King's Day — the one day a year the Netherlands turns entirely orange
Part of: Dutch Culture
Koningsdag is the national holiday marking the birthday of King Willem-Alexander, celebrated on 27 April every year (moved to the 26th if the 27th falls on a Sunday). The entire country takes the day off. Streets fill with people in orange. Flea markets appear on every corner. Boats crowd the canals. It is the most visibly Dutch day of the year.
The Dutch wear orange because of the House of Orange-Nassau — the royal family that has ruled the Netherlands for centuries. On Koningsdag, orange is everywhere: clothing, hats, face paint, wigs, flags, drinks. The collective enthusiasm for it has its own word: oranjegekte — orange frenzy.
If you are outside on 27 April wearing normal clothes, you will feel conspicuous. Find something orange.
The vrijmarkt — literally "free market" — is a nationwide flea market that runs on Koningsdag. On this day only, anyone can sell anything anywhere on the street without a permit and without paying tax. Children spread blankets on pavements and sell old toys. Adults unload furniture, books, clothes, vinyl records. Entire neighbourhoods become open-air markets.
It is a genuinely good place to buy things cheap, find Dutch design objects, and watch the country at its most relaxed and commercial at the same time.
Many people start the night before — 26 April — at bars, outdoor stages, and street parties. This is Koningsnacht (King's Night). By morning, some participants have been going for twelve hours.
Amsterdam on Koningsdag is an experience of its own. The city's 850,000 residents are joined by up to a million visitors. The canals fill with boats — every size and type, packed with people in orange, music playing. It is chaotic, crowded, and festive in a way that feels genuinely earned rather than manufactured.
If you want to navigate the city on Koningsdag, go on foot or by bike. Public transport is overwhelmed and cars are pointless.
HEMA releases its famous tompouce in orange glazing for Koningsdag. Eating an orange tompouce on 27 April is not compulsory, but it is extremely common. You will see them everywhere.
The holiday began in 1885 as Prinsessedag — the fifth birthday of Princess Wilhelmina. It became Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) when she acceded to the throne in 1890, celebrated on 31 August. Queen Juliana moved it to her own birthday, 30 April, in 1948. When Queen Beatrix abdicated on Queen's Day 2013 and Willem-Alexander became the first king in over a century, the holiday became Koningsdag and shifted to his birthday: 27 April.
Most Dutch people alive today grew up with Queen's Day on 30 April — the change to 27 April is recent enough that older Nederlanders sometimes still call it Koninginnedag by habit.
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