←→Must See: Queen’s Day in the Netherlands

Posted Thursday, May 3rd, 2007 · Permalink

Like Harry says, we here in the Netherlands are usually introvert in nature. We keep to ourselves. We’re generally nonjudgmental. And although we’re straightforward and say what we think, we accept that our opinion might not be the only one out there.

Enter Koninginnedag, a.k.a. Queen’s Day.

Queen’s Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands celebrating the former Queen’s birthday, the 30th day of April. It’s typically associated with city-sized flee markets, lots of orange-colored people, and beer. And fun. Lots of fun. And we all become extrovert. Verrry extrovert.

It all starts the night before on what people call Queen’s Night. The bars and clubs stay open to early in the morning. Young population dance their way to dawn, stumble home, and wake up around noon to continue with the partying. For those who don’t participate in this activity, the day starts early as the flee markets get underway. This is the best time to find those rare LPs and spare computer parts. Around 11 AM, the good finds are all gone, so if you’re like most Dutch, you’ll want to be out early to find the best deals .

But it’s not only selling things. People also make money (and some of them a lot!) by doing little magic tricks, selling eggs to throw at human targets, and other such games. Children do dances and play the violin (both usually pretty badly). It’s all good fun. For a more formal point of view, check out the Wikipedia article.

But the thing is that it’s unimaginable if you haven’t experience it yourself. It’s like nothing else. And that’s why this is the must-see for the Netherlands. Harry says it best: “If you have only one day to spare in the Netherlands, make it 30th April.”

Filed under Must See, Europe, Netherlands.