King's Night celebrations crowded, but mostly festive; Fights in Apeldoorn and Almere
King’s Night celebrations throughout the Netherlands were well attended, despite the cold weather. Utrecht had to call on people to stop coming to the city. And Amsterdam had crowds in the Jordaan and around Nieuwmarkt. The parties were mostly festive, except for a few fights in Almere and Apeldoorn, RTL Nieuws reported.
In Apeldoorn, the police arrested several people for disturbing public order and public drunkenness after a fight broke out. An ambulance responded to treat the injured.
In Almere, a group of people broke through the fences on the Grote Markt, where various artists were performing. There were also multiple fights later in the evening. The municipality, therefore, decided to cut the public party short and ended it early.
No major incidents were reported in the rest of the country.
NS reported that the trains to Amsterdam and Utrecht were very crowded, but the atmosphere was good. The rail company ran extra and longer trains on several routes to accommodate the crowds.
At around 9:30 p.m., Utrecht urged people to stop coming to the city. “It is too crowded at several events and routes in our city,” the municipality said. “Access to the squares is no longer possible. Do not come to the city.”
On King’s Day on Monday, trains will run on a special timetable, sometimes departing at different times or from different tracks, or have a different final destination. NS expects crowded trains around Amsterdam, Arnhem, Breda, Eindhoven, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Zwolle.
The Royals are celebrating King Willem-Alexander’s 59th birthday in Dokkum today. Dokkum does not have its own train station, but is accessible by bus from Leeuwarden station.
