On the 27th of April 2024, King Willem-Alexander and members of the royal family will visit Emmen to celebrate his birthday, the public holiday known as Koningsdag or ‘King’s Day’. The announcement was made by the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (the government information services), on Friday, July 7th.
Eric van Oosterhout, the mayor of Emmen, told the NOS that he is delighted by the King’s visit and wants to show him, and the rest of the Netherlands, exactly what Emmen is all about.
“We want to show the best of ourselves during the visit,” Van Oosterhout said. The day will also be an opportunity “to bring the pride of the inhabitants of the municipality and region to [the king’s] attention.”
The Royal Family’s prior visits to Drenthe
This will be the first time that King Willem-Alexander visits the Drenthe area for his birthday. His mother, Queen Beatrix, last visited in 2002 when she celebrated Queen’s Day in the cities of Hoogeveen and Meppel. The King and his family visited Groningen during King’s Day 2018.
During his birthday celebrations in 2023, which aligned with his 10th anniversary on the throne, the king chose to head south to Rotterdam for the festivities.
A program for the king’s highly anticipated visit to Emmen is yet to be announced.
