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The ultimate guide to King’s Day festivals and events in the Netherlands in 2020

Emma Brown
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The ultimate guide to King’s Day festivals and events in the Netherlands in 2020

It’s almost King’s Day! So, what’s the big deal?

So maybe it’s your first Koningsdag or maybe you’ve become a bit of a King’s Day pro over the years. Or maybe you’re into King’s Day festivals in the Netherlands. Don’t be scared – all you’ll need is anything orange or Dutch related, a great alcohol tolerance and your best dance moves. Here are all of the main King’s Day festival events in one place…’cos DutchReview are the best.

Not fancying a festival in a large city? No worries, there will be parties literally ALL OVER the country. Like, it’s literally impossible not to find one, no matter where you live. If festivals and large events aren’t your thing – then everywhere has the traditional flea market, street parties and copious amounts of alcohol. We already have an article for this, so check it out!

We also have a video to give you the lowdown on King’s day in the Netherlands and how it’s celebrated:

Where will the royal family be on King’s day in 2020?

If you’re wanting to see the king this year, then now’s the time to plan. This year he will be spending his 53rd birthday in Maastricht with his family. Every year they visit a different city and the public is welcome to come and join them. Read all about it here.

King’s day 2020 festivals in the Netherlands:

If you’re a festival fan, then read on. I warn you though, the Dutch love a good dance music party. Most events over the country incorporate some sort of Dutch DJ (+ jaws dragging along the floor). Not all events are for a dance lovers dream – we’ve managed to find a few disco and hip-hop events. Read on to see what tickles your fancy!

The best thing about many of these events is that there are free or just really cheap. With so much competition on this day, event prices are generally low and you have so much choice when it comes to what you want to see and where you want to go. Result!

5 King’s Day events in the 5 big cities [King’s Day festivals]

King’s day events in Rotterdam in 2020:

  1. TIKTAK King’s Night – For all you folks who like Dutch house music. Location: Rotterdam, Utrecht, Amsterdam

2. Oranjebitter Festival – More Dutch music, but they make you work to see the lineup (you basically have to guess it), go on the website to see what I mean! Location: Rotterdam

3. Kralingse Bos Festival– If you’re into Dutch DJ’s, then this is another for you. Location: Rotterdam

4. Code Oranje Festival– For the Dutch DJ and hip hop lovers. Location: Rotterdam

5. Kingsland festival – If you like house, techno or hardstyle, then this is a festival for you. Location: Amsterdam, Groningen, Tilburg, Rotterdam.

 

* We’ve got another guide to spending King’s day in Rotterdam in 2020 if that’s where you’re off to!

King’s day events in Amsterdam in 2020:

  1. TIKTAK King’s Night – For all you folks who like Dutch house music. Location: Rotterdam, Amsterdam

2. Loveland Van Oranje – For techno/deep house lovers. Location: Amsterdam

3. NDSM Vrijhaven King’s Day – A free event for everyone, including family, with food, art and live music. Location: Amsterdam

4. Kingsland festival – If you like house, techno or hardstyle, then this is a festival for you. Location: Amsterdam, Groningen, Tilburg, Rotterdam.

5. Oranjebloesem festival – For techno/house lovers. Location: Amsterdam

* We’ve got another guide to spending King’s day in Amsterdam in 2020 if that’s where you’re off to!

King’s day events in The Hague in 2020:

  1. The Life I Live Festival, King’s Night – This festival has a bit for everyone: hip-hop, hard rock, funk, electronic, dance and indie-pop. So it’s good to go to if you want to please all your friends at once. Location: The Hague 

2. The Life I Live Festival, King’s Day – This festival has a bit for everyone: hip-hop, hard rock, funk, electronic, dance and indie-pop. So it’s good to go to if you want to please all your friends at once. Location: The Hague 

3. Happy Feelings at the Beach, King’s Night– Celebrate the King’s Night by the beach! Location: The Hague

4. Kingsworld – A festival for all tastes! These include house, urban, Latin, Dutch and rap. Location: The Hague

5. The Hague – Kingsnight – An event filled with many different genres including RnB, hip-hop, trap, pop, house, deep house, techno, classics and disco. Location: The Hague

king's day festivals in the Netherlands
King’s day festivals in the Netherlands: Let the orange madness begin! | Source: Pixabay

* We’ve got another guide to spending King’s day in The Hague in 2020 if that’s where you’re off to!

