Dutch Royals to celebrate King's Day in Emmen next year
The Dutch Royal Family will visit Emmen for the official King’s Day celebration in 2024, the Dutch government’s press office announced on Friday. King Willem-Alexander will attend the festivities in the Drenthe city located for the annual holiday on his birthday, April 27. It will be the first time King's Day is celebrated in Drenthe, though Queen's Day was organized there. Queen Beatrix and several of her family members celebrated in 2002 in the cities of Hoogeveen and Meppel.
In a press release, the city of Emmen announced that the King had accepted the invitation of Mayor Eric van Oosterhout and Commissioner of the King Jetta Klijnsma to come to their city to celebrate his 57th birthday. "We aim to showcase our best during the visit and would like to introduce him to the diversity of our city, the villages, and the neighborhoods. We also use this opportunity to draw his attention to the pride that residents have in our municipality and region," Van Oosterhout wrote.
According to the municipality, the celebration will be an opportunity to link Emmen's past with its present and future goals. "We want to show how Naoberschap plays an important role in our society.
"Naoberschap" is a term used in the eastern parts of the Netherlands, especially in Drenthe, Overijssel, and Gelderland. It refers to a traditional form of neighborhood cooperation involving mutual aid and support. It is particularly notable in rural areas and small communities, where close-knit relationships and communal responsibility are highly valued.
In the coming months, efforts will be directed toward identifying the most suitable location in Emmen for the event. The municipality actively invites residents to contribute ideas and suggestions for the program. In collaboration with the province, the municipality wants to organize a celebration that fits with Drenthe, both in terms of size and cost. In 2023, King Willem-Alexander and his family visited Rotterdam to celebrate his birthday. The port city spent an estimated 4 million euros to make this King’s Day.
In Emmen, Willem-Alexander will be joined by members of his immediate and extended family at next year’s event, though exact details have not been announced. The notification from the family press office implied the possibility that Queen Máxima and their daughters, Princesses Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane, as well as Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, may attend the event.
“More information about the program will be announced at a later time,” the announcement read.
