Queens Day

Begun on Queen Wilhelmina’s birthday on 30th April back in the early 1900s, Queen’s Day has evolved from a national holiday into a country-wide street party and ‘free market’, when it is permitted to sell anything at all, without tax restrictions. For the larger proportion of the country not involved in commercial trade and investment, this translates into a countrywide boot sale, liberally interspersed with street performances, food, beer and other interesting substances. Orange, that most flattering of shades, is to be found everywhere in honour of the royal House of Orange, hopefully made all the brighter in the fresh April sunshine.