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The Best Parties and Events on King’s Night and King’s Day in Amsterdam

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The Best Parties and Events on King’s Night and King’s Day in Amsterdam

Just like New Year starts with a grand celebration on New Year’s Eve, King’s Day party is on from King’s Night the day before, on 26 April. With more than 1 million visitors coming for the best festivals, parties and events of the year on King’s Day, Amsterdam turns into a huge citywide extravaganza. Will you have enough energy to party till Kings day itself and embrace all the festivities and parties on 27 April too? It doesn’t matter what music you like, as there is something on for all the tastes! Let’s choose the most exciting events worth attending during the orange madness!

Kingsday Partyboat

King’s Night (Koningsnacht)

Dubstep Party 50 HURTZ

One of the hippest and coziest live music venues in Amsterdam, The Melkweg is hosting 50 HURTZ again with great headliners of bass and dubstep.Pogman (UK), Enigma Dubz (UK), Squnto (US), Ghosh (UK), Shiverz (UK) and Karimooo are only some of the famous names in the lineup. Have an epic celebration and become a part of this mayhem! Tickets pre-sale: €16, at the door: €20.

Hippie Night at the Promised Land

Dress up like a hippie and dive into the 60’s atmosphere with the right decoration and music at Recycle Lounge Gallery Club (RLGC44).  The line up fits the theme with such artists as Cid Inc. (SWE), Dennis Price, Andre Zeldenrust (NL) and more. Normal tickets:€20, at the door: €25.

London’s FunkinEven and Electronic Music by Tom Trago

These two names come together for King’s Night at a new club in Amsterdam called De School. Located in what used to be the school’s bike shed, this venue hosts open ended nights, which means they will remain open as long as you will be dancing! So join the creative crowd at one of the most innovative spots of the city.  Tickets: €15.

Hot Dancehall and Reggae of Jamrock

A legendary club of Amsterdam Paradiso presents a night of unstoppable dancing to dancehall and reggae tunes. Live music combined with DJs in this extra big special edition for Koningsnacht. Tickets: from €15 to €22.50.

Brighter Days with House Music

Surround yourself with nice music by a famous Chicago house music producer Mike Dunn, who professionally combines the right vocal samples, percussion and smooth pads. All that takes place at Canvas located on the 7th floor and featuring a stunning view. Tickets pre-sale: €12, at the door: €15.

Kingsday Partyboat

King’s Day (Koningsdag)

The only parties that can beat the festive vibe of King’s Night  are the ones that take place the next day on King’s Day. The special events range from huge ticketed festivals to small cafes stages in all the neighborhood of Amsterdam.

Techno Craziness of VOLTT

The huge King’s Day celebration at the industrial NDSM-werf with lots of techno and breathtaking line up. If you like the music of Dekmantel Soundsystem, Bart Skils, Cinnaman, San Proper ,Kid Sublime or Nuno Dos Santos, then you cannot miss this event, as all of them will be there. Early bird tickets: €12.50, regular: €17.50

Dance Music at Kingsland Festival

One of the biggest events in Amsterdam of April 27, Kingsland Festival features four indoor and outdoor stages at RAI. All of them will be full of people, as this year headliners include Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Don Diablo, Axwell & Ingrosso, Martin Garrix, Oliver Heldens, Girls Love DJs and The Flexican. Only late bird tickets are left: €39.50.

100% NL Oranjefeest

Have you ever wondered about how Dutch-language party hits sound like? Come and listen them live at ArenAPark in Amsterdam. All types of music from singer-songwriters to dance music will be there for you, sponsored by local radio station 100% NL. Early bird tickets: €15, normal: €20.

Disco d’Orange

Fans of disco, funk and soul will feel at home at Amsterdam Roest on King’s Day. Lots of live music accompanied by a free-market is guaranteed at this funky location.

