Discover King's Day in Amsterdam, on April 27th! On top of its cultural attractions, you'll be in a festive mood and at the heart of a popular festival with its giant garage sale, open-air concerts and festivities...
Book a train ticket
Book a train ticket
King's Day in Amsterdam
Orange fever
If there's one date you shouldn't miss in Amsterdam, it's King's Day on 27 April (King Willem-Alexander's birthday). It's a popular and festive event, during which everyone dresses in orange.
On this magical day, we witness "orange fever", a veritable national phenomenon: people dress up, dye their hair, and all the streets and shops are decorated with orange garlands and accessories.
A giant garage sale
The town is transformed into a giant garage sale for the "vrijmarkt", a Dutch tradition. The Dutch are a merchant people and take unrivalled pleasure in trading in front of their houses. You can find absolutely anything and everything for just a few euros.
It's the perfect time to pick up a bargain! There are also food stalls and draught beer on every corner! To go bargain hunting, head for Vondelpark and the Jordaan district, where the vrijmarkt starts early in the morning at around 6am.
The party
Koningsdag is above all a huge party throughout the city. The locals set up speakers in front of their houses, so everyone can come and dance and meet the organisers, sometimes even entering their flats to party. Hundreds of decorated boats ply the canals, carrying hordes of Dutch people dancing to the beat of electro sounds.
Music fills the streets and the whole city wakes up to a convivial atmosphere. Concerts are also organised on Museumplein, Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein and Waterlooplein, usually starting at 11am and finishing around 9pm.
An experience!
The Koningsdag is a truly unique experience: in good humour and dressed all in orange, the crowd becomes one and you can feel an incredible energy sweep through Amsterdam.
Be warned: every year Koningsdag attracts more than 800,000 visitors, so make sure you book your stay in advance!
Koningsdag, the King's Day
Every year on 27 April, unless the 27th is a Sunday, in which case the festival is brought forward to Saturday 26 April.
