Celebrating King's Day with Children

King’s Day, Koningsdag in Dutch, is when the Dutch celebrate King Willem Alexander’s birthday. At first glance, it might seem like a party for the adults, but there are also plenty of ways to celebrate with children. Here are some family friendly tips for celebrating King's Day 2019 in Holland.

Go wild with the orange

It isn't most days that the colour orange is so celebrated. So, on King's Day, really let the kids go wild with it. Decorate the house, balcony, and garden with orange flags; pull on some orange clothing (bonus points if it is something funny and silly); and top off the outfit with a crown, orange glasses, or a big orange hat. But the fun doesn't have to stop there. Check out the various King's Day arts and crafts activities that can be found on Pinterest and let your creative juices flow.

Gather up the unwanted toys

King's Day is the only day of the year when street selling without a permit is allowed. That makes for a great opportunity to gather up the unwanted toys, grab a blanket to lay them out on, and find a good selling spot with plenty of foot traffic. Then, all that is left to do is sell, sell, sell. If you have shy or less enthusiastic about the idea kids, turn it into a game (e.g. who can sell the most items) or ensure that any earned money will be put towards something they are really after. 

Rescue some unwanted toys

Flipping the Euro on its head, King's Day is also the perfect day to let the kids get some new toys at a discount. So, grab the bakfiets and head to the nearest street market.

Eat and drink orange

You'll find hundreds of recipes and ideas online that will help you expand the orange theme to your food and drinks. Making it the perfect moment for heading to the kitchen and making everything from orange cupcakes to orange juice with the little ones.

Have a little extra fun

King's Day isn't King's Day without a bit of fun. One way to get some is to visit one of the many fun-fairs that will be open. The Dutch tourism board says, "The best-known funfairs are those at Dam Square in Amsterdam, Grote Markt square in Haarlem, Schiehaven harbour in Rotterdam and around Lange Voorhout in The Hague."