King’s day events in Eindhoven in 2020:

  1. Royal Dutch Eindhoven, King’s Night – For Dutch hip-hop and dance music lovers. Location: Eindhoven

2. Royal Dutch Eindhoven, King’s Day – For Dutch hip-hop and dance music lovers. Location: Eindhoven

3. B2s Supersized King’s Day Festival – The perfect festival for hardcore hardstyle lovers! Location: Eindhoven

4. King-S Festival – For techno, drum and bass and dubstep lovers everywhere. Location: Eindhoven

5. This=Music – For techno lovers out there. Location: Eindhoven

 

King’s day events in Groningen in 2020:

  1. King’s Head, King’s Night – For dance music lovers who also love a good game of beer pong. Location: Groningen

2. Kingsland festival – If you like house, techno or hardstyle, then this is a festival for you. Location: Amsterdam, Groningen, Tilburg, Rotterdam.

3. De Helden van Oranje Festival – a variety of different Dutch music to get your body grooving. Location: Groningen, 

4. Paradigm: King’s Night – For dance music lovers everywhere. Location: Groningen

5. Paradigm: King’s Day – For dance music lovers everywhere. Location: Groningen

 

Brace yourselves: There’s so much choice and so much party. Don’t forget to dress up in orange and buy your tickets soon! Note: Some popular events may sell out beforehand.

See you out there, it’s going to be a gooden’.

What King’s Day festivals will you be going to this year? Any of these King’s Day festivals in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments! And don’t forget to join our Facebook group for more Dutch stuff!

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on 13 March 2019, but was updated for your reading pleasure on 14 February 2020. 

Feature Image: Pixabay

Amsterdam ends fireworks with a bang: total ban across municipality

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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Amsterdam ends fireworks with a bang: total ban across municipality

Amsterdam City Council has made an explosive decision to implement a general fireworks ban this year. Whew! They’re the second major city to create a ban after Rotterdam led the way earlier this year.

It’s big news for those in the Netherlands, with the topic dividing people into two camps. We have those who believe fireworks are a tradition not to be messed with in one corner. But, they’re facing a strong force of opponents: victims of injuries to hands and eyes, people who had their homes burnt to the ground, and those who have lost loved ones, all resulting from the use of the dangerous pyrotechnics.

The motion from the Party for the Animals was adopted earlier this afternoon, reports NOS. It had strong support from the left-leaning D66, GroenLinks, the Party of the Elderly and the PvdA. Just two parties were against the motion, CDA and FvD.

Earlier this year the Dutch cabinet made the step to ban arrows and bangers. However, Amsterdam’s new policy means absolutely zero consumer fireworks can be fired. The only exception is the more low-key sparklers, which we agree are far less likely to take out an eye or cause death.

How will the ban be enforced?

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema is now tasked with preparing an enforcement plan over the coming months. One tactic will be to use fireworks shows and smaller events to deter youth from messing around with illegal fireworks.

That’s assuming they’ll be able to find them, of course. Limiting the sales of fireworks is another key component of Halsema’s plan. She’ll manage this by reducing the amount of fireworks sale permits available.

The lack of a total ban across the Netherlands makes the problem much harder to tackle. Technically, without a national ban on the sale of fireworks people will only need to leave the Amsterdam municipality to stock up – although firing them in Amsterdam will still remain illegal.

