Queen's Day 2010

Every year on the 30th of April the Dutch celebrate the birthday of their Queen Beatrix. On Queen's Day in Amsterdam up to one million visitors join the 750.000 locals in the world's largest street party. The entire city is filled with party people, from the Vondelpark to the Jordaan. Orange, the color and name of the Dutch royal family, will dominate the city.

Queen's Day festivities start around midnight the 29th and last throughout the night. Simply walk around in downtown Amsterdam (the Jordaan and Nieuwmarkt areas being among the most popular spots) and you'll find plenty of partying going on. Hot spots for gays and lesbians are the Reguliersdwarsstraat, Halvemaansteeg, Westermarkt and Zeedijk.

On the 30th of April, 6:00 AM marks the start of the 'free market' - a citywide street market where the locals sell their bric-a-brac, used clothes, and crafts for next to nothing. Throughout the city, professional street performers vie for attention. There are pick-up bands, aspiring opera singers, teenage rappers and street discos. Rio-style drum bands have been very popular the past few years. Amsterdams canals are packed as thousands of boats, large and small, filled with party goers clog the city's waterways. 

A special website is devoted to give you all the latest information of the festivities.