Although festivities are held all over the country, Amsterdam is a popular hotspot for the celebrations, especially with the orange-clad partyers filling boats to the brim on the popular canals.

While not an international herself, Dutch Law student Bo Goedhart (21), also plans to spend her holiday in this popular city. “I am going to a festival in Amsterdam called ‘Oranjebloesem’ which is a day-long festival for over eighteens. I’m looking forward to the techno festival and experiencing it with friends.” Also going to Amsterdam is Liwia Mackow (22) from Poland, a bachelor’s student at the European Law School (ELS). She has never been to King’s Day in Amsterdam and has only experienced it in Maastricht. “I am very keen to see what a proper King’s Day celebration is like. I am going to dress in orange and go for some drinks with friends, and I hope there will be a parade.”

Machow’s friend who studies with her, Ailene Guney (20), from France is not so keen on the celebrations, however. She is going back home for King’s Day and is going to treat the holiday as a long weekend. “I don’t do well in crowded environments and there is free food at home, so I am looking forward to it”, she says. Guney goes home about twice a month, and enjoys spending time with her family.

Bohgan Ravchuk (19) studies Economics and has never heard of the holiday because this is his first year in the Netherlands. Coming from the Ukraine, this student says that “I had to Google King’s Day to find out what it is about.” He moved to the Netherlands from the Ukraine last year because of the war in his country and the better opportunities in Western Europe. “Even though it is expensive to study here, I view it as an investment in my future.”