The Netherlands celebrates the king's birthday by dressing in orange and holding a nationwide jumble sale. For one day anyone may sell anything on the pavement without a permit, children put blankets down in the street, and in Amsterdam the canals fill with boats.
A birthday that belongs to everyone
From 1949 the Dutch national day was Koninginnedag, Queen's Day, kept on 30 April. When Willem-Alexander came to the throne in 2013 the date moved to his own birthday, 27 April, and the name became Koningsdag. The Royal House keeps one rule beside the date: if 27 April falls on a Sunday, the day is celebrated on the 26th.
The royal family spends the day in a single town, chosen a year ahead — Lelystad has 2027 — walking a route through it and meeting the people who live there. The rest of the country does not wait for them.
The vrijmarkt
The oldest popular part of the day is the vrijmarkt, the free market. From six in the morning until eight at night anyone may sell on the street without a permit, without registration and without a market pass, and children lay out blankets of toys and books along the pavement. There are only a few limits: no live animals, no alcohol, and food only if it is dry and keeps or if you are a registered trader. You may set up almost anywhere so long as you do not block a doorway, a shop entrance, a bridge or a fire hydrant.
Koningsnacht, the evening before, is the louder half: concerts, bars, less family and more noise. In Amsterdam the canals fill with boats, which is the picture most people have of the day; the city limits them to twelve passengers and a skipper, and checks.
Orange
The colour is the House of Orange-Nassau's, and it goes on everything: shirts, wigs, cakes, dogs. It has nothing to do with the flag and everything to do with the family, and it is worn by people who would not describe themselves as monarchists at all.
When it happens
King's Day is 27 April, the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. When the 27th falls on a Sunday it is kept the day before. It has been called Koningsdag since 2014; before that it was Koninginnedag, Queen's Day, on 30 April.
- April 27, 2027Officially announced
- April 27, 2028Officially announced
- April 27, 2029Officially announced
- April 27, 2030Officially announced
Visiting with respect
Good to know
- Wear orange. Nobody will tell you to, and everybody does.
- The vrijmarkt runs from six in the morning until eight in the evening and needs no permit. Pay a child the price they ask and do not haggle them down.
- Sell your things anywhere that does not block the flow of people — not in front of doorways or shop entrances, and never on a bridge or across a fire hydrant.
Avoid
- Do not use tape to reserve a pitch on the pavement. It is hard to remove and you can be fined for it.
- Do not step onto someone else's boat in Amsterdam. Boats on the inner canals carry twelve passengers and a skipper, no more, and the rule is enforced.
Stay safe
- People drown in the Amsterdam canals every year, most of them after drinking. Keep away from the edge.
- Pickpockets work the crowds and the stations. Keep valuables out of outer pockets and your bag closed.
- It is one of the densest crowds of the Dutch year. Agree on a meeting point and keep children within reach.
Sources
This entry was written from the following sources.
- KoningsdagHet Koninklijk Huis · read September 25, 2026
- Wat mag wel en wat mag niet op Koningsdag in AmsterdamGemeente Amsterdam · read September 25, 2026
- Netherlands travel advice: safety and securityUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · read September 25, 2026
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