A Dictionary of Dutchness

Koninginnedag

April 30 is Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day) and was the birthday of Queen Beatrix’s mother, Juliana. When Beatrix succeeded her mother in 1980, she decided to keep the celebrations on the same day, which is a public holiday. She also scrapped the formal file-past at Soestdijk palace and introduced ‘meet and greet’ visits instead. Traditionally, citizens do not need a permit to sell goods on the street on Queen’s Day which is why the streets turn into a giant flea market. The traditionally happy popular celebration ended in tragedy in 2009 when seven people were killed when a car mowed into a crowd watching the royal parade in Apeldoorn.