Municipalities take measures to manage first King's Day crowds in two years

Municipalities in the Netherlands are taking measures to manage crowds on King's Day tomorrow, the first back-to-normal King's Day since the pandemic hit in 2020, NU.nl reports. As this is the first country-wide event since the government scrapped most of the coronavirus restrictions, a certain level of exuberance is expected.

Partiers in Amsterdam are not allowed to have more than one drink of alcohol with them to prevent nuisance from public drunkenness. "A mini-keg or six-pack counts as several drinks," the municipality of Amsterdam said on its website. "Shops sell one can or bottle of alcohol per person." According to Het Parool, the police will strictly check for sailing under the influence and other dangerous behavior on the Amsterdam canals.

Eindhoven banned glass and cans for King's Day. There will be a "swapping point" at the station where travelers can pour drinks from cans or glass into a plastic cup.

Maastricht, where King Willem-Alexander and his family will spend his birthday, does not seem to be taking any alcohol-specific measures. But there will be extra camera surveillance, and part of the city center was designated a security risk area so that the police can do preventive searching there, RTV Maastricht reported.

Utrecht will use crowd managing measures that proved effective in the past, a spokesperson for the municipality said to DUIC.

Several municipalities told NU.nl that they are not taking additional measures. "Just like in previous years, we are preparing for a pleasant day, where we continuously monitor the situation with entrepreneurs, security officers, enforcers, and the police, a spokesperson for the municipality of Breda said.