Last updated 3 months ago by Michael Darmanin
King’s Day, a national holiday that began in 1885, was celebrated this year in an unprecedented way. While the canals would normally be filled with boats and people clad in orange, this year was a much more subdued celebration.
The Royal Family
As King’s Day is a celebration of Willem-Alexander’s birthday, the day would be incomplete without some form of participation by the royal family.
This year, the family partook in some online events that are part of the Dutch tradition, as well as published a toast:
In the Utrecht region, the international community also got a little treat from the mayor, Jan van Zanen. He recorded a message in collaboration with the International Welcome Center Utrecht Region which you can watch here.
Dutch Tradition
[gard align=’right’]If you want to get up to date on what Dutch traditions are normally celebrated during King’s Day, you can see a list of details from the International Welcome Center here and see how the community celebrated online this year.
Another big part of King’s Day is the idea of the open flea markets on the streets, where families sell little goodies form around their homes. If you want to get the feel for this kind of tradition, you can always take a look at Marktplaats, where you can participate in a sort of flea-market-shopping from home.
Celebrating at a distance
Seeing as it was a beautiful day in Utrecht, many individuals took (safely) to the streets and parks to enjoy the holiday.
Some bars and cafes kept up the celebrations with special offers, like Bar Cava:
Others shared photos of the gorgeous weather and the passers-by in orange, still celebrating the king in a time of crisis.
We hope that wherever you are, you made it a wonderful day! Proost op de Koning!
Sources:
International Welcome Center Utrecht Region
