Country gears up for Queen's Day parties

Tuesday 29 April 2008

The traditional Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) festivities kick off in Amsterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven and Arnhem on Tuesday night with live music at a number of outdoor venues.

Some 200,000 people are expected to gather in the centre of The Hague for the 19th Koninginnenacht concerts.

In Utrecht, the traditional street market also opens this evening and will continue for 24 hours. The organisers expect it will attract 300,000 people.

According to Dutch Rail, Tuesday night will be the busiest of the year with extra trains running between the big cities.

In most of provinces (except parts of Brabant) regional bus drivers will not check tickets as part of their campaign for higher pay.

The traditional flea market rolls out in most places on Wednesday morning.
According to a poll by ING bank, one in five people plan to sell their old clothes and knicknacks and expect to earn an average of nearly €92 each.

People who plan to buy items on the market say they will spend an average of €23. In total, the market is expected to generate a turnover of nearly €240m.

This year queen Beatrix and other members of the royal family are visiting the Friesian towns of Makkum and Franeker.

© DutchNews.nl

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