With two birthdays every year since 1980, Her Majesty will be over 100 years old on April 30. But who’s counting? The Dutch instead turn Queen’s Day or Koninginnedag into a giant street party with parades, entertainment, and vrijmarkten where ordinary citizens can pawn their treasured junk tax free. The Queen herself will be celebrating this year in Wemeldinge and Middelburg in Zeeland with a parade and then demonstrations of traditional Dutch dances and handicrafts from the region.
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| Queen’s Day in Amsterdam, 2009 |
April 30 is really the birthday of Queen Beatrix’s mother Juliana, who died in 2004. Her Majesty’s birthday falls on January 31, an unlikely date for a Dutch outdoor party. At her coronation in 1980, she opted to keep the national holiday to honor her mother.
Orange is a must on this day as it refers to the name of the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange. Beside the ubiquitous orange clothing and hair, orange banners fly and orange-colored food and drinks are served. Sometimes even the water in fountains is dyed orange.
As an inside scoop, take a look at this year’s ‘Queen’s To Do List’ for April 30, along with a few suggestions to add to your own list.
Queen’s To Do List
- Makeup and Hair. Check supply of hairspray for helmet look. Zeeland particularly prone to high sea winds.
- Select hat. Insure it’s on tight (see above).
- Inspect lineup of all nine grand-princes and -princesses.
- Try once more to squeeze official name onto business card. ‘Beatrix, by the Grace of God Queen of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, etc. etc. etc.’
- Leave orange t-shirt behind. Royal blood is orange enough.
- Practice queenly hand wave.
- Glue smile in place.
Dutch To Do List
- Nurse hangover from Koninginnenacht Party. Orange juice or Fanta best choice for breakfast.
- Start blowing up orange balloons. Deep breathing is good for hangovers.
- Find silliest, most absurd hat to wear. Check with the Queen. She usually has some ideas.
- If no hat is available, then dye hair orange or splurge on Made-in-China, orange nylon wig.
- Put on orange t-shirt.
- Dig out junk from back of closet. Set up shop in the street.
- Dig out old guitar and tambourine from back of closet. Sit outside on street and try singing for beer money.
Foreigner To Do List
- Try saying Koninginnedag. Keep trying.
- Wear something, anything orange!
- When meeting natives say, ‘Oranje Boven!’ Carry an empty beer bottle and raise it when you say this.
- When seeing Her Majesty, say ‘Leve de Koningin!’ (Note: Her Majesty is the one wearing the helmet with a funny hat on top.)
- Enjoy this day of national unity and ‘togetherness’ (saamhorigheid)!
How to enjoy Queen’s Day in Enschede
- Join the mayor at 10am in the Old Market to sing the national anthem and a toast of oranjebitter.
- Hang out all day in the Old Market and enjoy a multicultural event of music and food, including the UT band Chilangos Habaneros appearing around 4pm.
- Check out skateboarders and judo demonstrators at Stationsplein in front of train station.
- Dare to step into the medieval ages by way of the tents near Jacobuskerk. You might be caught in a Viking swordfight or learn how to spin wool.
- In the morning, take the kids to the van Heekplein to sell their junk, ride a pony or children’s train, and check out a bicycle stunt show.