Are in favour of a total ban of fireworks in the Netherlands? Or is it a tradition that should be preserved? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Tyrone Fernandez/Pexels

Renewable energy: largest floating solar park in Europe to be built in the Netherlands

Vlad Moca-Grama
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Renewable energy: largest floating solar park in Europe to be built in the Netherlands

In the context of climate change, it’s become more relevant than ever that countries take the practical action needed in order to curb emissions and pursue a transition to greener energy.

The Netherlands has been good at pretending that it pursues a green policy, yet statistics show that it is last place in the European Union when it comes to deriving its energy needs from renewable sources. And given that a large part of the country is under sea level, urgent action is necessary for mitigating climate change, lest the country succumbs under the seas.

Large floating park in Zwolle

A developer named Groenleven has commenced building what might be the largest floating solar park in Europe, on a lake used for sand extraction. 72,000 solar panels will supply as much as energy as 7,000 households consume each year, according to NU.

The director of Groenleven, Ronald Pechtold, considers the location of the sand extraction lake as ideal for the building of the solar park, as it is an industrial area where not a lot of people go to.

He has not revealed the exact price tag of the project, yet it numbers in the tens of millions euros. Thankfully, the Dutch state is behind the project by providing subsidies for its construction, for a period spanning 15 years.

First tests in the solar park already conducted

The project will have an inclusive economic and social dynamic, as residents of the region will be able to chip in financially in the project. A large part of the project will also be held under local ownership.

The project has recently been tested for resistance. In the past, different floating solar parks have failed due to storms. However, due to the quality of the design and construction, the new solar park has proven to be resilient, going through Storm Ciara without a scratch.

There are other solar parks in the works in the Netherlands. A partnership of municipalities, together with companies and research institutes have set the goal for the development of 2 gigawatts of floating solar panels by the year 2023. If successful, these projects will produce as much energy as hundreds of thousands of households consume yearly.

What other renewable energy sources should the Netherlands pursue? Let us know in the comments.

Feature Image: piqsels

 

 

 

Dutchies hit hard by flu epidemic in the Netherlands

Vlad Moca-Grama
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Dutchies hit hard by flu epidemic in the Netherlands

There’s some bad news: a flu outbreak has begun in the Netherlands. So if you are having a sore throat, cold shivers and a fever, you might have the flu. But hey, at least it is not coronavirus.

The flu has been around for some time in the Netherlands, but it has now reached epidemic proportions, reports RTL Nieuws. Flu seasons are not uncommon during this time of year, last year it lasted for 14 weeks.

Flu epidemic

A flu reaches the level of an epidemy if after a period of two weeks 58 out of 100,000 people display flu-like symptoms and if at least 10 percent of people are diagnosed with influenza, according to a spokesperson from the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).

As of now, 68 out of 100,000 people went to a GP this past week and displayed flu-like symptoms, with 40 percent of them having the influenza virus, thus making it an epidemic.

Monitoring stations and the “real” flu

In the Netherlands there are 40 specialized monitoring stations designed specifically for detecting the flu in people (recently, they’ve been used to test for Coronavirus). Not all flus are, however, the “real” flu. Influenza is the real flu, while the enterovirus, the RS virus and the rhinovirus have similar symptoms to it.

How can you tell if you have the real flu under the form of the influenza virus? Well, if you have a temperature of over 39 degrees due to a sudden outburst of fever, chances are that you might have it. The rest of the “fake” flus have symptoms such as runny noses, coughs, headaches, sore throats and the occasional fever.

Duration of flu season and how to avoid it

Flu seasons usually begins in the winter, around December or January, and lasts until the beginning of spring. On average, it lasts for 13 weeks, but last year it took 14 weeks until it ended.

The virus is highly contagious, as it is located in the mucus and saliva of people, and can be spread very easily through sneezing, coughing or talking, or through hands or objects that have been touched by a contagious person.

