Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan has appealed to local councils all over the country to make sure Queen’s Day celebrations continue as usual on April 30 despite the investiture of king Willem-Alexander.

A number of local Queen’s Day clubs were planning to switch their festivities to April 27, to allow people to watch Beatrix’ abdication and the inauguration of the new king on April 30.

But Van der Laan is worried too many people may then head for Amsterdam, making the city dangerously full. Hundreds of thousands of partygoers flock to the capital for the Queen’s Day celebrations every year.

At a meeting of local organising committees late on Monday, most said local festivities would go ahead as usual on Tuesday April 30. But provision would also be made for people who want to watch the inauguration ceremony on big screens.