Events in April 2008
Kathleen's Amsterdam
Vibrant blooms, outdoor terraces and one almighty orange street party – Amsterdam is a colourful place to be in April! This month the city sees an influx of tourists, the welcome arrival of warmer (but still unpredictable) weather and long dusky evenings. These factors alone are enough to instil Amsterdam with an air of excitement and an expectant buzz - and then there's Koninginnedag.
- Koninginnedag
- Party Time
- Colour Me Orange
- Words of Wisdom
- The Winston Nightclub
Koninginnedag
Koninginnedag or Queen's Day is celebrated on the April 30, each year. The festival started as a celebration of Queen Wilhelmina's birthday on August 31 and moved to April 30 (the birthday of Queen Juliana) after 1948. When Queen Beatrix succeeded Juliana she decided to keep the holiday on April 30th as a tribute to her mother. This worked out well for everybody – especially as Queen Beatrix's birthday falls in the slightly cooler month of January!
Party Time
The Dutch love any excuse for a party and in Amsterdam Queen's Day is the biggest party of the year. Twenty four hours of frolicking kicks off on Koninginnenacht (Queen's Night) the evening before with a carnival, street parties, bands playing on every corner and a fair old amount of drinking. Agoraphobics beware! It feels like the whole country takes to the streets with beer and Dutch flags in hand. If you can make it into Amsterdam at all the next day, you'll find food stalls, street performers, and a citywide market. Queen's Day is the only day of the year that street trade is unregulated in the Netherlands and everyone takes advantage with people selling absolutely anything to absolutely anyone. Items are laid out on blankets, on car bonnets, in parks and outside homes. Even children get in on the bartering.
Colour Me Orange
Amsterdam's streets become a blaze of orange clothes, hair, makeup and banners in honour of the Dutch Royal Family - the House of Orange. If you're due to be in Amsterdam on Queen's Day and don't want to feel completely ostracised, it may pay to hunt out that orange t-shirt you never thought you'd never wear.
Words of Wisdom
Finally here are a few words of wisdom to make sure you enjoy the festivities. Keep an eye on your valuables, wear comfortable shoes, take lots of change and prepare to party - Dutch style!
- Kathleen
The Winston Nightclub
April 5, 2008 - The Horse Meat Club with DJ Jasper
23.00 - 04.00 €6
Alternative and experimental dance night with loads of known and unknown hits from the 1950's until now. Expect all kinds of music including Rock, Hip Hop, New Wave and Dance.
April 10, Stitching GRAP
20.00 - 23.00 €6 (€5 with flyer)
Latupe, MENGER and KC, Apes in the Orange Grove, Channa, Renske and Pampus play sweet Indie Pop live. Influences include Simon and Garfunkel, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley and Brian Ferry.
April 15 - Strafwerk
22.00 - 03.00 €6
DJs Kouam Djoko, Daniel Sanchez and Jorrit Weeda spin the decks for a night of electro, minimal partying.
April 20 – Politics, Channah, Fabiana Dammers and Paulina Dubai play live.
21.00 - 00.00 | €6
Politics have been compared to all kinds of bands and artists - ranging from The Velvet Underground to Giant Sand and Spoon. Channah sounds pessimistic in a good, punky way and has a good voice with enormous flair. Fabiana Dammers is a singer, songwriter who plays music in the same vein as Bright Eyes and Damien Rice. Paulina Dubai makes Keith Caputo and Jeff Buckley influenced music.
April 25 – Greendive, Jasmine and the Jack Stafford Foundation play live.
21.00 - 23.00 €6
Greendive's have a similar sound to that of The Frames and Racoon. Jasmine and the Jack Stafford Foundation sound like The Beautiful South in the early days, mixed up Syd Barrett and Joan Baez.
April 30, Cheeky Queensday
21.00 - 03.00 €10
DJs Randall, Vapour and other Cheeky Monday residents play Tru-skool, Drum'n'Bass and Junglistics.