RIVM advises that you ventilate your room or your car, and that vulnerable groups like children or the elderly should get a flu shot.

What helps you during flu season? Let us know in the comments.

Feature Image: stevepb/Pixabay

Are you in or are you out? Organ donation in the Netherlands

Tiffany Leung
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Coming soon: Automatic registration for organ donation in the Netherlands

Two weeks ago, Dutch politicians started debating a proposal from Fall 2017 by the D66: how should the public register for organ donation (orgaandonatiewet)?

Today, the vote is in: 38 – 36. The current opt-in system is going to change, and now folks will need to opt-out in order to de-register from organ donation by default. Unsurpsrisingly, the vote today divided individual parties in their votes for and against the law. 

So what does it mean to “opt-in” or “opt-out”?

What is the system for organ donation in the Netherlands now? Opt-in

The default is that people are not registered as organ donors. Then, they can choose to be added to the registry. Currently, 3.5 million people in the Netherlands are registered organ donors (that’s roughly 1 in 5 inhabitants).

system for organ donation in the netherlands
Have you opted-in?

This is the current system in the Netherlands. If you’re ready and willing to be an organ donor — and really just can’t wait for the orgaandonatiewet to start to automatically enroll you — you can register now by logging on to your DigiD and sign up here. If you know enough Dutch or have a Dutch-speaking friend to translate, it’s easy. If you have none of the above, then go here to watch this 2-minute video while you are filling out the online form. You can register if you are at least 12-years-old and registered in the Netherlands. (This means expats are included!)  

organ donation in the netherlands
Ja, ik geef toestemming.

Issues with the current system

Believe it or not, this process is actually sort of prohibitive. If you’ve been wanting to be an organ donor, did you just open a website, log in to your DigiD and flip through the four webpages needed to register? No?

Although going to a website doesn’t seem like much effort, it’s like the “out of sight, out of mind” phenomenon. Nowhere in any of my registration or license exchange procedures in the Netherlands did anyone ever ask me whether I wanted to be an organ donor. I saw the pamphlet at my local gemeente office, but since I didn’t know enough Dutch then, I didn’t initially sign up. (Full disclosure: I just registered while writing this piece.)

For comparison, it was far easier to sign up as an organ donor in the US. When I obtained my first driver’s license when I was 16, I checked “Yes” on my paper application. A sticker was placed on my license (the sticker subsequently was replaced with a printed icon directly on the card). Then, whenever I renew my license, the renewal application confirms if I still wanted to be an organ donor.

Both systems are passive, opt-in approaches, requiring the potential donor to seek out registration. Whether that be with assistance (as in the US) or not (as in the Netherlands, for now).

What is the future of organ donation registration in the Netherlands? Opt-out

The default is that people are registered as organ donors. Then, they can choose to be removed from the registry. This is what was just decided. Today.

The concepts of opt-in and opt-out programs in health care are most commonly known with respect to HIV testing. This is in areas where it is common enough to warrant it. The intent is that the benefits to the individual and population of such opt-out testing outweigh the drawbacks.

On the issue of organ donation, naturally, the principles differ. The nature and ethics of the health issue is different. HIV is a communicable disease and having HIV still carries stigma. On the other hand, organ donation involves death and the sacredness of the individual human body. For both, they can be highly political, and for organ donation, anything to try to increase the quantity of limited resources (organs, of course) is the key.

Here are some interesting testimonies from Ireland, which reflect some of the commonest arguments against and comments about a possible opt-out organ donor registry.

Other options

In Australia, the Organ and Tissue Authority didn’t implement an opt-out program, but implemented many other interventions to try to increase the number of organ donors. These included: a public awareness campaign, more training of health professionals to discuss organ donation at the right times with patients and families, arranging paired live organ donation, and paid time off for live tissue donors. All great ideas, and effective according to them. But also probably a lot slower to have the desired effect, for better or worse. This is depending on which side of the opt-in/opt-out debate you are one.

