If you aren’t Dutch, but frequently visit the country for festivals and somehow never heard of ‘Koningsdag’, keep reading for a surprise. This day can be a pleasure for foreigners too, due to many reasons.
In short, Koningsdag is a Dutch national holiday that’s celebrated all up and down the country on April 27th each year. Basically, it’s a national excuse for a massive party and thankfully b2s have got you covered. Since 2014 they’ve organised Supersized Kingsday Festival to celebrate Koningsdag, and with nine stages you’re sure to find something you like.
Friendly and very welcoming
I’m a big fan of Supersized Kingsday, but whilst attending it became very apparent that it’s truly a festival for the Dutch. People from the UK were few and far between, and it was difficult to find anyone from a country that was different to the Netherlands or the UK. However, one thing that makes the festival so special is how welcoming everyone is. It is by far the friendliest event out there, barring the Decibel campsite at 3am on a Sunday morning maybe…
So now you know what the festival is about and why it’s organised every year. With my experience of the festival I’ve listed a couple of reasons why you, a foreigner, should already get planning for Kingsday 2020.
Orange all over the place
Do you wish you had an occasion to wear that orange ensemble bought in last year’s sales? Kingsday is your solution, the Dutch national color is orange so the festival is swimming with orange outfits.
Smaller version of the biggest festivals
Do you ever go to Defqon.1 or Decibel Outdoor and are overwhelmed by the masses? Supersized Kingsday is a smaller-scale version of these big events bringing in 40.000 people a year. Perfect for those who want that big festival vibe without that big festival masses.
Great location
Supersized Kingsday is in the best city of the Netherlands. No really, it’s in Best, which is a small village twenty minutes away from Eindhoven Airport, so this is somewhere definitely not difficult to get to.
Dutch stages and great atmosphere
Last year, one of the stages was made to mimic cheese and the other areas were also made into typical Dutch things. The festival doesn’t take itself too seriously and still stays true to the reason for the party, creating a great atmosphere.
Early start of the festival season
It’s in April, so if you’re itching to start your festival season a little earlier than June, this is the one for you. Despite the odd bit of rain, for being so early in the year Supersized Kingsday is quite lucky with getting good weather.
Good way to make new friends
Supersized Kingsday is one of the friendliest festivals in the Netherlands. When you meet people from here, they want to know why you came here and they’re really interested in your story. It’s also nice when you meet people who are from abroad too, since they’re excited to meet someone in the same boat as them. So it’s a win-win for making new friends.
Thought of everything
This year, they built a bridge to make it easier for people to get from one end of the festival to the other. With the amount of running between stages, this was a very much appreciated addition to the festival grounds. This showed the organization really thought of everything for this edition.
The party doesn’t stop
Unlike other festivals, the party doesn’t stop when the festival is over. Kingsday follows on from Kingsnight and many people continue the party into the early hours of the Sunday. So it’s well worth going over for the whole weekend when you’re attending this national holiday.
Money is no excuse
It is one of the best-value for money line-ups you will find, with regular tickets coming in at 30€ and early birds even cheaper. Because of that, lack of money will not be an excuse for this festival.
Ultimately though, you will not know until you go yourself, but once it’s booked, you’ll be hooked. Start planning you’re visit to the Netherlands and be present next year.
Photo by website b2s
