A bit of Kingsday in the city
Happy birthday king of the Netherlands! Let the country celebrate until like there is now tomorrow. Flea market stands, people having the option to sells their old stuff, hosting small events where everyone is dressed in orange, that is how people see Kings day. Where in other cities this celebration is filled with tradition and the whole presentation of the royal family which is all scripted and mostly for the kids and elderly, the city of Eindhoven turns into a city with all electronic dance music everywhere.
Now what was kind of weird in all of this is that usually Kingsday is on the 27th of April, but because this is a sunday, the celebrations were a day earlier on saturday the 26th. With that, that also means that Kings night which is also like a bit of extra going out was on the 25th and my brain wasn't recognising all of these dates at all.
So all of a sudden it was Kingsnight and day and it was time to hit the city and the dance floor for some weekend floor fillers.
Now especially in my favourite part of town called 'Strijp' there was a fantastic setup again especially if you are more in the techno side of the music.
Stages everywhere, some inside and some outside, some gigantic and some jsut a miniature setup hosted by just one dude with a speaker. Everything was possible and that meant that also everything was there what you could think of. Foodstands, dixies, drinks stands but also the option to bring your own drinks if you were not entering one of the stage areas but just enjoying everything on the street which was also just fine.
Eindhoven felt very much alive and there was so much to do and see and dance the night away. Heavy beats at the techno stages, acid techno at the zodiac community, summer deephouse at the kader community. All these small music collectives had a fantastic chance to host and promote themselves and they did a great job at it.
The place was crowded which almost felt a bit like too much but there were also enough options on heading into the less crowded areas. I love these kinds of days as litterally everyone is outdoors and having a good time in whatever way they like it.
And that the King had his birthday? Ow yeah, that was also the called and I had missed that entirely. But there is always a good reason for some celebrations right? Happy weekend guys!
That sounds like a good time. Is you king into electronic music? I wonder if he puts on a disguise and goes out to vibe with the people.
I wonder what kind of music we'll play here in the states, if our leader decides we're meant to celebrate his birthday with a festival.
hahahah good question! I dont know if the king is into electronic music but he not really a stiff king, so I wouldnt be surprised if he would be lurking around in the crowds ;))
If there are magical celebrations in the world, one of them is King's Day in the Netherlands! I didn't have the chance to be there in April, but I was always fascinated to know and understand this tradition. Not only everyone dressed in orange (which is an exceptional detail) but it is key that for the whole country it is an opportunity to celebrate, open their doors, do events and spend a weekend without remembering the reason, but being able to celebrate! On the other hand, Eindhoven is a truly complete and complex city, I loved the different tone it has over others that stand out more perhaps, Eindhoven was enigmatic at some point. Cheers!!!
Kings days is really something else I find. It feels like the whole country has the option then to celebrate outdoors and go for it. On the other half, if you just want to chill at home, that ia also still an option and nothing will bother you.
But man outside is always good. People are happy, most often the weather is early spring weather with some nice sun and people are going for it
(eindhoven is really something different indeed at the moment, you have been here?)