Also, keep in mind that the orgaandonatiewet also indicates that it would apply only to people 18 years and older, so presumably the arrangement for children under 18 won’t change.

For expats 18 years and older, it’s not clear if the new law will include you, so perhaps better to go the old-fashioned way via DigiD to declare one way or another whether you wish to register as a donor or not.

organ donation in the netherlands

If you still want more information about organ donation in the Netherlands, read the online brochure that goes into detail about which organs donated are used for what purposes or check this site.

In the meantime, until the orgaandonatiewet is in effect, if you want to register, don’t wait. Take the two minutes to do it. Now.

Amsterdam to supply 80% of households with renewable energy by 2030

Vedika Luthra
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Amsterdam to supply 80% of households with renewable energy by 2030

Environmentalists out there, there is a tiny bit of light in that apparent tunnel of doom that is our planet. Amsterdam aims to supply 80% of households with renewable energy by 2030, according to NOS.

This means 430,000 households.

Woah.

Adhering to the motto geen dak onbenut, ‘no roof goes unused,’ the municipality aims to focus its resources primarily on solar energy, according to its Regional Energy Strategy (RES). Amsterdam is THE most populated city in the Netherlands (surprise), and this makes it a little more difficult to set up windmills. As there is a shortage of space (try looking for a house let alone a room in A’dam), trying to find places for windmills in the city seems an impossible mission.

How will Amsterdam become more sustainable?

So what this essentially means is that the number of panels must drastically increase in the next ten years, meaning they must be placed on roofs of buildings (houses, businesses- etc) as well as along motorways, in parking lots- you name it. Where there is space, there should (ideally) be a panel.

Apart from renewable energy, there are also plans for more sustainable heating. The municipality made it clear that it aimed to stop using natural gas by 2040.

Amsterdam taking the climate change lead

In regards to the Dutch Climate Agreement that came about shortly after the new climate change law to combat greenhouse gas emissions, Amsterdam is the first Dutch municipality to present such a strategy.

This isn’t completely surprising – Amsterdam has pioneered other ‘green’ developments, such as their blue and green roofs that collect excess water to mitigate the effects of heavy rain and provide protection in cases of heat and drought.

Is this a good thing?

Considering that the Netherlands reportedly uses the least amount of renewable energy in the European Union (so much for its misleading ‘green’ reputation), this isn’t bad news.

It’s definitely good to have goals and aims- but these become empty words if nothing is actually done to reach them. So Amsterdam, you better get cracking.

How feasible do you think this part of Amsterdam’s RES is? Leave your answer in the comments!

Image: AleSpa/Wikimedia Commons

Mail bombs explode in Amsterdam and Kerkrade

Ailish Lalor
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Mail bombs explode in Amsterdam and Kerkrade

Two mail bombs have exploded in the offices of businesses in Amsterdam and Kerkrade, but luckily there are no injuries, NOS reports. 

Kerkrade explosion: building evacuated

The mail bomb in Kerkrade exploded in the sorting room of a mail sorting company on Wiebachstraat in a business park in the western part of the city. The premises were evacuated and the Defence Disposal Service is on its way, according to NOS. The explosion took place at about 8:30am.

Amsterdam mail bomb in ABN Amro mail sorting centre

The explosion in Amsterdam took place on the Bolstoen, in the Sloterdijk industrial estate on the west side of the city. This explosion took place at 8:00am in the ABN Amro mail sorting centre.

Mail bombs delivered to companies last month

To some of you, this might sound pretty familiar. Mail bombs were delivered to several companies last month, in Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Maastricht, but none of them exploded. No one was arrested for sending these at the time, but it’s not clear if there is a connection between those mail bombs and these new ones.

We’ll keep this article updated as more information emerges. 

