Koningsdag

Koningsdag turns the Netherlands orange with street markets, music, boats, and a nationwide birthday party for the king.

King’s Day, a national orange-clad celebration with nationwide vrijmarkt flea markets, street festivals and canal boat parades.

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Opens Apr 27, closes Apr 28 · 48 hours

what Koningsdag is

Koningsdag is the Dutch national birthday celebration for King Willem-Alexander, held on 27 April. If 27 April falls on a Sunday, the holiday is moved to Saturday 26 April. The modern name dates from 2014, when Willem-Alexander became king; before that, the Netherlands marked Queens' Day. Across the country, people dress in bright orange—the color linked to the royal House of Orange-Nassau—and many add orange wigs, face paint, sunglasses, or inflatable crowns. Town centers fill with stages, beer stands, fairground rides, and street games, while the king and royal family make a televised visit to one Dutch town or city, taking part in local performances and competitions.

Many Koningsdag routines start early. On the vrijmarkt, a nationwide permit-free flea market, residents spread blankets on pavements, canalsides, and squares to sell old books, toys, clothes, records, and homemade cakes; children often perform songs or games for coins. In Amsterdam, the canals and streets become especially crowded, with boat parties on the Prinsengracht and Amstel and music in neighborhoods such as the Jordaan. A typical treat is the tompouce, often made with orange icing for the day, and bars may serve oranjebitter. People greet each other with 'Fijne Koningsdag!' and spend the afternoon moving between markets, concerts, and terraces.

what you'll learn5 domains

The pack has 36 words spread across these domains.

Holiday greetingsWords for saying things like 'Fijne Koningsdag' and reacting to the festive atmosphere.

Day timelineVocabulary for what happens from the early vrijmarkt to afternoon concerts, terraces, and crowded canals.

Koningsdag customsLanguage for the vrijmarkt, the royal visit, children's street acts, and other rituals specific to the day.

Orange outfitsWords for the orange clothes, wigs, face paint, crowns, and accessories people wear on Koningsdag.

Street treatsUseful terms for typical Koningsdag food and drink, especially tompouce and oranjebitter.

the run — three rounds, about three minutes, unlimited practice

Round 1 · MatchPair the word with its meaning. Six pairs, one attempt each.

Round 2 · SpellType the word you hear, accents and all. Beginners see the meaning and complete the word instead.

Round 3 · MeaningSix questions on what happens at Koningsdag and what it is called.

how scoring works

How you are ranked

1AccuracyEvery correct answer counts the same. Anything you leave unanswered counts as wrong.

2Time, only to break tiesTime is read only when two people have the same accuracy. It never beats a better score.

For example

1100%3:41Marta

2100%4:02Joan — same score, slower

397%2:10Núria — fastest, still third

Two separate boards

BeginnerAdvanced

Same words in both. Beginner gets more help: matching and completing. Advanced listens and spells it out unaided. Pick it in practice; it locks when you take the scored run.

One scored run

Practise as often as you like, all year. The scored run happens once, while the competition is open, and cannot be retaken.