Koninginnedag

Maybe the biggest holiday in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba is Car Rental Queen’s Day. It takes place on the 30^th April. It commemorates the birth of the queen of the Netherlands and is considered a day of national unity and togetherness.

The tradition was started in 1885 with the birth of Princess Wilhelmina. She later became Queen Wilhelmina. Then, it was celebrated on the 31^st August. Later, with the ascension of the next queen- Queen Juliana the holiday was shifted to the 30^th April. During the reign of the next queen from 1980 it was decided that the holiday must remain on the same date because her birthday was on the 31^st January.

During the celebrations there are the free markets. During this day only everybody is allowed to sell in the streets. Music concerts, performances, street bands, and children activities are organized everywhere.

Queen’s Night

In recent year the pinnacle of the holiday has become the Queen’s night. On Friday night (the evening before the celebration) the streets of every major city in the country turn into street parades and outdoor concerts. Numerous stages are built in parks, squares and city centers. There are bands in every café, bar and street corner. The country is taken by the oranjegekte- the orange craze. Everybody dresses and wears hats, scarves, and accessories in orange. The biggest parties are held in Amsterdam, Hague and Rotterdam.

The Apeldoorn Incident

Queen Beatrix visits and greets the people every year in a different city. In 2009 there was the Apeldoorn attack. Karst Tates tried to ram the open bus of the royal family on their way to the palace with his car. His attempt was unsuccessful but he run seven people and wounded eight more. His car crashed in a monument and he died shortly after.

Car Hire

Good car rental companies in Amsterdam are  Avis, Alamo, Dollar, Europcar, Thrifty, Hertz and Budget.