King’s Day seems to be the biggest celebration of the year in the Netherlands. In fact, Amsterdam receives around 700,000 people every year to join in on the festivities. But there’s a lot more to the national holiday besides Celebrating King Willem-Alexander’s birthday. The anticipation in the air is palpable and understandably so, because King’s Day cannot be missed. Even if you try! Cities transform into streets filled with party-goers, people set up their stalls on the Vrijmarkt, and everyone is orange-clad. The highlight of King’s Day for kids are probably the free markets, where anyone can sell their old belongings – toys, clothes and books. Not to be forgotten are the fun fairs (kermis), which offer fair games, like water canon shooting, rollercoasters, bumper-cars and more. All of this and a sweet treat, that conveniently fits the orange colour seen everywhere else ties into a pretty memorable day for the whole family.

However, there are some aspects of King’s Day, that might make it seem like a holiday, that excludes children. Although it is true and important to remember, that some adults indulge in the festivities, there are child-safe zones in most major cities.

If you happen to find yourself in the Amsterdam area, the NDSM Vrijhaven, Vondelpark and the Bredewegfestival are filled with activities hosted for and by kids. These are considered “safe” for children and comparatively calm areas, with flea markets in the park and music. The municipality of Amsterdam has an official source with live crowd updates, helping navigate the crowds. Click here to see more info for Amsterdam!

Haarlem celebrates King’s Day with kids in mind and the city even created an official programme for kids events, with a convenient map to find what event is most convenient for you and your family. Dress-up, royal carriage rides, bouncy castles and games are all included! Don’t forget to grab a tompouce (or tompoes, depending on your region) as a sweet treat! You can read up on King’s Day in Haarlem for kids here.

The Hague, as the home-city of the royals, naturally boasts a grand celebration. Classics, like boat rides, a plethora of free markets and orange cake are to be found, alongside some unique features, such as the traditional Geranium Market with a diverse array of vivid flowers and the the King’s Fair – which is exactly what is sounds like. A fun fair with games, bumper cars, rides and rollercoasters to entertain you! See more information about children’s events in The Hague here.

A free market for kids and Het Gouden Petje, an event, where children are encouraged to make music are organised in Leiden. Alongside these, there is a fun fair (Kinderkermis) and a puppet show! Check out the full programme for Leiden here.

Utrecht, being a big celebration spot for this holiday, offers some locations for kids as well. KoningsKinderen  is an event hosted in Park Lepelenburg and offers the classic King’s Day experiences: selling old toys and clothes on the free market, playing games and some music. It is important to note, that families, who want to sell at this event need to register beforehand. Read more about that here. Utrecht offers a number of Children’s events similar to KoningsKinderen in different neighbourhoods of the city. They can be located here.