Loveland van Oranje

The 20th edition of this hip outdoor party will host such big names as Benny Rodrigues, Secret Cinema, Carlos Valdes, Ici Sans Merci and more. Chill out with the crowd in the green Meerpark and enjoy Loveland’s King’s Day. Only final release tickets are left: €22.50

Kingsday Partyboat

Last but not Least

Of course these are not the only parties and events of King’s Day in Amsterdam, as there will be thousands of them! After all, the main goal is to have a good time and celebrate the birthday of the King, no matter what event you will go for.  It’s important to know though that some of the larger events are sold out fast, so it can be a good idea to get tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. As a matter of fact, some major festivals stop the tickets pre-sale on King’s Night with no tickets available at the door the next day. Either way, don’t get disappointed when events  are sold out as Amsterdam will turn into one massive orange dance floor from dusk till dawn and beyond. Check out the handy map below to see the location of the main happenings of King’s Day 2016 in Amsterdam.

Kingsday Partyboat

map credits to: cartostudio2016

The Best Day in Amsterdam – King’s Day!

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The Best “Orange” Day in Amsterdam – King’s Day!

One of the coolest days of the year is coming to Amsterdam on 27 April, turning the city into a huge street party, causing orange madness and massive celebration. In case you’re still wondering why everybody is wearing orange or why 700 000 visitors come to Amsterdam on that one particular day (that’s almost the entire population of the city!), then it’s about time to learn more about crazy and fun King’s Day.

What is in name?

King’s Day  (Koningsdag in Dutch) is an actual birthday of the current king of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander, which is celebrated by everybody and therefore, turned into a national holiday. Why not throw a whole country party for your birthday? Believe it or not, but King’s Day hasn’t been around for too long. The reason is simple-it was known as Queen’s Days for more than hundred years till 2013, as the Dutch throne belonged to the royal ladies then. The change of the name in 2014 didn’t affect the festive spirit, and the honor of the Dutch Royal Family and grand orange party prevailed.

Kingsday Amsterdam

So why orange?

The whole country turns orange on King’ Day out of patriotic feelings and pride for the Dutch monarch’s family. Orange is a national color of the Netherlands, as the House of Orange-Nassau has been ruling the country. So if you want to fit in, you’d better find an orange outfit or get some of those fun accessories: boa, hat, inflatable crown or fake plastic flowers to put around your neck, but all in orange! The whole city dresses up, including the streets, boats and dogs. Would you dare dressing up like a king? Consider the fact that you might actually see him, as the royal family comes to different cities for King’s Birthday.

Kingsday Amsterdam
Citywide fun (especially canals)

Why do you think there are thousands boats in Amsterdam? To party on them for Koningsdag! Just imagine all of them decorated and full of people, dancing, going crazy and enjoying the floating party! Just join the festive parade or watch it from the side, having a great time with the boat traffic and crowded canals (not too appreciated on any other days of the year).

Kingsday Amsterdam
The large scale celebration is not limited to the water, but to all the streets and corners of Amsterdam! And it’s not only about tons of concerts, festivals, different music and dance events, but about the citywide free market. Anybody can sell anything on the streets (as long as it’s legal of course!), without any taxes, regulations or explanations. As from the 6 am you can find just about any second hand items, home-made yummies, arts & crafts and more, more, more. Amsterdam becomes just one gigantic flea market, where bargaining is the right thing to do and the treasures can be found.

Kingsday Amsterdam

King’s Day is just like a day in paradise for children, as there are so many activities for them too. They try themselves as sellers, set up entertaining games (beware, they’ll charge you a few coins for participation!), get their face-painted and attend some small sports events. Most of the family fun takes place in Vondelpark.

Useful tips

Forget about museums on King’s Day- whole Amsterdam becomes a celebration museum, so embrace it and join the party. And don’t think about relying on public transport either-you will never forget your walk around the city on 27 April. For sure you will want to try some nice food, snacks or treats from street stalls, buy some old toys from kids or getting the best find for a few Euros, so prepare some coins and get cash from the ATM in advance (not a few hours in advance, but a few days-avoid wasting your time on King’s Day). Make sure to eat/drink something orange-it brings good luck and makes joyful memories. While coins are welcome, it’s better to avoid taking valuables with you. Big crowds attract pickpockets everywhere and Amsterdam is no exception. But most of all, have the best day in your life in Amsterdam!
Kingsday Amsterdam
Our next blog post will reveal the secrets of all King’s Day 2016 parties in Amsterdam and special things to do! And don’t forget about King’s Night, which is even more festive and fun!