Koningsdag, King’s Day, is the day the Netherlands turns orange. It celebrates the King’s birthday on 27 April, or on 26 April when the 27th is a Sunday, and it is the one day a year when the whole country seems to be outside at once: street markets on every pavement, music on boats and squares, and crowds in orange from head to toe. For expats it is also a surprisingly good day to practise Dutch, because the vocabulary is small, repetitive and cheerful, and people are in the mood to talk. Here is what you will hear, what it means, and how to join in.
What Koningsdag is, in one paragraph
Koningsdag is the Dutch national holiday for the monarch’s birthday. Under Queen Beatrix and her mother it was Koninginnedag, Queen’s Day, held on 30 April; since King Willem-Alexander’s accession in 2013 it has been Koningsdag on his birthday, 27 April, as the Wikipedia article on Koningsdag explains. The King and his family visit a different town each year, and that visit is broadcast nationally, while the rest of the country celebrates locally.
The core vocabulary
| Dutch | English | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| Koningsdag | King’s Day | Everywhere |
| Koningsnacht | King’s Night | The party evening before |
| de vrijmarkt | the free market, street flea market | Pavements, parks, squares |
| oranje | orange | Clothes, decorations, everything |
| de driekleur | the tricolour, the Dutch flag | On houses and boats |
| de oranje wimpel | the orange pennant | Flown above the flag |
| het Wilhelmus | the national anthem | At official moments |
| het koningshuis | the royal house | News coverage |
| de koning, de koningin | the king, the queen | News coverage |
| feest vieren | to celebrate, to party | Everywhere |
| gezellig | cosy, sociable, fun | Constantly |
Gezellig deserves its own sentence, and Wikipedia even has an entry on gezelligheid. It describes the warm, social atmosphere that Koningsdag is all about, and you will hear it dozens of times: “Wat gezellig!” (how nice!), “Het was heel gezellig” (it was great fun). There is no exact English equivalent, and using it correctly is one of the quickest ways to sound more Dutch.
Koningsnacht: the night before
The evening before Koningsdag is Koningsnacht, King’s Night, with concerts and parties in many cities. Students and younger crowds often celebrate mostly on the night, while families focus on the day itself. Phrases you will need:
- “Ga je vanavond uit?” Are you going out tonight?
- “Waar is het feest?” Where is the party?
- “Het is hier hartstikke druk.” It is incredibly busy here.
- “Zullen we naar huis gaan?” Shall we go home?
The vrijmarkt: buying and selling
The vrijmarkt is the heart of the day for many people. On Koningsdag, people sell second-hand goods on the street: clothes, toys, books, records, furniture, plus homemade cake and lemonade. Children often run their own stalls, sometimes playing an instrument for coins. In many places, people claim their spot on the pavement the evening before with tape or chalk, marking it with bezet (taken) or their name.
As a buyer, these phrases cover almost everything:
- “Wat kost dit?” How much is this?
- “Mag het iets minder?” Can it be a bit less?
- “Doe maar twee.” I’ll take two.
- “Heb je ook kleiner geld?” Do you have smaller change?
- “Kan ik ook tikken?” Can I pay by phone? (paying with a payment request is increasingly common)
As a seller, you will say:
- “Alles voor een euro!” Everything for a euro!
- “Wilt u het voor de helft?” Do you want it for half?
- “Kijk maar rustig rond.” Have a look around.
Cash is still common at the vrijmarkt, especially coins, though payment apps have become normal too. Haggling is expected and friendly; our guide to bargaining at the Albert Cuyp markt covers the tone, and the Dutch number system, which surprises most newcomers at the first price, is explained in our guide to Dutch numbers.
Wearing orange
Orange is the colour of the House of Orange-Nassau, the royal family, and on Koningsdag it is everywhere. You will hear:
- “Je moet wel iets oranjes aan!” You have to wear something orange!
- “Helemaal in het oranje” Dressed entirely in orange
- “De oranjegekte” Orange madness, the national orange enthusiasm, also used during football tournaments
You do not need a full costume. An orange T-shirt, scarf or hat is enough to fit in, and most supermarkets sell orange accessories in the week before. The flag, de driekleur, often flies with an orange pennant above it on royal occasions.
Food and drink
Koningsdag has a few traditional foods. Tompouce, a pastry with pink icing, gets orange icing for the day and becomes the oranje tompouce. Orange cakes, orange drinks and the orange liqueur oranjebitter appear at parties. Street stalls sell poffertjes (small pancakes), frietjes (fries) and broodjes (sandwiches).
Ordering is easy with phrases you already know from cafés: “Twee biertjes, alsjeblieft” (two beers, please), “Een portie poffertjes” (a portion of poffertjes), “Mag ik een bakje friet met mayo?” (can I have a portion of fries with mayo?). Our guide to reading a Dutch restaurant menu covers more food vocabulary.
Koningsdag with children
For families, Koningsdag is often a children’s day as much as a street party. Many towns run kinderspelen, traditional children’s games, organised by the local Oranjevereniging, a volunteer association that exists in many Dutch towns to organise royal holidays. Games such as zaklopen (sack race), koekhappen (trying to bite a hanging gingerbread cake without using your hands) and spijkerpoepen (a race where children try to drop a nail on a string into a bottle) are classic Koningsdag fun, and they come with their own vocabulary that school-age children will learn instantly.
