Which Dutch city will be hosting the royals on King's Day 2020?
By William Nehra
As we all know, King’s Day is celebrated on King Willem-Alexander’s birthday, April 27th. Is it too early for us to get excited? Probably. Last year, the royals visited Amersfoort. On Monday, the Dutch government information service announced that this year, the Royal Family will be spending King’s Day in Maastricht, sending a wave of excitement through the city.
King's Day 2020
The Netherlands Government Information Service, Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (RVD) announced on Monday that the Royal Family will be spending Koningsdag (King’s Day in Dutch) 2020 in the city of Maastricht. This is the first time that King Willem-Alexander will be celebrating his birthday in Limburg; the southernmost province in the Netherlands. It will also be the first time that Maastricht will host the Royal Family on King's Day.
Limburg did, of course, host the Royal Family for Queen's Day, the last time being in 2011. Former Queen Beatrix celebrated her birthday in Weert and Thorn back then. The last ever Queen's Day was celebrated in 2013, since then it's the King's birthday we celebrate.
“An absolute honour”
Speaking after the announcement, the mayor of Maastricht, Annemarie Penn-te Strake stated that “together with all of the people of Maastricht, we will make it a festive King's Day.”
Penn-te Strake assured the city will work hard on a remarkable programme for the day and is keen to really show off the “real” Maastricht. Maastricht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands but with one of the youngest and most international populations. Penn-te Strake wants to harness this dichotomy to tell “a story of innovation and tradition, told by all the residents of Maastricht, across all layers of the population.”
Recognition at last
The announcement will no doubt bring some satisfaction to the residents of Maastricht and some deserved recognition to the city. Last year, Maastricht lost out on being named a European Capital of Culture and this year failed in their bid to host the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest.
Will you be celebrating like a Dutchie this coming King's Day?
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William studied a masters in Classics at the University of Amsterdam. He is a big fan of Ancient History and football, particularly his beloved Watford FC. Read more