In the last couple of years not all tourists had caught on to the fact that the Dutch national holiday had moved from April 30 to April 27. This was apparent from the various orange-clad foreigners observed trying to find where the party was in Amsterdam- three days after King’s Day.
Queen’s Day was a well-known celebration even far outside of the Netherlands, and everyone regardless of nationality has always been welcome to join in the orange revelry.
Not everybody pays attention to the Dutch monarchy, however, and that Queen Beatrix had since been replaced by King Willem Alexander had escaped the attention of some, not to mention the fact that April 30 no longer is a Dutch holiday.
Due to the timing of the royal abdication, many tourist guides in 2015 still mentioned Queen’s Day on April 30.
While the tourist information in various international publications likely has been updated by now to mention King’s Day on April 27, there is evidence that there will be a number of tourists walking around in their best orange outfits on April 30 this year as well.
Travel agency Expedia told the NL Times that they’ve seen a 44 percent increase this year in the number of hotel bookings to the Netherlands for April 29 and 30, compared to the same time in 2015.
NL Times reports that the outdated travel guides appear to be most common in the United Kingdom, with a 120 percent increase in bookings for what used to be Queen’s Day. Japan is in second place with a 49 percent increase compared to 2015, and the United States is in third place with a 32 percent rise, according to Expedia.
If you’re still not sure what to do on King’s Day, check out our guide to activities in various Dutch cities!