Koninginnedag is Queen’s Day in the Netherlands. It’s a national holiday and celebrated towards the end of April. It’s a day of Saamhorigheid or national unity and pride. One this day the people of the Netherlands are proud of being Dutch and are proud of having the Dutch royal family represent them.

The key event is vrijmarkt. Vijimarkt means free market. You can see vendors on the streets selling all sorts of items. Kind of like a flea market or garage sale. The items range from used goods to some really nifty and rare collectibles. Jordaan is a town known for its low prices. Vondelpark has a lot of items for children. Utrecht has a 24 hour market. The great thing about this day is that you don’t need to pay taxes on the goods sold. The money you earn from the sale of goods is all yours.

All over the Netherlands you’ll see people display Oranjegekte or orange craziness. People will wear bright orange clothes, because the Dutch royal family traces its lineage to the House of Orange. Some people go so far as to dye their hair orange and paint their faces orange.

Koninginnenacht is Queen’s Night. This is the day before Koninginnedag or Queen’s Day. Koninginnenacht is the night where the bars are open into the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes you can hear drunk revelers singing at 3 am in the morning. By the morning they’re passed out in the street. Unfortunately the drinks aren’t free, so keep a close eye on the tab!