Children also run vrijmarkt stalls, selling outgrown toys or performing for coins, and many schools mark the day with the Koningsspelen, King’s Games, a national school sports morning held shortly before Koningsdag. Parents will hear “Mag ik ook iets verkopen?” (can I sell something too?) in the days before, and the questions about prices, change and haggling turn into a very good maths and Dutch lesson. Our guide for parents on mastering school-run Dutch covers the wider school vocabulary.
Watching the royal visit
Each year the King and his family visit one or two towns, and the visit is broadcast live. The coverage uses a fixed set of words: het koninklijk bezoek (the royal visit), de rondgang (the walkabout), het defilé (the parade past the royal family), and de koninklijke familie (the royal family). At official moments you may hear the national anthem, the Wilhelmus, one of the oldest national anthems in the world. Watching an hour of the broadcast with Dutch subtitles is an easy listening exercise, because the commentators repeat the same vocabulary all day.
Getting around on the day
Cities are extremely busy on Koningsdag, and public transport changes are common. Words to recognise on signs and in announcements:
- omleiding diversion
- afgesloten closed
- extra treinen extra trains
- het station is gesloten the station is closed
- volg de borden follow the signs
Train announcements on busy days move fast; our guide to understanding NS train announcements explains the standard phrases. In Amsterdam especially, many people walk or cycle, and the canals fill with boats, bootjes, playing music.
Practising Dutch on Koningsdag
Koningsdag is one of the best days of the year to speak Dutch, for three reasons. People are relaxed and in a good mood. The vocabulary repeats constantly, so you hear the same phrases dozens of times. And the vrijmarkt gives you hundreds of tiny, low-stakes conversations: a price, a joke, a thank you.
A simple plan for the day:
- Buy something at three different stalls in Dutch, asking the price and saying thank you.
- Ask one child seller about their stall. “Heb je dit allemaal zelf gemaakt?” (did you make all this yourself?) Children are patient listeners and usually delighted.
- Use gezellig at least five times. Seriously. It always fits.
- Ask for directions once in Dutch, even if you know the way.
If people switch to English, our guide to learning Dutch when everyone speaks English has polite ways to keep the conversation in Dutch.
Other Dutch holidays to know
Koningsdag is one of several days that shape the Dutch spring. Just a week later come the national remembrance and liberation days, 4 and 5 May, which have a very different tone; our guide to Dodenherdenking and Bevrijdingsdag explains them, including the two minutes of silence on the evening of 4 May. Later in the year, Sinterklaas in early December and Christmas follow, covered in our guide to a Dutch Christmas and Oud en Nieuw.
Etiquette and common mistakes
Calling it Koninginnedag. That was the name until 2013. Now it is Koningsdag.
Forgetting the Sunday rule. When 27 April is a Sunday, Koningsdag moves to Saturday the 26th, so check the date each year.
Taking a vrijmarkt spot without asking. Many pavement spots are claimed the night before. If something is marked bezet, it is taken.
Leaving rubbish behind. Cities work hard to clean up, but taking your rubbish with you is expected and appreciated. Leftover vrijmarkt items left on the pavement at the end of the day are a known problem in big cities, so take unsold goods home or to a charity shop.
Confusing the two May days with Koningsdag. Remembrance Day on 4 May is solemn. Do not bring the King’s Day mood to it.
Key takeaways
Koningsdag, on 27 April or the 26th when the 27th is a Sunday, is the Dutch national holiday for the King’s birthday: an orange, outdoor, citywide party with street markets everywhere. Learn the core words, oranje, vrijmarkt, Koningsnacht, gezellig, and a handful of market phrases like “Wat kost dit?” and “Mag het iets minder?”. Wear something orange, bring coins and a payment app, expect busy transport, and use the day for dozens of easy conversations in Dutch.
Frequently asked questions
What is Koningsdag?
Koningsdag, King’s Day, is the Dutch national holiday celebrating the King’s birthday. It is held on 27 April, or on 26 April when the 27th falls on a Sunday. The whole country dresses in orange, cities fill with street parties and music, and the vrijmarkt, a nationwide flea market, lets anyone sell second-hand goods on the street. It is the busiest day of the year in many Dutch cities.
What does vrijmarkt mean?
Vrijmarkt means free market: on King’s Day people sell second-hand items, toys, clothes and homemade food on pavements and in parks. Children often run stalls, playing music or selling lemonade. You will hear “Wat kost dit?” (how much is this?), “Mag het iets minder?” (can it be a bit less?) and “Het is maar een euro” (it is only a euro) all day.
Why do the Dutch wear orange on King’s Day?
Orange is the colour of the royal House of Orange-Nassau, and it has become the national colour for celebrations and sport. On Koningsdag people wear orange clothes, hats, wigs and face paint, and streets and boats are decorated in orange. Being “helemaal oranje” is the point, and wearing a little orange helps you fit in even if you know no Dutch at all.
Is Koningsdag a day off work?
For most people, yes. Koningsdag is a national holiday and many businesses close, though whether you get the day off depends on your employment contract or collective agreement. Shops, bars and restaurants in city centres are often open and very busy. Public transport runs, but expect crowds, changed timetables and closed stations near the biggest parties.
