It’s that day of the year again that you simply have to be in Amsterdam: Koninginnedag / Queen’s Day!

There are celebrations all over the country, but the ones in Amsterdam is usually the biggest & the best.

Unfortunately I am stuck in an office in Moss, Norway today or else I certainly would have been there in Amsterdam.

Thanks to the good people at Terena I was able to sneak a peek at the festivities every now and then via their hi-res webcam (with sound!) located at the Koningsplein in Amsterdam.

Queen’s Day (Dutch: Koninginnedag) on 30 April is a national holiday in the Netherlands. It started as a celebration of the Dutch monarchy.
The holiday is celebrated on this date because it was the birthday of Queen Juliana (1909-2004). When Queen Beatrix succeeded Juliana on 30 April 1980, she decided to keep the holiday on 30 April, as the weather on her own birthday, 31 January, tends to prohibit the traditional outdoor festivities.

The last time I got to experience Queen’s Day myself was way back in 1997… :-/