Queen’s Day 2010 (Koninginnedag) in Amsterdam will be on Friday April 30th. This is a national holiday and huge street party with concerts, markets and other activities to celebrate the Dutch Queen’s birthday (actually the Queen Mother’s birthday, as the current Queen Beatrix was born in cold January!).

Everyone should experience Queen’s Day in Amsterdam at least once in their life – to see thousands of orange-decked Dutch hit the streets.

The celebrations officially starts the evening before (April 29th, “Queen’s Night” or koninginnenacht) which goes on until the early hours. Events get going again in the morning and continue through the day. The Queen traditionally makes an appearance live on TV from a chosen town during the morning. This year she will visit Wemeldinge and Middelburg in the Zeeland province – security is likely to be very tight there after last year’s incident in Apeldoorn.

The free market (vrijmarkt) is where anyone can set up a stall on designated streets and sell clothes, food, drinks and any old tat or bric-a-brac. Prices are negotiable which is all part of the fun. Many residents set up stalls outside their own houses and actually mark their spot with tape (“bezet“, or occupied) days before. There are also professional traders who take advantage of the tax free opportunity.

The centre of Amsterdam becomes extremely busy with up to 3/4 million visitors to the city. If you can, avoid arriving via Amsterdam Central Station which gets overcrowded as visitors flock from all over the country.

You will have to get around the centre on foot as there is limited public transport within the party zone. Be aware that some places can become very crowded and difficult to pass. Also watch out for pickpockets.

On Queen’s day Amsterdam’s canals are put to good use with hundreds of boat parties on the water. There are organised stage concerts at various places around the city whilst a host of street performers provide entertainment elsewhere.

The Queen’s Day party takes place all over Amsterdam centre – the main squares of Rembrandtsplein, Leidseplein and Museumplein; the historic Jordaan neighbourhood; the parks Vondelpark and Westerpark. For a slightly more laid back and authentic experience head out to De Pijp (near Albert Cuyp street market) just south of the centre.

If you are planning a visit to Queen’s Day it is essential you book your accommodation in advance. To get a good deal on a hotel for Queen’s Day check out our Amsterdam Hotels page.

TEFAF is the world’s leading fine art and antiques fair where prestigious international dealers showcase their wares and where genuine masterpieces can be offered for sale. All items at the fair are vetted carefully for authenticity.

The 2010 fair will be held at the MECC (Maastricht Exhibition & Congress Centre) between March 12th and 21st, open daily from 11am. Tickets will set you back €55 per person or €90 for 2. Those aged between 12 and 18 years get in for €20 and under 12’s have free entry.

Getting to Maastricht

There are many flights to Amsterdam Schiphol from UK/Europe/US and from there you can connect onto the Dutch rail network. The train journey between Amsterdam and Maastricht takes around 2 and a half hours.

Visitors could also fly into Eindhoven airport – Ryanair operates flights from London Stansted, Dublin and other European cities – from there travel on to Eindhoven railway station and take the 1 hour train ride to Maastricht.

Another UK travel option is to use Stena Line’s Rail and Sail which includes a train from London to Harwich, a ferry over to Hoek van Holland and then an onward train valid to any Dutch station.

Maastricht has a small airport with a limited number of scheduled services. You could consider flying by private jet into Maastricht. For example, small jet operator Blink is offering a day return for up to 4 passengers from London for £3,599 or an overnighter for £4,999. They also fly from Geneva in Swizerland which will cost €4,299 and €5,999 respectively.

The MECC is located 250m from Maastricht-Randwyck railway station, literally a 3 minutes train ride from Maastricht central station or easily reached by taxi.

Maastricht has relatively few hotels and booking in advance is essential. You can book a Maastricht hotel here

For more info on the city check out our brief Maastricht guide.