Queen's Day 2007

Queen's Day 2007
Thousands of visitors flock to Amsterdam every year in honour of the previous queen’s birthday on 30 April. In what can be considered Amsterdam’s equivalent to carnival, Queen’s Day is celebrated so lavishly - never in your life will you see more orange! Highlights include a plethora of street markets, open air concerts, food stalls and an incredible atmosphere.

Queen’s Night
On the eve of Queen's Day, Queen's Night, thousands of people pour out onto the streets and into the clubs to get a head start on the celebrations. Just as on the following day, Queen’s Day, the city is struck with orange fever – orange banners and flags, orange coloured food and drinks and many people dressed and painted in the vibrant colour that honours the ‘House of Orange’ dynasty. Even the water in some fountains is dyed orange.

Live music is played on outside stages set up all over the city from 19:00 to 01:00. Stage areas include the Nieuwmarkt, Leidseplein, Reguliersdwarsstraat, Westermarkt, Westerstraat, Rembrandtplein and Amstelveld. Just about every bar and club in Amsterdam including the Melkweg, Club Rain, the Sugar Factory and Club 11put on a special Queen's Night party.

Street Markets (‘Vrijmarkt’)
Starting at 6 am, and closely following the festivities of the previous night, the street markets open. Spread over almost all districts in the city, the street markets offer excellent bargains on second-hand clothes, furniture and any trinket or treasurable trash you can imagine. The combination of street markets and stalls, live musicians and performers and the aroma of roasted satés and Vietnamese spring rolls create an extraordinary atmosphere.

Getting There
Last year, 400,000 visitors descended upon Amsterdam for Queen’s Day. Since the same amount of visitors is expected this year, it is advised to travel to Amsterdam by public transport.

Enjoy Queen's Day like a true Amsterdammer - wear orange!