Feature Image: Jacqueline Macou/Pixabay

20,000 cyclists in six months slapped with fines after smartphone-cycling ban

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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20,000 cyclists in six months slapped with fines after smartphone-cycling ban

Before we start, are you op de fiets while reading this? If so, time to pull over because the police sure haven’t been shy about issuing fines to Whatsapping cyclists.

It’s been six months since using your phone on the bike became a fineable offence, and the police have come out in force. From July to December last year over 21,300 cyclists were slapped with fines. The majority happened in the final three months of 2019 – merry Christmas!

The Ministry of Justice and Security, the Public Prosecution Service, the police and the Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB) released the figures on Tuesday.

Fines across the board

But, cyclists weren’t the only targets on the list. Drivers using their phones in traffic were snagged more than 121,000 times in 2019. The year prior, only 80,000 fines were issues, although this is also because police had time off during union bargaining that year.

However, overall the number of traffic fines actually decreased. While 9.2 million infringements were logged in 2018, this reduced by almost 9 per cent in 2019. The Ministry of Justice attributes this to fewer fines for license-based offences, it becoming busier on roads making it harder to drive fast, and more warnings about speed cameras. However, that failed to help some speed demons: of the 8.4 million fines from last year, over 82 per cent were speed-related.

Have you received a traffic fine in the past year? Was it justified? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Kevin Phillips/Pixabay

Hundreds of thousands N26 bank accounts forced to close due to Brexit

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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Hundreds of thousands N26 bank accounts forced to close due to Brexit

Living in the Netherlands but banking with N26 with a UK account? Well, not for very much longer. The challenger bank has dealt a further blow to those reeling from Brexit, announcing that all UK customers accounts will be closed.

The bank blamed difficulties created by Brexit. N26 said that the ‘timing and framework’ of the withdrawal agreement made it impossible to continue providing accounts for UK citizens.

About 200,000 customers will be affected when their accounts close on April 15. The bank only operates under a European banking licence, said Thomas Grosse, chief banking officer at N26.

YOU MAY LIKE: 7 reasons why bunq is the perfect bank for expats

“While we respect the political decision that has been taken, it means that N26 will be unable to serve our customers in the UK and will have to leave the market.”

Thankfully, accounts in other markets will not be affected.

What do customers need to know?

For now, the accounts will operate as normal – phew! But, after April 15 any accounts with no money in them will be closed.

If you still have cash in your UK N26 account after this, it will be transferred to a holding account.

Affected by the sudden announcement? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: AnnaCor/N26

Monitoring stations for flu are being used to detect coronavirus in the Netherlands

Vlad Moca-Grama
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Monitoring stations for flu are being used to detect coronavirus in the Netherlands

The coronavirus has been spreading more and more and leaving behind more casualties than the SARS outbreak that occurred in China back in 2003.

As such, governments around the world are taking action in their home countries to better prevent, treat and tackle the coronavirus.

40 monitoring stations to check for coronavirus

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), together with the Nivel health institution have declared on Monday that they will use 40 monitoring stations around the country, normally used for testing for flu’s, to test for the coronavirus as well.

These measures are taking as a precaution (read as better safe than sorry). A spokesperson from Nivel declared that it is important to start monitoring the coronavirus before it will actually start to circulate in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, they’ve specified that as of now there is no reason for concern and that as long as there is no outbreak in the country, the virus will most likely not be found. Relaxing!

General practitioners to inform Municipal and Regional Health Services if a coronavirus case is discovered

So far, the procedure that has been developed is if a general practitioner detects a case in one of the monitoring stations, they will then notify the case to the Municipal and Regional Health Servies (GDD).

As the Coronavirus has symptoms that appear to be flu-like, with fever and respiratory problems. As such, the monitoring stations are a great opportunity to evaluate the presence of the virus in the Netherlands. Fingers crossed that those who do come to the monitoring stations only have the flu, and that they get better as well.

Do you think this method of prevention is satisfactory for now? Let us know in the comments.

Feature Image: qimono/Pixabay

 

 

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