Kings Day April 27, 2026 in the Netherlands

Everywhere will be a party. We arrived in the Netherlands last year on King's Day. As part of our RS tour, we stopped in a small town for lunch, and then soaked up the small town big celebration and it was really fun to just watch everyone having a great time. We arrived in Delft later, and because there were roadblocks our bus couldn't pull up to his usual stop; so we parked sort of out of the perimeter; and walked quite a distance. In light of the special circumstances and even though RS says everyone should be able to handle their own luggage; our guide said this wasn't within the realm of normal expectation; so at some point the hotel shuttle managed to get to the bus and grabbed all of our luggage and drove it to our hotel. Delft was party central; but we still found a restaurant near our hotel (we were on our own to do so) who gave us a table for 2 in spite of everything being packed. We were shocked to wake up the next morning to a fully cleaned up city. Two days later we were on to Amsterdam, where the city looked like it had partied like crazy. I wouldn't want to be in Amsterdam on King's Day, but didn't mind being in smaller towns/cities. We aren't party types at all but felt the genuine happiness around us! It was a nice, unique experience.

I'd stay in Haarlem. We were at Keukenhof on April 29. It was fabulous. They purposely plant so that there's always fresh bulbs. I've read that King's Day is a great day to visit Keukenhof from a crowd perspective.

Kingsday is our national holiday, so it’s celebrated in every city or town. Amsterdam however attracts by far the most crowds. On the other hand, museums like the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank house are open as normal and are generally less crowded on that day.
With exception to the inner center of Amsterdam, public transport operates normally, just like the airport. The only downside to flying out on Kingsday is that you miss all the fun! Why not celebrate our national holiday with us? Make sure to wear something orange colored and join the celebrations.
BTW, I disagree that visiting the Keukenhof on Kingsday is too late in the season. For me it would be an ideal way to celebrate our national holiday; tulips in the morning, party with the locals in the afternoon.

“ I wouldn't try to get in/out of a location to get to the airport on King's Day. Too many hurdles; detours crowds. ”

If you stay somewhere close to a train station, for instance in Haarlem or Leiden etc, you can take a direct train or bus to Schiphol. No detours, no hurdles and if you fly out in the morning; no crowds.

Getting from Haarlem to the airport with the 300 bus will not be a problem. The 300 bus will have its dedicated bus lane not impacted by King’s Day celebrations. Check the NS or 9292 app for updated travel information.

I would avoid the train as you will travel in the Amsterdam direction (and coming from Haarlem change at Amsterdam Sloterdijk to get to Schiphol as there is no direct train connection to Schiphol from Haarlem).

In Haarlem, there will be stages with bands playing at a few bars with beer taps outside throughout the city center. It won’t be as crowded as in Amsterdam but busy close to these stages. I would say it will be a friendly manageable crowd having a good time with friends.
In streets, especially in the Vijfhoek neighborhood, children will be playing music instruments and trying to flog their old toys for some extra pocket money.

Barney and Dutch Traveler, thanks so much, and you are tempting me to celebrate....our flight out of AMS would be around 10:00am . Leiden would involve the direct train to the airport, and Haarlem has the 300 bus, right? So these options would run on their regular schedules?
I appreciate your in depth knowledge!

“Leiden would involve the direct train to the airport, and Haarlem has the 300 bus, right? So these options would run on their regular schedules?”

Well technically they would run on a Sunday schedule, but yes as both Barney and I wrote already, you would have no issue getting to the airport on Kingsday. Especially not since you plan to fly out early in the morning. Most people only start celebrating in the afternoon, so you won’t notice anything if you leave Haarlem or Leiden that early in the day.

In addition to what Dutch_traveler mentioned, just check the NS and/or 9292 apps for up to date departure times. They still will be frequent and with a 10:00 flight no partying crowds yet!!

King’s Day is a fun experience and people will pull you in to enjoy the fun. Maybe consider a departure a day later?

Ok, now you have me considering staying for King's Day. This is the joy of interacting on this Forum.
What are Leiden celebrations like? I know it's a charming college town. Or day tripping to Utrecht that day?
Thanks so much.

Unfortunately, I can’t help you with what Leiden will be like from a personal experience but I assume it won’t be that much different from Haarlem. Leiden is a university town with a lot of students eager to party!

Utrecht is bigger than Leiden and also a university town. It may be more crowded than Leiden or Haarlem. The festivities in Utrecht do start the evening before King’s Day (similar to Amsterdam and The Hague). I would rather stay where you are and absorb&enjoy the local scene.

Thanks again as I attempt to put the trip puzzle pieces together. Just waiting for a fall air fare sale on business class. ( fingers crossed emoji)

We spent Kings Day in The Hague last year and it was quite calm. As in very calm. I believe they do the major celebrating the evening before, but not sure. We chose The Hague as we arrived by cruise ship in Rotterdam and happily discovered the Mauritshuis was open on the holiday and tickets were available online in advance. I’d always wanted to be in Amsterdam on Kings Day, but this was our only chance to get to the museum which was a higher priority. I wouldn’t worry about “crazies”…packed and fun yes, but that’s me. Others can speak from experience. Safe travels.