King's Day
Put everything you have in orange on display, and celebrate King's Day!
About
On the 27th of April, it's King's Day (Koningsdag) in the Netherlands - a holiday meant to honour the Dutch King, Willem-Alexander. In all parts of the kingdom, that means a day off from work, and celebrations all around with activities such as flea markets, festivals, and fairs completely covered in orange.
Orange History
Why the colour orange? The colour orange refers to the Dutch royal family's name, het Huis van Oranje-Nassau. The forefather, Willem van Oranje, is the founder of the Netherlands. The colour symbolises national unity, and the Dutch show their national pride by wearing orange.
Willem-Alexander
Willem-Alexander was born on April 27th, 1967 as the eldest son of Beatrix, and became King of the Netherlands in 2013. Interestingly, Willem-Alexander studied history at Leiden University while he lived at Rapenburg 116.
Learn more about King Willem-Alexander
Activities in Leiden
The board of the Queen Wilhelmina of Orange Association alongside its partners has organised various festive activities in Leiden: the annual fair, children's flea market, puppet show, and more.
You can find the times and other King's Day activities on the Oranjevereniging website (in Dutch).
See Program
Activities in Voorschoten
Similarly, the board of the Queen Wilhelmina of Orange Association has organised various festive activities in Voorschoten: the annual fair, children's flea market, and traditional bicycle puzzle tour (OranjeFietsPuzzeltocht), just to name a few.
You can find the times and other King's Day activities on the Oranjevereniging website (in Dutch).
See Program