Thousands flock to King's Day markets and events, despite chilly weather

The chilly, sometimes rainy weather is not scaring Dutch away from participating in King's Day activities. Photos on social media show crowded flea markets and events and streets across the Netherlands.

The Royal family spent King's Day in Tilburg. Before the festivities Mayor Peter Noordanus said he expected about 70 thousand visitors, but that the city is prepared for around 90 thousand. How many people actually attended is as yet unclear, though photos show a crowded city.

Guus en Gers beginnen op het Piusplein. En het is druuuuuuuk. #koningsdag #Tilburg pic.twitter.com/gZxbsKxb5N

— Tom van der Meer (@vdMeerTom) April 27, 2017

Een selectie van #KoningsdagTilburg 👑Bekijk een verslag van foto´s en video´s op https://t.co/IGSplfPsFl pic.twitter.com/nQqNKNMR77

— Provincie Noord-Brabant (@Brabant) April 27, 2017

Amsterdam had a slow start, but things are picking up. While the Leidseplein and Museumplein are so far pretty quiet, people are crowding onto Dam square and the canals are already full of boats and people dressed in orange. Crowds of people are flowing through markets in Vondelpark and Nieuw-West, according to Het Parool. Around noon a spokesperson for Mayor Eberhard van der Laan confirmed that things are still pretty quiet. "But the atmosphere on the street is good."

The anticipated crowds on the trains is "slowly coming to a start", a spokesperson for NS said to AT5. NS expects to transport some 200 thousand passengers to Amsterdam during the course of today. The Zuid trains station is expected to be the busiest.

Happy Kingsday, Mokum! #NL #Amsterdam #Koningsdag pic.twitter.com/FhLIMBVDJm

— Shanty Elena (@Shamayim2) April 27, 2017

Weer Oranje "spitsuur" op de grachten in Amsterdam #Koningsdag2017 #WA50 @waternet pic.twitter.com/j3zqRnYSBd

— Robby Hiel (@PersburoUNN) April 27, 2017

https://twitter.com/wolthuizen/status/857531321463255040

The various flea markets in Utrecht saw a decent amount of foot traffic throughout the day, despite some rain, according to AD.

https://twitter.com/gertrohner/status/857524727501533184

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=qoamGUcO_Ws

The Hague is covered in Dutch flags today, hanging from almost every building. The Hague police spent about 20 minutes looking for the parents of a young boy found on Waterloostraat. The lost boy was safely reunited with a very relieved mothers.

Ook hier koopt menigeen wat lekkers.... horeca #Herenstraat #vrijmarkt etc draait leuk bij deze drukte!! pic.twitter.com/eHNofboYBu

— Wijkagent Dennis Liefhebber (@WA_OudRijswijk) April 27, 2017

​https://twitter.com/LifeILiveFest/status/857551222563360768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fstorify.com%2FADnl%2Fkoningsdag-in-den-haag%2Fembed%3Fborder%3Dfalse

​https://twitter.com/BoswachterFred/status/857559263568375808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fstorify.com%2FADnl%2Fkoningsdag-in-den-haag%2Fembed%3Fborder%3Dfalse

​https://twitter.com/Monsrosarum/status/857543764075741184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fstorify.com%2FADnl%2Fkoningsdag-in-den-haag%2Fembed%3Fborder%3Dfalse

​https://twitter.com/DuinwachterLeo/status/857551371888975872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fstorify.com%2FADnl%2Fkoningsdag-in-den-haag%2Fembed%3Fborder%3Dfalse