With five hundred ideas from the population, a logo and a motto, Emmen has King’s Day 2024 in the works before December. The royal family will visit the municipality next year.
Since the announcement this summer, they have been busy daily at the Emmen town hall with the arrival of the frost. The municipality does not want an old-fashioned King’s Day with sack races and cookie bites, but also does not want a decadent party where public money is thrown around.
Down to earth, modest and surprising
Mayor Eric van Oosterhout therefore previously called on Emmen residents to think about the details of Willem Alexander’s 57th birthday party. Five hundred responses were received, ranging from an invitation for a cup of coffee to modern art, dance and music. Van Oosterhout says he can fill three days with this, but does not yet want to say which ideas will actually become reality.
Emmen states that it wants to organize a King’s Day from the heart in which, according to the municipality, space, energy and pride are central. According to the municipal council, these three concepts are in Emmen’s genes. “We are down-to-earth and modest, but also surprising!”, reads the promo.
Call for doodles
Society is also being asked for help in the next phase of the organization to make the orange visit next spring a success. They may take care of the decoration of the tour through the center by so-called doodles to send in. These simple drawings of pen strokes will be seen on flags, banners and the rolled out runner.
In addition to the bag campaign, the municipality also launched the logo for King’s Day 2024 on Thursday. It focuses on the municipal symbol the butterfly, which the organization calls a beloved friend of all. “Our orange butterfly is made up of three hearts with the chest forward and a proud look. It represents our past, present and future and represents space, energy and pride,” says Mayor Eric van Oosterhout.
In the centre
At the express wish of the royal family, the festivities will be concentrated in the center of Emmen and no outer villages or neighboring municipalities will be visited. This also has to do with the organization of safety of the Oranjes.
It is the first time since the visit to Meppel and Hoogeveen in 2002 that the royal family celebrates the national holiday in Drenthe. It is now estimated that the total visit of the Orange family will cost 1.5 million euros.