Live blog: King’s Day 2024 in Emmen

Do you want to know: this is what Queen Máxima and the princesses are wearing today.

13:10 – A photo opportunity

A new photo opportunity has arrived at the zoo. Meanwhile, it is raining in Emmen.

13:06 – Wildlands, the pride of Emmen

Emmen has one of the most beautiful zoos in Europe for almost 90 years. And the best part is that this zoo is located right in the center. Together with the Atlas theater, Wildlands is the perfect place for relaxation, inspiration, education and entertainment in the city. It is therefore no surprise that even the royal family visits this special location.

12:50 – Prince Floris plays a record

In the meantime, Prince Floris is playing a record

12:48 – Princess Amalia looks back on her student days in Spain

“Being able to celebrate your birthday with your own family is the best thing there is. I am very grateful that everyone is here in full presence,” says the king.

Princess Amalia looks back on her student days in the Spanish capital. “Madrid was a great time and I am very grateful to everyone who made this possible. I was able to find a little more freedom there than was possible here.”

12:46 – Game of football

The Netherlands is known as a football country, and Emmen is a city that is no exception. It is a city where the beautiful game connects everyone, from the walking football team to the G-team. The king and his family can participate in a penalty shoot-out here. Queen Máxima is taking a chance.

12:42 – Old-fashioned shuffleboard

The world shuffleboard champion, Elly Mensen, gives a demonstration. Shuffleboard is sometimes seen as old-fashioned, but it is actually a serious sport that is completely contemporary. Elly Mensen shows what she can do. Just like the royal family.

12:34 – Plastic bouquet of flowers

A recent achievement that Emmen is proud of is the development of circular plastic. The king and his family find a flower meadow made of circular plastic in Emmen called “Circular Plastic Positivity”. They will receive a short introduction from students and Vincent Voet, lecturer at NHL Stenden, about this important step in solving a global problem. An impressive bouquet of flowers measuring almost 10 (!) meters, made using the latest techniques. The royal family helps to distribute the plastic flowers to the public.

12:32 Also protest on the sidelines

In Emmen there are also protests by the republicans who are starting a signature campaign today to make the king pay taxes.

12:09 – Who will win?

It’s time to take action! Qmusic DJ Jorien Renkema and Radio 538 DJ Jordi Warners take the royal family into an interactive game about the beautiful Drenthe region. The teams consist of children from the children’s municipal council and students from groups 7 and 8 from different schools. King Willem-Alexander is of course team captain. Together they guess what is being depicted. Of course, the royal family members are also cordially invited to participate and show what they know about Emmen and Drenthe.

Princess Amalia is equally fanatical and says she has read up “extremely well.” Nevertheless, Queen Máxima’s team walked away with the prize.

Prince Pieter-Christiaan is positively surprised by Emmen. “It is an industrial city, so I didn’t expect beautiful buildings. But the atmosphere is very good. The people are super enthusiastic.”

“We have the most beautiful weather in the Netherlands,” says Prince Constantijn. He and Princess Laurentien also visit Drenthe more often. “We have friends living here. And it is only a 2.5 hour drive,” says Princess Laurentien. They also say that their daughter Countess Eloise, who is now doing an internship in New York, is doing well. “That’s a little further away than Emmen,” the couple jokes. They also reveal that they will probably visit their daughter. “She is doing very well, she is enjoying her internship, she is very pleased with it.”

11:48 – Soaking up culture

The king and his family move to the Rensenpark, located on the site of the former zoo. The park has become a hub for art, culture and innovation. At the entrance to the Rensenpark there is a glass wall on which young people are drawing. The royal family is challenged to make a creative contribution. And they do!

Prince Floris will be playing as a DJ this afternoon. “Wonderful day, and nice music. Let’s dance,” he told NOS.

11:38 – Princesses about their student life

The princesses love the atmosphere and talk to students from Emmen. Princess Amalia is taking the lead in this. “It’s hard to study, but it’s all interesting,” Princess Amalia answers when asked what her student life has been like so far. Princess Alexia is currently on a gap year, Princess Ariane is studying in Italy.

