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Published: April 30th 2007
Queensday Crowds
A street we had to walk through I think the pictures will show you all just how amazing Queens Day is in Amsterdam. But for a bit of a run down, here is the description of what we saw.
We started the day getting a feel for what Queens Day is traditionally about - The Queen of Holland and her extensive Royal family go to two different small towns within Holland on this day each year, and join in local festivities. Watching this live broadcast on their TV as fascintating as due to being Australian, we didnt even know who they were, and yet they are massive celebraties in Europe. Sylvia gave us a bit of a run down on who all the family members were.
Then, we got down to business - seeing Amsterdam in all her glory in the Celebrations of Queens Day (not as much about the Queen, but very much about celebrating Amsterdam). What was surprising, is that unlike festivals in Brisbane where crowds and events are localised to one or two areas of the city (and Brisbane is not as big a city) - but for Queens Day, Every street, and every street corner, and every bridge, and every canal
Queensday Crowds
Even the canals were party venues of the entire city centre was packed to the brim with partying locals and visitors alike.
For those that don't know, Orange is the colour of the Dutch Royals. So hence why the entire city dresses and decorates in Orange on this day. I thought we might see a few orange hats and a few balloons, but over here they are not shy to get into the fun and theme of the day as you can see in the images.
The day is like a massive garage sale or flea market where anyone and everyone can sell their old toys or books etc. Many used the spaces out the front of their apartment blocks. Others booked sites around the city centre to sell. There is a large park in the city where only CHILDREN are allowed to sell their wares, and this was a really sweet site. Many children (as you will see in one of the photos) performed songs or danced for pocket money. Others sold their old toys, or baked goods they made, or even juiced oranges for you.
We then headed to the city streets where on just about every block there was a
Party Boats
A few party boats music stage with live performers or DJs, many pubs also hired their own Djs for out the front to draw crowds. And where there was no live music, there was very loud stereo music coming from pubs, stores, peoples homes, and even the CANAL BOATS. The canal boats were a real treat. The canals were conjested with them and there were many near misses with the somewhat jovial drinking drivers not paying attention. Loud stereos blasted music from the boats. Everyone was friendly and it seemed like everyone knew eachother. It was a fantastic site to see.
We walked for 6 hours straight pushing and pulling amongst the masses of crowds before finally finding a tram on the outskirts of the town to take us home. Our feet were blistered and sore but what an amazing day.
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Leah
non-member comment
Love the look of Amsterdam
Hi guys, Amsterdam looks fantastic, I am so glad that we have added it to our trip in September although I think it will be quite different in that season. We are looking forward to seeing you. What time do you arrive at the International Airport on Sunday? See you soon, Love Leah and Elliot