor concert on Queen´s day
Queen’s Night
As an extension of the celebration during day time, there are many pubs and clubs throughout the whole country organizing special events for the night. Be prepared to drink and dance till you drop!
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