Get your carrots out in Amsterdam
Posted Thursday, April 26, 2007, 10:31 PM by Lonely Planet
If you're heading to Amsterdam for the Queen's birthday (30th April) and you haven't already booked a place to stay, you'd better hurry. Somewhere between 500,000 and 2 million visitors are expected to descend on the city and online booking agencies show a dearth of available beds. In stark contrast to the stoic English who go to work on their Queen's birthday the Dutch celebrate with their Queen and the day has become one big party in orange. All of Amsterdam takes to the streets and it seems to be law that if you own a boat you must fill it with as many people as possible and cruise the waterways. The wearing of orange is encouraged and a significant amount of people get about wearing decorative carrots. Originally when carrots came to Europe they were red and yellow. However those colours disappeared as the Dutch cultivated only the orange carrot which came to symbolise the House of Orange and the struggle for Dutch independence. Happy Birthday Queen Beatrix.
Labels: Europe
Join the Discussion:
11 Comments:
I celebrated queensday for 15 years in Amsterdam now, I have never seen anyone with a carrot. But please do wear orange!
it's complete madness! so much fun
Coming to Amsterdam on Queensday is definitely a good idea, the party is great. BUT, I wouldn't carry any carrots... Being from the Netherlands I have never seen anyone with carrots, nor do I know about this story... Simply wear an orange t-shirt and you should be fine! (and if you're not wearing anything orange, you'll be wearing it at the and of the day ;) )
Queen's day is not actually Beatrix's birthday, but the previous queen, Julianna's. Beatrix's birthday is in january, but when she ascended the throne they kept queen's day in april, as no one wanted a day off in winter...
It's not Beatrix's birthday, but we have to thank our lovely Queen Juliana who gave all her love to make this day the greatest feast in Holland.
For the record...
Aloha
It s the best party of the year !! Especially when the weather is like this... "unfortunately" this Dutchy is in Siem Reap.
just back from Amsterdam, complete madness and had the best weekend ever. Didn't see any trouble which you would see in the UK if they had a day like this. There is a lot to be said about the laid back Dutch attitude.
Interesting article!
Completely agree. Book your stay early as the city that only has 1 million residents, gets another 1 million vsitors for the Queen's Birthday! We actually got stuck last year, as all possible hotels were sold out. We decided to rent an apartment with a bunch of friends through www.apartmenst-for-rent.com/amsterdam Good deal as it offered canal view! Also agree on the fact that you need to spend Queen's Day on a boat cruising through the canals of Amsterdam. It is a bit expensive , but super fun! The best rental agency we could find is www.rentaboatamsterdam.com
Last but not least, bring your orange t-shirt, trousers, socks, shoes, scarf, hat, etc. If you do not own any orange clothing, you can buy a lot of orange clothing from street vendors.
Queensday is always fun!
Queensday is THE number one party in Holland. Everybody comes to Amsterdam if they can. Try to get on a boat the canals, as that´s an experience you will never forget. The Vondelpark and Amstelpark (@Queensnight, the night before Queensday) and the Museumplein are the best places to go. Advice for next year: book a hotel room on time, maybe even half a year in advance (check for instance this hotel comparison website), because Amsterdam will be very, VERY crowded with happy partying people!
Post a Comment
« Read more on the blog homepage