Pella wraps itself in orange for King’s Day this Saturday. Visit for a day of fun, food, live music and games.
If you can imagine Germany’s Oktoberfest—but with more orange—you can picture Koningsdag in the Netherlands, where orange is the color of the Dutch royal family.
The annual celebration of the king’s birthday “is a huge blowout,” says Valerie Van Kooten, executive director of the Pella Historical Society and Museums. “The whole country turns orange. It’s a really big deal there.”
It’s soon becoming a thing here, too. Pella hosts its second Koningsdag April 30 with a competition to be a King for the Day—guys can complete in the junior (under age 14) and senior events in contests that test strength, wit and ability to eat Dutch fare (we hear there’s herring).
Night brings live entertainment with a special King’s Day brew from Gezellig Brewing Co. and other drinks. Learn more at pellahistorical.com/kingsday. The following weekend (May 5–7), the annual Tulip Time takes over downtown for more Dutch tradition.
