Tuesday, April 27 is Koningsdag, and for the second year in a row, the King’s Day celebrations will be muted, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, early risers will get clear views of the supermoon, or Pink Moon, which will be at its best at around 5.30am. The phenomena is know as a supermoon because the full moon occurs when it is near its closest point to the Earth in its orbit, making it appear larger than normal.

Despite its name, however, the moon is unlikely to appear pink, let alone orange on Tuesday… it actually takes is name from pink spring flowers.

With mass gatherings banned, and pavement cafes closed until Wednesday, officials are warning that police and council wardens will be monitoring compliance with the coronavirus regulations, although no extra measures are in place.

‘It will undoubtedly be busy,’ Hubert Bruls, chairman of the regional public safety councils told the NRC. ‘It is a day off, we are emerging from a long winter and the rules are being relaxed the next day.’

However, Bruls, says he is not too worried about things getting out of hand. ‘There are still no events, so what can you actually do?,’ he said. 

Precautions

Some councils are, however, taking precautions early. Rotterdam, for example, is closing the Kralingse Bos park to stop crowds gathering.

In Amsterdam, where in a normal year 300,000 visitors flock to the street market and live shows, ‘events and neighbourhood parties are not permitted’. And, the city council warns, if the parks become too busy, they too will be closed to the public.

Children

The city has, however, organised a special event – Vondelpark.live – in which children from all over the city can perform for an online public and, hopefully, earn money to realise a wish.

Mala, 12, for example, will perform a skateboarding act and is hoping to save up enough to buy skateboarding gear. Lina, 8, will play violin in support of her quest to buy a crate for her bike and Indigo, 10, will do origami on camera to raise money to buy books.

Rather than the traditional walkabout, King Willem-Alexander, queen Máxima and their three daughters will be at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven to take part in an online programme focusing on science and innovation – including a hovercraft race.

Bell ringing

The Dutch monarchists’ association KBOV, whose local branches normally organise events in towns and villages nationwide, has a listing of online events and ideas to celebrate the king’s birthday.

In particular the KBOV is hoping that church bells all over the country will play the national anthem at 10am, and that everyone will sing along from balcony or doorstep.

Sports clubs too are being allowed to organise small-scale events for the under-18s, although adult supporters are banned.

The weather forecast for Tuesday is for a sunny day, with temperatures ranging from 11 Celsius in the north, to 17 Celsius in the far south.