If you had plans to run into the King in Amsterdam, that won’t be possible. King Willem-Alexander turns 59 on April 27, and this year, Koningsdag celebrations are heading northward, to Dokkum, Friesland.
“Dokkum deserves to welcome the head of state and his family,” the King’s Commissioner in Friesland told NOS.
The province of Friesland has never hosted Koningsdag during Willem-Alexander’s reign. The royal family was last in the area back in 2008, when it was still Queen’s Day, so it’s about time!
Dokkum, who?
Dokkum is a small city surrounded by 52 villages, which together make up the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân.
In Frisian, King’s Day goes by a different name: Keningsdei.
Don’t be fooled, though. The northernmost province of the Netherlands is pulling out all the stops for the King’s birthday.
The royal bus will arrive escorted by eight Friesian horses, and more than 80 ships will be anchored in the city’s canals to serve as floating stages for performances.
Elfstedentocht nostalgia
No celebration in Friesland is complete without a reference to Elfstedentocht, the legendary ice-skating race through eleven Frisian cities that hasn’t been held since 1997.
A teenage Willem-Alexander even took part in the 1986 edition, skating under the alias WA van Buren.
During their visit, the royal family will receive a stamp card to collect stamps at each location on the route, recreating the rules of the race.
In a celebration of culture, two other distinctly Frisian sports will also feature: kaatsen (a traditional ball game) and fierljeppen (pole vaulting over a body of water, which is exactly as chaotic as it sounds).
@omropfryslan Foar de safolste kear dit jier hat junior Germ Terpstra fierder ljept as elkenien. Dizze kear die er dat op de Nasjonale Fierljep Manifestaasje op It Heidenskip, wêrby't ek de topljeppers út Hollân oanwêzich wiene. Yn de finale ljepte Terpstra mei syn twadde sprong nei 21,45 meter. Dat is in nij skânsrekôr foar junioaren.
♬ original sound – omropfryslan
Frisian culture
Beyond local sports, the visit covers a lot of ground.
At De Zijl, Dokkum’s central square, the Wadden Islands will be in the spotlight. Farmers, fishers, and chefs from Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland, and Schiermonnikoog will be showcasing produce from the region.
Music school Opus 3 from Dokkum will perform alongside the foundation Méér Muziek in de Klas (More Music in the Classroom), of which Queen Máxima is the honorary chair.
At the Bolwerk, another public square, more than 2,000 students will gather, carrying ribbons inscribed with a message for the world, and bid the royal family goodbye with a song in Fries.
Will you skip Amsterdam’s chaos and celebrate King’s Day in Friesland? Let us know in the comments.
