King's Day speech template (Netherlands)
Published 10 October 2026 · Date checked on 5 October 2026 · Written by the Cue Card Converter team at EventProgrammer, event production professionals
King's Day, or Koningsdag, celebrates the birthday of King Willem-Alexander on 27 April, or on 26 April when the 27th falls on a Sunday. It replaced Queen's Day in 2014, after he became king. The day is known for orange clothing, a nod to the royal House of Orange-Nassau, and for free markets where people sell second-hand goods in the street. The royal family visits a different town each year, and music and street parties fill the country.
- Date
- April 27 (April 26 if Sunday)
- Next dates
- Tuesday 27 April 2027
Thursday 27 April 2028
Friday 27 April 2029 - Country
- Netherlands
- Tone
- Celebratory
- Typical events
- Dutch embassy receptions, Dutch clubs and schools abroad, company parties, neighbourhood street markets and sports club gatherings on or around King's Day.
- Length
- 165 spoken words · about 1.5 min at 130 words a minute · 4 cue cards
The King's Day speech, ready as cue cards
A complete host script in 4 cards, about 1.5 minutes of speaking. Open it in the editor to add your names, change the card size or highlights, and print.
- A SEA OF ORANGE1 / 4
Good afternoon, and what a sea of orange. I'm {Your name}, and on behalf of {Organisation} welcome to our King's Day celebration. Whether you are Dutch, partly Dutch or simply here for the fun, today you are part of the family. - A NATIONAL BIRTHDAY PARTY2 / 4
Today the Netherlands celebrates the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. Across the country, streets turn into markets, children sell old toys on blankets, and towns fill with music. It is less about ceremony and more about community: neighbours, friends and strangers all wearing the same colour. - THE ORANGE AWARD3 / 4
Now for the moment you have been waiting for. Our jury has studied every orange hat, scarf and painted face in the room. This year's prize for the most orange outfit goes to {Winner's name}.
[APPLAUSE – WINNER COLLECTS PRIZE]
Congratulations, and very well dressed. - A TOAST TO THE KING4 / 4
Please raise your glass, whether it holds oranjebitter or orange lemonade. To the King, to the Netherlands and to everyone celebrating far from home. Lang leve de Koning! Enjoy the music, visit the stalls and have a wonderful afternoon.
Red is used only for names, titles, organisations, dates, times and section headings. Replace the words in {curly brackets} with your own details; lines in [SQUARE BRACKETS] are stage directions and are not read aloud.
How to adapt it
- Check the date each year: King's Day moves to 26 April when 27 April is a Sunday. If your party is held on another day, change 'today' in the cards.
- Ask guests in the invitation to wear orange, the colour of the royal House of Orange-Nassau. Orange decorations and a small prize for the best outfit set a relaxed tone.
- At formal receptions the national anthem, the Wilhelmus, is often played. Usually only the first and sixth stanzas are sung, so print those words for guests.
- Lang leve de Koning means 'long live the King'. King's Day is a popular festival rather than a state ceremony, so keep royal references warm and brief.
Print and rehearse
“Edit and print these cards” opens the script in the free cue card maker, where you can choose A5, 4 × 6 or 3 × 5 inch cards, print several per sheet with cut lines or export PDF, PowerPoint and Word, and rehearse full screen in practice mode. To write your own programme around it, see how to write an MC script and the run of show template.
Sources
Date and background checked on 5 October 2026 against: Which days are official public holidays in the Netherlands? | Government.nl. Customs vary between organisations and regions; always follow the official programme of your event.
More Netherlands speech templates
- Remembrance Day · May 4
- Liberation Day · May 5