Skip to content

His Royal Highness Willem Alexander King of the Netherlands is 50! and we are all celebrating him

Citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands*, vassals of the King Willem Alexander “the first”, let your hair down, dress up in orange from top to toe and celebrate that His Royal Highness is hitting 50 tomorrow Thursday the 27th of April.
If you arrived in the Netherlands after that date of April 2016, you should know that on Koningsdag nothing is bizarre.

(*that includes Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten)

The celebrations have started this evening, the 26th. Large crowds are perking themselves remembering that Princess Beatrix was about to rush to the hospital 50 years ago, to deliver her first child and heir apparent. 123 years after, a boy, at last!

On the day itself, the largest flea market of the year will take place, along with live music and food stalls everywhere, selling next to liters and liters of beer, a kings day special: the tompouce covered with orange glazing for the occasion.
Those who do not have a sweet tooth, can opt to chew on a carrot, as long as it’s the orange type, natuurlijk. 

So, under the consent of the King, empty your sheds, fill up the streets and, despite the rain, make as much tax-free money as you possibly can.

IMG_20150427_151456

Flea market by Tarja Van Veldhoven

With all the fuss, you may wonder how is the King celebrating his own anniversary. Will he too be dressed in orange from top to toe? Will he wear a wig and oversized glasses? How about his wife and their three daughters?
Well… chances are that no one from the Orange house will be wearing a nationalistic costume, but they will surely mix in with the crowd. They will be seen in the flea markets of one designated city around the Netherlands.
Will Delft be the city of their choice? Not in 2017 as they are set to visit Tilburg. 

The King’s jubilee will continue on the 28th of April, when 150 citizens, born on the same day as the monarch, will share dinning table with the King and the Queen at their palace in Amsterdam. Are you one of the guests? Let Delft MaMa know!
If you are not, but want to have further insight on the celebration, check out the Diner met the koning page.

Royal fans who will not be in Tilburg nor have been invited over to the Palace, have the chance to personally congratulate Willem Alexander by sending him a message. Want to do so? Don’t be shy! Although the website is in Dutch, His Royal Highness has reportedly good command of German (in fact, he is German from his father side), English and Spanish (his daughters are Argentinian from their mother side)

Are you a newbie at the flea market? Read on!

  • Check out the King’s day flea market map on the Delft Gemeente’s Website (click on plattegrond rommelmarket Dutch) of Delft to find your way around.
  • Set the alarm clock for 6.30am, 7am the latest, hit the road no later than 7.30am.
  • Go to town by bike or walking and be prepared to parking your bike far out.
  • Have large amounts of small change.
  • Put on comfortable walking shoes.
  • Fill up your patience tank to the top and if needed, find yourself a “recharge” spot.
  • Brush up your bargaining skills, you need them at their finest.
  • Bring bags with you or a suitcase even, if you are planning on going wild.
  • Planning on buying four seasons outfits for the entire family? Consider hitting town by yourself and reunite with your significant other and offspring afterwards.
  • Given the large amounts of people that will concentrate narrow streets, it is sensitive to bring small children on carriers. If it’s an option for you, leave the pram at home.
  • Security matters. Write your cell phone number on the arm of your kid so if, by any chance (God forbid), you would lose sight of him/her, the person helping to reunite you will have an easier job.
  • If you dislike packed places the flea market my not be your thing… But, if you consider to set your phobia aside for the cause, make it back home before the big crowd is out, say around 10 am. 
  • Go ‘meet and greet’ a few of our Delft MaMas at the stands in Nieuwe Langendijk 82 and Doelenstraat 36. They will be selling goods for all in mint condition and at king’s day rate.
    This is a fundraising sell. All the money will be invested on DelftMaMa activities, amongst which, the mosaic project.

Early birds will have the benefit of being the first at choosing.

Late comers, those who arrive at the party when it’s almost over, might benefit from free leftovers. Sellers want to go home empty handed.

So with no further due…

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *