A little background about Queen's Day...
Queen's Day is a national holiday to celebrate the birthday of Queen Beatrix. Although her true birthday is on January 31st, she celebrates April 30th as this was the birthday of her mother, former Queen Juliana. She chose not to change the date as a tribute to her mother. It is also practical as partying outdoors in January on her actual birthday would not be so much fun! On Queen's Day, the Royal family visits one or more cities in the Netherlands. This year they will visit Rhenen and nearby Veenendaal.
Huge celebrations will take place on Monday the 30th of April as the whole country will turn orange with a bit of red, white and blue thrown in for good measure. If you have not yet experienced Queen's Day, you are in for a treat! There will be many markets, fairs, concerts and children's activities to choose from. Make sure to wear your orange (or red, white and blue if you prefer).
If you just cant wait for Queen's Day, you can take part in the famous "KoninginneNach" which organized in The Hague on the eve of Wednesday, April 29th. It is an evening filled with lots of musical performances and only a bike ride away from Wassenaar. There is something going on for the whole family!
For information on the events in Wassenaar and surrounding areas, please see the links below:
Wassenaar:
http://www.wassenaarseoranjevereniging.nl/frontpage/index.htm
http://www.wassenaar.nl/queen_s_day
Den Haag:
http://www.haagsekoninginnedag.nl/contents/nl/d7.html
http://www.kermisdenhaag.nl/
Leiden:
http://www.expatcentreleiden.nl/news/news_item/t/queen_s_day
(I will update this link to a better one with more information if I can find one!)
Amsterdam:
http://www.koninginnedagamsterdam.nl/queensday.html
Enjoy the holiday!!
