Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte congratulates the king on his 57th birthday.
With the celebration of King's Day 2024 on Saturday, April 27, the Netherlands is eagerly looking forward to the festivities that will take place in Emmen this year. King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and other members of the Royal Family will spend their annual holiday there, where the theme of the King's Day concert will be 'voices from borderless Emmen'. This concert, with contributions from the Calefax reed quintet and harpist Remy van Kesteren, will be broadcast on the same evening on NPO.
The festivities start early in the morning and include an extensive route that takes the royal family through both the old and new parts of Emmen. The route starts at the Noorderplein, continues to the Market Square, and past historical places such as the Rensenpark and the Grote Kerk, ultimately ending at the Raadhuisplein and the Atlas theater.
The event traditionally attracts many spectators, both along the route and via television, with NOS providing a live broadcast. Commentators such as Saïda Maggé, Malou Petter and Martijn Bink will guide the audience through the day, and special programs are planned in the early evening looking back on the highlights of the royal visit.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are in Emmen today, together with the rest of the royal family.
Prior to King's Day, there is also a special music broadcast, 'De Koninklijke 500', which celebrates the best Dutch music and is broadcast on NPO Radio 2. The choice of Emmen as the host city for King's Day emphasizes the involvement of the royal family in celebrating the King's Day. cultural and social contributions from various regions in the Netherlands. Every year they choose a city that fulfills a central function in the region to celebrate the national festival. This offers the city the opportunity to present itself to the country in a festive manner.
King's Night
Despite the cold and rainy weather conditions, which are more characteristic of an autumn evening than of spring, King's Night 2024 was well attended in several major cities. In Utrecht, for example, the evening started with the traditional Vrijmarkt, a highlight that attracts a large crowd every year. However, due to the bad weather and the large turnout, the municipality of Utrecht called for people to stop coming to the city center around 23.00 p.m., given the large crowds that had already arisen, especially around the Neude.
The evening was full of activities that continued until 01.00 a.m., including various performances and events throughout the city. While crowds subsided in some areas around 23.30:XNUMX p.m., the municipality encouraged partygoers to continue their evening in less busy areas such as Vredenburg, and shared a map of alternative party locations via social media platform X.
The changeable weather forecasts for King's Day itself indicate possible similar conditions, with periods of rain and cool temperatures. These predictions keep organizers and participants on their toes and may require additional measures to ensure the comfort and safety of all attendees.
