Celebrate Dutch Queen’s Day in Seattle

April 24, 10:13 AMSeattle Family Shopping ExaminerAdriana van Dam

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Seattle Family Shopping Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Koninginnedag in Amsterdam, photo credit: quantzs' photostream

Queen’ s Day (Koninginnedag) is a national holiday in The Netherlands. It is celebrated each year on April 30th. The Dutch celebrate the birthday of the queen in an elaborate way. Most people have the day off and the entire country is buzzing with festivities. A lot of people wear orange, the color that’s always associated with the Dutch royal family because it’s their last name. (van Oranje = “of Orange”)(The Dutch national soccer team also wears orange jerseys.)

Being Dutch myself, I always miss being in Holland on Koninginnedag, it’s such a fun and festive day. Fortunately, I can celebrate right here in the Seattle area and expose my kids to some of my culture, because there is a Dutch community in Seattle that even has its own Oranjeschool. Dutch kids meet every Saturday at West Mercer Elementary School on Mercer Island to learn more about the Dutch culture and language. The Oranjeschool has teamed up with the Hansje Brinker Guild for this year’s Koninginnedag celebration, which is also a fundraising event benefiting Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Queen’s Day in Seattle will be on Saturday April 25th this year from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm at the Oranjeschool at West Mercer Elementary School (4141 81st Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040). Admission is free. There will be Dutch carnival games and kids can sell their wares (no food items) at the kid’s flea market. (In The Netherlands, Koninginnedag is the only time people can have yard/garage sales and so everyone does on that day. It’s one huge yard sale throughout the entire country!) There will be a raffle and a silent auction with fun prizes and traditional Dutch foods will be available.

So whether you have Dutch heritage or would just like to expose your child to many different cultures and experiences, Queen’s Day in Seattle can be a fun event for the entire family. Be sure to wear orange though!