Colors of Arnhem - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Local people celebrate a number of holidays, from memorable events to music festivals. Without a doubt, the King’s Day is one of the most beloved celebrations among locals. Previously it was known as the Queen’s Day. Queen Wilhelmina was the one who started the tradition. Her birthday was celebrated by nearly three generations of the Dutch on April 30th until King Willem-Alexander was crowned in 2013. He changed the name from the Queen’s Day to the King’s Day and shifted the holiday to the 27th of April. An interesting fact – Willem-Alexander is the first king on the Dutch throne in 213 years.

On the King’s Day, orange becomes the main color in Arnhem. Crowds of people wear orange clothes, and local cafes and restaurants have orange colored decorations. The reason for that is simple – this is the color of the Royal Dutch Family. There are a number of events and festivities associated with the holiday, so the end of April is a wonderful time to visit Arnhem! For example, the annual Koningsmarkt opens on this day. Local people are not only buyers but also sellers there. Everyone can register as a seller for a small fee and sell their stuff at the Gele Rijdersplein. For many people, this market is a wonderful way to clean their closets.

Families with children will also not be bored. King’s Park Sonsbeek is always waiting for children and their parents. The whole park turns into one large celebration area with amusements and special performances for kids. King’s Feast Schaarsbergen is also a very interesting place. There is a market selling toys, clothes for children, decorated bicycles, and many other items that children will surely like. There are also playgrounds that will keep kids busy and entertained for several hours. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Fans of loud parties also wait this holiday with anticipation. Young people simply cannot miss King Size Arnhem – the great destination for all fans of music and fun. There are two parties – the party on Markt te Arnhem that starts the evening before and ends on April 27th at midnight, and the after party in Korenmarkt that starts on the noon and lasts till midnight.

Arnhem is also a popular destination for fans of famous Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn. An interesting fact – the grandfather of Hepburn, baron van Heemstra, became the mayor of Arnhem in 1910. When Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, mother of Audrey Hepburn decided to bring her daughter to Arnhem. Starting from 1939 and to 1945, Audrey attended the Arnhem Conservatory. This was also the place where Hepburn started attending ballet classes and then became the best pupil in the group. When the Germans invaded the Netherlands, she even had to change her name to Edda van Heemstra to make it sound less English.

From July to September, local people and guests of Arnhem enjoy a beautiful festival – 3D street paintings event. This is a relatively new festival that appeared only four years ago. Eleven artists from different parts of the world gather in Arnhem to decorate streets. The whole center of the city turns into a large exhibition area, and everyone is welcome to come and see beautiful works of art. In 2017, the festival’s theme was “Nature”. In recent years, artists made 3D paintings about Freedom WW2, Van Gogh, and Olympics.

In 2004, one more interesting festival appeared in Arnhem. It is called Free Your Mind. It’s an annual event that is particularly popular with young people. The festival has a very unusual location – on the former battlefield of the Second World War. Nowadays, best DJs from all over the world come to perform on the stages of the festival. The genres vary from minimal to techno and progressive. Many young people from different parts of the Netherlands and other European countries like this music festival and try to visit it every year.