After two years of stunted celebrations, King’s Day was back in full swing yesterday — the biggest party in the country. 🎉
Now that the Netherlands scrapped all measures, Dutchies flocked to join flea markets, boat parties, and festivals all around the country, reports the NOS. 🏃🏻
Royal family duties
King Willem-Alexander celebrated his birthday in Maastricht with his family. The city welcomed them by song in the city centre. 🎶
The family Oranje planned to visit the city in 2020, but this was postponed twice during the pandemic.
RTL Nieuws described the royal family as “furiously shaking everyone’s hands”. It also seems like the King missed the social distancing memo (not that it’s mandatory to follow anymore), as he happily took selfies and danced with people in Maastricht. 🤳🏻
One man even managed to kiss Queen Maxima — no less than three times! 😙
A desire to party
Of course, Maastricht wasn’t the only festive city. People all over Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Groningen, The Hague, and Eindhoven, among others, celebrated with major music festivals and open concerts. 🎤
A spokesperson for the Kingsland Festival told the NOS that the atmosphere was there like it never left. “You noticed that everyone missed it.”
Authorities advised parties goers to avoid some parts of the big cities. For example, some 40,000 people attended the King’s Day party of radio station 538 in Breda.
They also urged people to avoid the city centre in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, and Utrecht.
Dutch treats and flea markets
There were long queues for orange tompouce in front of several bakeries across the country. One bakery opened at 5 AM and baked and sold 10,000 tompouces, all before 9 AM. 🧡👑
READ MORE | 3 things we don’t like about the aftermath of King’s Day festivities
The rest of the day went without major disruptions and disturbances. People enjoyed flea markets around the cities, and the NS reported some 200,000 passengers on the trains to Amsterdam. 🚅
How did you celebrate King’s Day this year? Share your experience with us in the comments!
