Royal family to celebrate 2022 King's Day in Maastricht

The Dutch royal family plans to celebrate King's Day in Maastricht next year. The most popular holiday in the Netherlands next takes place on Wednesday, April 27, King Willem-Alexander's 55th birthday.

Willem-Alexander will attend the festivities with members of his immediate family and extended members of the royal family. The government's press office made the announcement, but did not disclose which family members were expected to attend.

The 2020 national King's Day events were also supposed to take place in Maastricht, but were cancelled as a result of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, Maastricht had pledged a "surprising and versatile" program, that would showcase the Limburg capital's "colorful region and culture". Events were to kick off at 11 a.m. with a tour through the city, winding from Sint Servaasbrug to Vissersmaas, Het Bat, Graanmarkt, Onze Lieve Vrouweplein and Bredestraat, before ending at Vrijthof.

The theme was supposed to be "Live Maastricht," which will be attempted again, and will focus on innovation and tradition through the eyes of the diverse residents of Maastricht. "We already had a wonderful program in 2020. That will be the basis for our party next year, because there was a lot of enthusiasm among the all participants and others involved," said Maastricht's mayor, Annemarie Penn-te Strake.

Instead, the king spent King's Day 2020 at the Huis ten Bosch palace with Queen Máxima, and their daughters, Princesses Amalia, Alexia and Ariane. The five also spent the 2021 King's Day in a toned-down affair at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven. Those events were planned in secret, and were closed to the public due to the coronavirus.

The mayor said she was pleased that King Willem-Alexander will again try to visit the city next year. "Especially after the terrible coronavirus period, Maastricht is really looking forward to the King's birthday. We are ready to have a party again."

It will be Willem-Alexander's ninth time celebrating King's Day after taking the throne.