GUIDE FOR WHEN YOU DON'T CELEBRATE KING'S DAY
In the past, when I still lived on an island and had a crush on boys with scooters, I was the queen of Queen's Day. The day and the night before had to be maximally utilized, including red-white-blue flags on my cheek. A tradition that remained, as I danced over the free market of Utrecht straight into the boat and onto the Amsterdam canals (flag-free, no worries). King's Day, formerly known as Queen's Day, was mine.
But that King's Day FOMO is completely missing these days. If you had told me this ten years ago, I would have made you stand in the corner the entire Queen's Day without an alcoholic treat as punishment, but it is what it is. Oh, I really don't mind sipping a frivolous drink accompanied by a bitterball with King's Night, but it's no longer a must. Do you recognize this? Then I have some particularly entertaining alternative activities (to keep it somewhat in the Orange Association spirit) for your agenda that day.
Hop hop, to the shop
So you think all the shops are closed when Wim-Lex has his birthday? That's right, but the doors in Antwerp are wide open for you. It's really not that you'll meet anyone in orange there unless it's for fashion's sake. Oh, and that prima donna Italian and that terrace in the sun are free from plastic beer glasses. You can just settle down with a nice glass of white.
Wine is nice
And now that we're talking about that filled glass of the finest white, it can also just be without an orange party nose in the Netherlands. Find a marina with an excellent restaurant and a similar view outside the built-up area (the latter is required on King's Days) and act very hard as if today is just not happening. This ambiance is perfect for that. Is your database of marinas not that extensive? That trendy beach tent is also open, you can immediately plow that sandbox.
“Without an orange party nose on the wine”
Ship ahoy!
Let me also point you to sailing. No, not in Amsterdam, but on a lovely pond where you can stay ten kilometers away from the overcrowded orange shore. You might occasionally see a stray Dutch flag, but only on the back of a fellow water sports enthusiast's boat. Picnic basket on board and sail that sea.
On the screen
But if you just want to do absolutely nothing, then I have a solution for that too. Close windows and doors, turn on the television, and binge-watch a series. If you live by the Amsterdam canal (you lucky you), give the volume knob a good twist so that you drown out all that noise. Do put the group chat on silent, because you don't want all that orange timeline pollution.
Cash register and ka-ching
You could see King's Day as an extra day off, because theoretically, that's what it is. But you can also dust off that entrepreneurial brain and make sure you rake in some cash. Crawl behind a bar for double the budget, sell your household items at a free market, or open your toilet for an outrageous fee. The rest of the country is spending, you’re raking it in. You get that hangover-free Friday as a tip.
