The Queen’s official birthday (Koninginnedag) is a national holiday, which is celebrated by street parties and other events. The Queen and other members of the royal family visit the festivities in one or perhaps two different places each year. The royal visits are always broadcast live on television.

30 April

During the reigns of Queen Wilhelmina and Queen Juliana, it was the custom to celebrate Koninginnedag on the Queen’s birthday – 31 August and 30 April respectively. On the day of her investiture, 30 April 1980, Queen Beatrix stated that she wished to continue celebrating it on 30 April, as a mark of respect for her mother, Queen Juliana.

Prinsessedag

The forerunner of today’s public holiday was celebrated for the first time on 31 August 1889, Princess Wilhelmina’s birthday. It was an initiative of the Liberal Party in the hope that a symbol designed to foster national unity would promote unity within its own ranks. As the day marked the end of the summer, it replaced the local harvest festivals normally held at that time of the year. The first real Koninginnedag took place on 31 August 1891, after the death of King WilliamIII.

Queen Wilhelmina

As the day also fell at the end of the school holidays, 31 August soon became a special day for all Dutch schoolchildren. It received an extra boost in 1902, when Queen Wilhelmina suffered a serious illness. The news of her recovery delighted the nation and turned Koninginnedag into a truly popular public holiday. At that time, it was not customary for the royal family to attend the festivities, unless it was to mark a special occasion such as Queen Wilhelmina’s 50th birthday in 1930.

Queen Juliana

During the years that Queen Emma, Queen Wilhelmina’s mother, spent the summers at Soestdijk Palace, the local population would present her with a floral tribute on her birthday on 2 August. When Princess Juliana took up residence in her grandmother’s country home following her marriage in 1937, the tradition was continued on her birthday, 30 April. After her accession to the throne in 1948, this was the date on which Koninginnedag was celebrated, and the modest parade grew into a national event, which was shown on television from the 1950s onwards. During Queen Juliana’s reign, it gradually became the custom for everyone to have a day off on 30 April, which ultimately became an official public holiday.

Queen Beatrix

In 1980, as a mark of respect for her mother, Queen Beatrix announced that Koninginnedag would continue to be celebrated on 30 April. She did, however, change the way in which it is celebrated, by attending the festivities in one or two different places each year.