On King’s Day most people enjoy a day off. But there are also companies that are running wild today and are working towards King’s Day all year round, such as Bakker Koning and the Oranjebitter festival.
King’s Day includes a few fixed elements: the King’s visit to the city, the free market, biscuit bites and orange tompouces. This originally pink pastry is sold by the thousands on King’s Day. This is also the case at Bakker Koning in De Goorn in North Holland. “This year we expect to sell about 20,000 tompouces”, says Remco Ruijter, manager.
These numbers don’t just come out of thin air. Ruijter has already sold more than 18,000 tompouces at a time in the past two King’s Days. “During the corona crisis, everyone wanted an orange tompouce on King’s Day. Not so strange, because there was nowhere else to go. You want to celebrate it a little bit.”
night works
The manager does not expect the popularity of the tompouce to decline this year, in fact: he has scaled up production by 2000 tompouces. ,,The orange tompouce is just part of it. Even now that we are allowed to do everything again.” Bakker Koning will also be making ‘live’ tompouces for the first time in two years. “We have a stall on the free market. Then people can really see how such a tompouce is made and that is a nice experience.”
The other thousands of tompouces are made behind the scenes. On April 26, fifteen bakers were working full-time to finish the pastries on time. ,,Our employees are divided into two teams: a day shift and a night shift.” The bakery literally works day and night. ,,But we have certainly prepared something. The slices of puff pastry have already been baked, so the bakers now only have to pipe the baker’s cream between the slices and finish the tompouce with glaze.”
The bakers have until 07:00 on the morning of King’s Day. “Everything has to be ready when the bakery opens. We work to order, so people want to get off to a good start on King’s Day.” After this, they can go to the free market or to one of the festivals that are organized on King’s Day with a well-filled stomach.
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This edition is three national holidays in one. Of course we have two years to catch up
Orange bitter
In Rotterdam people can go to Oranjebitter. This festival started thirteen years ago with 500 visitors and expects about 10,000 this year. ,,This edition is three national holidays in one. Of course we have two years to catch up”, says co-organizer Dennis Ebeli.
During the corona crisis, no festivals could take place and the organization of Oranjebitter was therefore completely silent. “We are a bit rusty now. You have to get into it for a while.” Oranjebitter is the only festival that Ebeli and his team organize. “So we had to sit still for two years.”
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At least, sitting still is a bit harsh. Ebeli normally runs the Rotterdam restaurant Alfredo’s Taqueria and only for King’s Day he makes a trip to the festival sector. ,,Orange bitter is so great to organize. I want it to remain special and not feel like work.” Yet he is busy with it all year round. “In September we will meet with the organizers and discuss the next edition.”
lampshades
The closer King’s Day gets, the busier Ebeli gets. ,,It starts with discussing the plans, then we have to arrange everything. We have six stages and we want them to really become mini worlds.” In addition to the artists, Ebeli also does a lot of decorating at the festival. “It’s an amusement park for adults. There is something to discover everywhere, but you can also just sit on a couch with all kinds of lampshades above your head.”
A week in advance, about sixty people walk across the festival site. “We now really make days from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Everything has to be built and arranged, from the stages to the lighting. It takes some getting used to, but it gives you so much energy.” Especially now that it can go on again. ,,Of course it was exciting, but that is always the case at festivals. It can also rain very hard, then everything literally falls into the water.”
April 28
And the day after† Ebeli will then reduce the festival again. ,,And very honest? We are also looking forward to next year. Then it gets even cooler. I just hope that it will become a Rotterdam tradition, which will pass for generations.” Ruijter, on the other hand, continues with the order of the day. “We can take a breather, but people also want to be able to buy bread or cake after King’s Day.”
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