A city flooded with orange…. food and drink…. bartering and bargaining. Why? King’s Day, or, as it is called in Dutch, “Koningsdag!”

Koningsdag is celebrated on April 27, the birthday of King Willem-Alexander, the monarch of the Netherlands. Since Sint Maarten is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it is also celebrated here. It’s not quite as a big a deal here as it is in Europe’s territories. Sint Maarten’s Carnival falls during Koningsdag, so it is someone overshadowed by that event. Still, I did see a few photos of friends’ children wearing orange for an early celebration of King’s Day at school.

I asked a few of the local kids what they do during Koningsdag. Big King, one of the teens who volunteers with our little league team, told me that they eat Dutch bread and cheese. I should have bought some. Instead, we ate chocolate on bread for breakfast, which is pretty Dutch thing to do!

It’s funny to think that because we live here, we have a king and queen. It’s certainly different than the U.S., but you have to admit that it’s pretty cool to be able to take a day off to celebrate your king’s birthday!

Stuff Dutch People Like has a bit more on Konigsdag, if you’re interested.