11:30 – Club Unlimited meeting

During the performance, a special place has been reserved for Club Unlimited, an entertainment venue for people aged 16 and over with an intellectual disability. The king asks them about the challenges and starts the conversation with interest. “Can you tell me what it is like,” the king asks one of the members. Our reporter follows this club all day in the hope of a meeting with the king. You will see whether this was successful tonight in the broadcast of Blauw Bloed.

11:29 – Hip, hip hurray!

It is King Willem-Alexander’s birthday and we celebrate it at the Birthday Square. But there are more people who have a reason to celebrate today. For example, think of other birthday people, people from Emmen who have received a ribbon, princes and princesses at Carnival, the Emmen company of the year and much more! These revelers all sit together on a large terrace and enjoy local snacks and drinks. Of course there is also music, with a performance by Jannes, also known as the king of pirates.

11:27 – Hand out tompouces

The royal family hands out tompouces to the public. Because when it’s your birthday, you treat!

Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène admit to NOS that they find Emmen “far away, but worth it.” The two are happy that it is not raining and admit that they have been to Emmen before. Partly because a friend of the couple lives here.

11:25 – Dancing connects

On the second square, thirteen dance groups come together to show all kinds of different styles on the dance floor: dancing connects. It is a beautiful mix of historical and modern dance. The dance couple Dietmar Hoekman and Hilda Wolbers van ‘t Aol Volk and breakdancer AJ bridge decades of dance history in their own style. The king and queen watch and occasionally swing along to the music themselves.

11:20 – Drenthe fashion show

At the end of the street a fashion show is held showing how centuries-old local costumes inspire local fashion designers of today.

11:15 – Dive into the history of Emmen

In the Noorderstraat, the rich history of Emmen is depicted through a gallery of living statues. These images range from the time of the dolmen builders to Vincent van Gogh, and from hardworking farmers to the stocking girl of Danlon.

11:00 – Out of the starting blocks

King’s Commissioner Jetta Klijnsma, Mayor Eric van Oosterhout and Children’s Mayor Kirsten Alting welcome the royal family to Noorderplein. On the Noorderplein the royal family is serenaded by Bouke Scholten, also known as the Emmense Elvis. People are singing along in full. The king is showered with congratulations.

10:50 First photo of the royal family

The family of birthday King Willem-Alexander is ready! The Royal House shares the first photo of the five on Instagram. In addition to King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, Princess Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane will also celebrate the party in Emmen. After the loss of Princess Alexia in Rotterdam, the royal family is complete again today during King’s Day.

08:45 – Prince Floris is on his way

Prince Floris also shared a photo of his preparations this morning. He and his wife Princess Aimée take a selfie in the back of the car with the caption “on our way“. We also get a glimpse of the princess’s outfit. In the photo, Aimée wears a twee jacket, pink jumpsuit and a scarf around her neck.

08:30 – First royal already spotted

If you live in or around Emmen, you could have seen the first royal early this morning. Prince Pieter-Christiaan shares a photo with the place name sign on his Instagram. The prince is in running clothes and has probably made his morning run in Drenthe. The caption reads “Good morning Emmen”. Sister-in-law Princess Aimée responds under the photo: “Aren’t we walking enough today?!” At the end of the morning we will see the prince again during the royal walk through Emmen, although the prince will have changed his clothes.

07:38 – First orange fans on the route

Although the royal family does not arrive in Emmen until around 11:00 am, the city of Drenthe is already filling up with Orange fans. People along the route look for the best place to see the royal family hours in advance.

07:00 – Start live blog

In this live blog we will keep you informed of all the festivities in Emmen today. The royal walk starts at 11 a.m., which takes the royal family past nine different squares in the city. There is a dance square, a birthday square, an innovation square and a sing-along square. And of course the square at Emmen’s famous Wildlands zoo should not be missed.