Feasting, hopping, jumping and dancing, hundreds of thousands of partygoers populated the streets and squares on King’s Day. There were 135,000 partygoers in Eindhoven alone on Wednesday. Despite the crowds, the party went well in many places. In Breda, police officers went along relaxed from left to right on Snollebollekes.
Where in 2019 there were still 110,000 visitors partying in the center of Eindhoven, this year 135,000 people came to the center. Especially on the Stadhuisplein, the revelers stood in rows behind each other.
It was busy in many more places. For example, because of the crowds, the municipality of Breda called on people not to come to the city center anymore ‘to keep it cozy.’ And they succeeded, according to Johan Vos, chairman of the local Koninklijke Horeca Nederland.
“People were looking forward to it again after sitting inside for a long time.”
“It was a super party with about 100,000 partygoers and the busiest edition in ages,” says the Breda chairman. “You noticed that people were looking forward to it again, we’ve been inside long enough.”
According to Vos, the radiant weather played a part in the crowds. He is also pleased with the atmosphere among the visitors. “I want to give my compliments to the partygoers that this is possible. No bad things have happened,” says the chairman. The police in Breda saw this as a great opportunity to profit from the party themselves.
For example, images on Instagram show that agents behind the fences of the grounds of 538 King’s Day rush along on Links Right of Snollebollekes.
Waiting for privacy settings…
The Helmond catering industry also had a good day. “There were about 50,000 visitors in the center,” says Peter van de Heuvel of the local catering association.
“During King’s Day in 2019, there were about 35,000, so it was a lot busier. That did lead to overcrowded bicycle sheds and parking garages, but the party itself went great without incident.”
Also in Roosendaal the boas did not have to take action for irregularities. “We dare not say exactly how many party goers there were, but it was a pleasantly busy day. There were many families,” the municipality of Roosendaal said.
King’s Night was busier than King’s Day in Tilburg because the crowds spread more across the city on Wednesday, the municipality said. Like the other cities, the atmosphere in the city center was pleasant with few incidents.
“A new experience of King’s Day after two years of corona.”
Bernard Kuenen of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland Den Bosch department noticed that the partying felt like coming home again for many visitors. “After two years of corona, this edition seemed like a new experience of King’s Day. Everything was fine with the weather, the friendly atmosphere and the crowds. There will have been about 2 to 3 thousand people on the Parade alone.”