Orange-Clad Crowds Cram into to Dutch Cities to Celebrate King Willem-Alexander’s Birthday

People celebrate King's Day in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP)
People celebrate King's Day in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP)
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Orange-Clad Crowds Cram into to Dutch Cities to Celebrate King Willem-Alexander’s Birthday

People celebrate King's Day in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP)
People celebrate King's Day in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP)

Across the Netherlands, people donned orange clothes — from tuxedos to feather boas — and boats packed with revelers clogged Amsterdam's canals to celebrate their king's birthday Saturday.

In an Amsterdam park, a dog called Lucy sported orange-dyed fur.

“I love it. It’s a day where every year everyone just comes together, just celebrates and it doesn’t matter where you’re from everyone is just accepted," said 22-year-old Dicky van Warmerdam. "And if you look around, it’s just a giant party and who doesn’t want that?”

The official royal walkabout by King Willem-Alexander and family members in the eastern town of Doetinchem started an hour later than planned so as not to clash with the funeral at the Vatican of Pope Francis.

In a video message, Willem-Alexander said the day of Dutch celebration “has two faces” due to the pope's funeral, and paid tribute to Francis.

“For many Catholics and non-Catholics, he was a source of inspiration,” the king said.

The king's 58th birthday is on Sunday, but King's Day was held a day earlier.

The celebrations began Friday night with street markets in the central city of Utrecht and parties in other towns and cities.

By Saturday afternoon, some canals in the Dutch capital were crammed with boats, the water sometimes barely visible through the throngs of people and clouds of orange smoke from flares.

In a message on social media, Amsterdam Municipality said parts of the city were “too full” and urged people not to visit Amsterdam and “celebrate King's Day somewhere else.” Other cities also reported that events were overcrowded.

In Amsterdam's Vondel Park, children spread out blankets and sold unwanted toys, clothes and books in one of the many “free markets” that spring up on sidewalks and parks.

And it wasn't just the Dutch who were celebrating in Amsterdam.

“It is a great moment for togetherness, to be with friends, you know, ... to make new connections," said 23-year-old Lorenzo Soldi from Italy.



Many Flights to Indonesia’s Bali Cancelled after Volcano Eruption 

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews smoke and volcanic ash as seen from Kawalelo village in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, June 17, 2025. (Reuters) 
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews smoke and volcanic ash as seen from Kawalelo village in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, June 17, 2025. (Reuters) 
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Many Flights to Indonesia’s Bali Cancelled after Volcano Eruption 

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews smoke and volcanic ash as seen from Kawalelo village in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, June 17, 2025. (Reuters) 
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews smoke and volcanic ash as seen from Kawalelo village in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, June 17, 2025. (Reuters) 

Several flights to the Indonesian resort island of Bali were cancelled or delayed and the airport in Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara province was closed due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, officials said on Wednesday.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, which is in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash 11 km (6.84 miles) high, forcing the country's volcanology agency to raise the alert level to the highest.

It erupted again on Wednesday morning, belching a 1 km (0.62 mile) high ash cloud, the agency said in a statement.

Several international flights from India, Singapore and Australia to Bali were cancelled due to the eruption, the Bali international airport website showed. Singapore Airlines cancelled four flights between Bali's Denpasar airport and Singapore, and its budget subsidiary Scoot cancelled flights to Bali and the neighboring island Lombok, the airlines said.

Qantas' low-cost carrier JetStar cancelled several morning flights to Bali from Australia and expects afternoon flights to be delayed.

"Forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight," JetStar said in a midday travel bulletin.

The government closed the Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere from Wednesday until Thursday "to ensure the safety of the passengers," said the airport operator AirNav in its Instagram post.

The eruption also forced local authorities to evacuate dozens of residents living in two villages near the volcano, Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency told Reuters.

"Streets in the two villages were filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand," she said, adding no casualties were reported.

The volcano last erupted in May.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates.