Trouble on King’s Day in Amsterdam
On the 27th, I travelled to Amsterdam for King's Day. While the daytime celebrations were lively and relaxed, but the night took a sinister turn I didn't expect.
My trip was a last-minute decision. A friend who lives in Amsterdam invited me to stay for the weekend and I was excited to see what the King’s Day was like. Despite a delayed flight (as seems increasingly common these days), I arrived on Friday evening in time for a few beers and a chance to soak up the atmosphere. Bars were buzzing and it felt like everyone was there to have a good time.
When the sun was up, King’s Day was nice. The city was fully pedestrianised, and the streets were packed with people wearing orange. Boats filled the canals as the city turned into one massive street party. It was chaotic but in a warm way.
However, as night fell, the mood shifted. The welcoming and friendly mood started to become more aggressive and that’s when the trouble started.
We had been in the city centre and decided to head to Vondelpark to enjoy the sunset. On the way, we passed through Reguliersdwarsstraat, Amsterdam’s well-known gay district. The street was rammed - it felt more like a nightclub than a street. What should’ve been a fun detour became stressful. People were packed shoulder-to-shoulder, and even moving was a struggle. The party was too seriously for me and the crowd’s mood felt tense. Seeming like an inevitability I got split up from my friends.
The city had taken on a different atmosphere - one I hadn’t expected. Large groups of lads were urinating in the street and throwing empty beer bottles into the air without caring where they landed. A few people tried to speak to me in Dutch, when I responded in English, they shouted aggressively back.
While walking back to a bar where I was trying to reconnect with my friends, an empty whine bottle whistled past my face. I had to stop in my tracks. I turned to look behind me and a group of guys stared back at me, blank-faced. It was intense and unsettling.
Eventually, I found my friends and I decided to call it a night. What had been a great day ended on a sour note. That being said, I knew other friends in Amsterdam who had completely different time - maybe I was just unlucky.
Would I recommend King’s Day?
Yes - but with a few caveats. Make the most out the daytime festivities and try to have a solid plan for the evening (try and book somewhere). Alternatively, consider celebrating in another Dutch city where the atmosphere might be just as good, but less chaotic.