On Monday 27 April it’s that day again. Our Majesty King Willem-Alexander will celebrate his 48th birthday and the entire country will party with him. A day on which his nation has a collective hangover, but gets over it by partying even more. Whether it’s a local musician or a world-famous act, every town has its own entertainment. Rockstone understands that it’s difficult to decide where to go and therefore we selected five events throughout The Kingdom of the Netherlands. Based on the line-up and possible earlier editions, we recommend five promising events in five different regions. All you have to do is find your orange shirt and have a good time!
South: 538Koningsdag – Breda
Genre: Various
Starting down south, it’s again obvious that they know how to party below the rivers. There are for example amazing events in Eindhoven and Maastricht. However, we’d like to highlight the one in Breda. This is because 538Koningsdag has a fantastic line-up, consisting of a great variety of artists. Quite often the major stages on this day are booked for DJ’s. Of course, tere’s nothing wrong with that and Breda isn’t really an exception with dj’s as Hardwell and Armin van Buuren. However, they share this particular stage with bands like Echosmith, Di-rect and Kensington. Besides that, you can relax a bit on the chilled tunes of Kenny B. Check out the aftermovie of last year’s edition below and get in the mood already!
Location: Chasseveld, Breda
Price: €15,00
Info and full program: http://koningsdag.538.nl
East: Kingsize – Arnhem
Genre: House
It won’t be difficult to have a good time all the way in the far east either. Again multiple cities will be ready to entertain you and Rockstone recommends going to Arnhem. This town organises another edition of Kingsize, an amazing festival that focuses on House music with many great DJ’s. A pleasant feature is thats free and what’s even better is the fact that it lasts for two days! During Kingsnight you’ll have the opportunity to dance on the tracks of big names like Yellow Claw, Tony Junior and Danny Lucas. The show continues at noon the next day, this time with Sidney Samson, Artistic Raw, Funk D and many more. Apart from this, there are different bars in the city that will keep you up for many more hours during the after parties on both nights. Want to get an impression of Kingsize last year? Check out the video below.
Location: Markt, Arnhem
Price: Free
Info and full program: http://www.kingsizearnhem.nl
North: Multiple Places, Groningen
Genre: Various
Would you actually rather have that old school Kingsday (or in fact Queensday) feeling, where you walk around from stage to stage and buy some vintage products at the open markets? In that case we suggest going up north, since the city of Groningen planned a musical program spread around the entire city. Most of the artists aren’t as ‘known as the ones on the main stages in other cities, but they will definitely surprise you. We recommend you to begin the day with Rocknrolla Soundsystem, starting at eleven in the morning on the Reitemakersrijge. These four DJ’s will rock your Kingsnight hangover away by playing records of many different artists. Then take some time and walk around for a bit, but make sure you’re at the Vismarkt at two, because it is time for some Salsa. Cuban salsa played by locals from Groningen. It doesn’t seem a natural combination, but apparently Ache Cubano knows how to swing. After that, just stay at the Vismarkt, because Sunday Sun is about to play. They are a very promising Dutch pop band whose debut album We Let Go is getting more popular by the day. Have something to eat after the show and slowly go to the Grote Markt, because this square will be the stage for multiple surprising acts who’ll play for you all night long. Still not ready to go home? Then you can have one more hour of pure hardcore raving down the Ebbingekwartier with G-Town Madness. All in all a great musical day that is completely for free, as a true birthday party should be. Click on the video below to see a clip of Sunday Sun and you can’t wait!
Location: Multiple locations, Groningen
Price: Free
Info and full program: http://www.oranjegroningen.nl
West: Oranjebitter – Rotterdam
Genre: Various
If you prefer to go to one festival, where you’re entertained all day and have a wide variety of food waiting for you, then we suggest going west. The Parklaan in Rotterdam will be transformed into an amusement park for adults, in order to celebrate the seventh edition of Oranjebitter. Besides a ball-pit, ferris wheel, trampoline and many other attractions, you can look forward to some amazing artists. As always the festival has a secret line-up, but this year already one name is given: TYPHOON! Apart from this, artists like The Opposites, DIO, Lee Towers, and even De La Soul have played there before, so you know there’s no need to worry. Another fun fact is that magician Hans Kazan will present the entire show. Sounds like enough ingredients to make this lucky number seven edition the best one so far! Have a look at the teaser below for some more impressions.
Location: Parklaan, Rotterdam
Price: €25,00
Info: http://www.oranjebitter-rotterdam.nl/#home
Central: Kinghouse Festival – Utrecht
Genre: House/Electronic
The birthday of our Majesty will also be celebrated in the geographical centre of his kingdom. The city of Utrecht definitely takes it seriously with a huge festival called Kinghouse. With an impressive line-up of house and electronic DJ’s, the first edition is expected to be a major success. W&W, Oliver Heldens, Quintiono, Pep & Rash and many more are ready to make you dance for ten hours straight. What might become very convenient as well, is the fact that it is both indoor and outdoor. Of course we’re hoping for a traditional sunny Kingsday, but at this event you’ll be good either way. Check out the trailer below for more information.
Location: Jaarbeurs, Utrecht
Price: €22,50
Info and full program: http://www.kingshousefestival.nl