Want to party like a Queen this April? Then head to Amsterdam on April 30th for the Dutch National Holiday and one of Holland’s liveliest events, the Queen’s Birthday. Queen Beatrice throws a truly royal bash in the capital, as one million tourists join 750,000 locals at one of the world’s largest street parties.

Amsterdam more than lives up to its party-hard reputation with a bulging calender of nightlife and events across the city, from street parties in the Red Light district, to more wholesome city events like open air concerts and markets.

So whether you fancy boozing in bars in Amsterdam’s infamous Red Light district, or joining the city wide trade off at the ‘free market’, check out our guide to Queen’s Day in Amsterdam.

History of Queen’s Day

Known as ‘Koninginnedag’ in Dutch, celebrations of the Queen’s birthday started in 1885, and quickly became one of the top Amsterdam events, and the city took the chance to party to its heart. Queen Beatrix, who succeeded her mother in 1980, decided to keep the holiday on April 30 so everyone could celebrate outdoors. Events in Amsterdam kick off on ‘Queens Night’ at midnight, and continue in bars across the city until the wee hours.

After a night of revelry, Queen’s Day starts bright and early at 6am with the ‘free market’, where locals sell their bric-a-brac on the street for next to nothing. The festivities continue with free outdoor concerts, street parties with live music and beer, children’s games and a visit from the Queen herself. But the real reason to see Queen’s Day in Amsterdam is to soak up the electric atmosphere in the main squares, along the canals and in the city streets, with street performers and huge drum bands.

‘Orange-Craze’

The Dutch are known for their love of the national color orange, whether daubed in the vibrant hue for football matches, or flying the royal flag. This is known as Oranjegekte, or ‘Orange Craze’ as a sea of locals dress in all manner of clothing in an orange color on Queens Day. The Dutch orange obssession stems from the Royal family name of Orange-Nassau, who used to own the principality of Orange.

If you don’t have anything in the color orange, show some Dutch pride by buying an orange tulip in Amsterdam from the floating flower market. ‘Oranjezonnetje’ or ‘Orange Sun’ is the name given to the Amsterdam orange festivities, and is supposed to encourage good weather on the Queen’s birthday.

Queen’s Night

It’s easy to find a good Queen’s party in Amsterdam, and there’s loads going on in bars all over the city. The clubs in Dam Square and the Red Light District are the easiest places to find a Queen’s party, and Winston Kingdom (on Warmoestraat 131) celebrates not one, but two Queen’s birthdays; with the ‘Amsterdam Collective’ rock night from 8-11pm, followed by an all night Amsterdam knees-up of indie and electro music at the ‘Queen’s Big Birthday Party’.

For some off-beat nightlife, Amsterdam’s bars do not disappoint, and Bitterzoet (Spuistraat 2) promises a night of DJ’s and ‘plenty of orange’ for around eight euros. If you’re looking for a free night in Amsterdam, check out Krasnapolsky (Dam 9) for a more original evening of Jazz and World Music from 7pm.

Hit the Water

Even if they’ve been up all night, the Dutch make a point of partying the morning after. The best way to experience Queen’s Day in this canal-filled city is on a boat party. The canals are strewn with hundreds of brightly coloured boats, each hosting their own boat parties, playing thumping music and doling out drinks.

If you can’t join one of the party boats, watch from the bridges and soak up the atmosphere, or organise a boat tour before you travel and host your own canal party. You won’t be going anywhere fast, as the canals are gridlocked, but an Amsterdam Boat Party is hardly about the sightseeing – just kick back with a beer and join in with the fun!

Daytime Events

If you’d rather stay on dry land, the Free Market or Vrijmarkt kicks off at 6am, and is one of the most famous events on Queen’s Day, as locals all over the city trade and sell off their old possessions in the streets and parks. It’s a great way to make some extra cash – ING Bank estimated in 2007 that the 1.8 million local flea-marketeers made around € 111 each.

Other things to do in Amsterdam by day include attending an outdoor concert in Amsterdam. For a huge outdoor Amsterdam concert, head to the Museumplein or the Rembrantplein, where local radio stations host a street concert with local acts and orchestras. Smaller, more intimate Amsterdam concerts can be found at the cafes in the Jordaan, which hosts live music and several street concerts throughout the day.

Hints and Tips

The best tip for surviving Queen’s Day is to pace yourself – it can be tempting to spend all night sampling every kind of Dutch beer going, but you’ll want to save some energy for the day parties and free outdoor concerts. Remember to book your accomodation well in advance as rooms and beds fill up quickly, as expats and fun-loving travelers worldwide made their way to the city. Finally, save sightseeing for a few days after the parties, as most tourist attractions will be closed on the big day, and getting around the city is difficult, with streets and canals clogged up with revelers. There’s still things to do in Amsterdam after the festivities, so why not combine this unique party with a traditional sightseeing tour?

The rest of Holland…

Amsterdam isn’t the only city that hosts Queen’s Day parties. Utrecht’s celebrations would rival Amsterdam’s for rowdiness, with plenty of parties at the Utrecht hostels and free markets the next day, orange-colored street performers, market vendors selling orange food and drinks and a Dutch version of ‘Pop Idol’! Stay in Rotterdam hostels for slightly more low-key celebrations, with plenty of parades and street trading. Visit hostels in Den Haag for wild parties at night, and a children’s market and several funfairs in The Hague the next day.

Bedding down…

Even if you plan on staying out all night, you’ll need somewhere to recover, and luckily there are plenty of Amsterdam hostels in the city center. These aren’t just places to crash after the festivities – choose a hostel in Amsterdam and check if they will be hosting free parties or put on special events, so you can celebrate the Queen’s birthday on a budget!

Images from Flickr by Simon (Digital Heman), Mike Opperman and Chris Buckridge

LS- Got any tips for celebrating Queen’s Day in Holland? Let us know!