Amsterdam orders public to stay away from the city due to overcrowding

City officials in Amsterdam on Saturday urged people to stay away from the city altogether during King’s Day celebrations, warning that serious overcrowding had made many areas unsafe. "It is too crowded in many places in the city. Do not come to Amsterdam anymore and celebrate King's Day somewhere else," a municipal spokeswoman said.

Earlier in the day, the municipality had advised people to avoid the city center, but later escalated the warning as crowd sizes continued to grow.

In Utrecht, the municipality reported rising congestion in the city center. Officials said the festival at Vredenburgplein had reached full capacity, and Neude was heavily packed. Authorities urged visitors to move to less crowded areas, recommending Janskerkhof, Mariaplaats, and Domplein.

In Groningen, city officials said the vrijmarkt, or free market, along the singels was completely full. They advised visitors to head toward the inner city or the surrounding neighborhoods instead.