Every year on the 27th of April, orange-clad citizens of Amsterdam gather to celebrate King’s Day (Koningsday in Dutch). Kingsday in Amsterdam is a day of festivities and outdoor fun with activities for the whole family to get involved in. During this event, there’s no public transport, nor taxis in the city centre as the streets are filled with crowds of people, food stands, flea markets, musical festivities. The canals are turned into a floating crowd of drinking and partying people. On the outskirts of the centre, and in the parks there’s room for kids to learn trading or show their musical skills on the flea markets.The event has gone through a few different incarnations over the years, depending on the current makeup of the Dutch Royal family. When it was first celebrated in 1885, was initially observed on 31 August 1885 as Prinsessedag or Princess’s Day, the fifth birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, heir to the Dutch throne. On her accession in November 1890 the holiday acquired the name Koninginnedag, first celebrated on 31 August 1891. In September 1948, Wilhelmina’s daughter Juliana ascended the Dutch throne and the holiday was moved to Queen Juliana’s birthday, 30 April. It has since become a tradition to celebrate the holiday was celebrated on this date from 1949.“Koningsdag” came into being after Queen Beatrix abdicated the throne in favour of her eldest son, Willem-Alexander. It will be the first time the holiday will be observed in honour of a king. It is a national holiday that is always filled with a lot of fun and colour. Please note that activities can differ by region. A lot of nightclubs and restaurants organise activities with a certain amount of tickets up for sale. The fun thing about King’s Day is that the partying starts on the eve of the national holiday, which is called “Koningsavond” or in English, “Kingsnight”. Friends gather to drink and enjoy each other’s company and pubs all over Amsterdam and other parts of the Netherlands are filled with people drinking and cheering to the King’s health.