Festival · City of Amsterdam
Koningsdag on the Canals
The canal ring (binnenstad), Amsterdam52.37000, 4.88400
About the event
Koningsdag (King's Day) is the King's birthday and the Netherlands' biggest street party, and in Amsterdam a huge part of it happens on the water. In 2027 it falls on Tuesday 27 April. From mid-morning the canal ring, the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht and Herengracht, along with the Amstel and the edges of the Jordaan, fills end to end with decorated boats, music and orange. The access routes through the Oosterdok, the Amstel and the Westerdok see the strictest permit checks and fill first. It is as much a navigation challenge as an event: in recent years the City has capped boats in the old centre at under 10 metres, limited each boat to 12 passengers plus a skipper, held the speed to about 6 km/h, kept the skipper to the car alcohol limit, and run a one-way system on several canals. Those rules and the one-way directions change year to year and are published on the City's own Koningsdag boating map, a fresh vaarkaart each year, which is the thing to read before the day. Note the widely reported city-centre closure from early morning to evening is for road traffic, not boats.
The organiser
There is no single organiser for Koningsdag on the water: the whole city is out on it. The City of Amsterdam sets the rules that make the day work, the boating permit, the speed limit, the boat-size and passenger caps, and publishes a fresh Koningsdag boating map each year.
From the water
This is the busiest day of the year on Amsterdam's water, and the canal ring is the whole point: the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and the Amstel pack solid with decorated boats from mid-morning. It is a slow, shoulder-to-shoulder drift, not a cruise. In recent years the rules have been strict and worth knowing before you go: around 6 km/h, keep to the right, only boats shorter than 10 metres in the binnenstad (the old centre), a cap of 12 passengers plus the skipper, and the skipper held to the car driver's alcohol limit. The City publishes a fresh Koningsdag boating map each year with the one-way canals and any closures, so check the current one before you set out.
How it works
Going to this one by boat
The rules: In recent years: boats under 10 metres only in the old centre, 12 passengers plus the skipper, about 6 km/h, keep to the right, and the skipper held to the car driver's alcohol limit. A valid vaarvignet is required. The rules and the one-way canals are set fresh each year on the City's Koningsdag boating map, so check it before you go.
Free: No ticket. Being on the water needs the normal vaarvignet (the city's boating permit), not a King's Day pass.
The day: Boats fill the canal ring from mid-morning, with the strictest permit checks on the Oosterdok, Amstel and Westerdok access routes. It is a slow, packed drift through the centre, not a cruise, and runs through the day.
On the map
Where to moor
Do not count on mooring. The centre is jammed and the quays are full, so this is a day for keeping moving in the flow rather than tying up. If you need to stop, do it well outside the busy ring. Wherever you do tie up, the signs on the quay have the final say, and on Koningsdag the posted and marshalled rules are enforced hard.
Free public canal-wall tie-up on the Keizersgracht in the Nine Streets (de Negen Straatjes). A short step from a Jumbo City for provisions, with cafés and toilets close by in this busy central stretch.
Weather & wind
Forecast lands closer to the day. Check back within 10 days of the event.
Our take as floating people
If you love a crowd, there is nothing else like it, a whole city afloat and in orange, and it is free to be part of. If you do not, this is the one day to take the outer water instead: while half the city is wedged into the canal ring, the Amstel south of the centre, the IJ and the lakes are about as open as they ever get. Either way, go in with the rules straight, under 10 metres for the centre, 12 people plus you, slow and to the right, and the skipper stone-cold sober, because they are marshalled and enforced hard on the day. And read this year's official boating map first: the one-way canals and closures are set fresh each year, and last year's is not a promise.
Don't miss the next one
Events like this need real planning, sometimes a captain's spot needs booking weeks out. Set a reminder, and we'll email you about this one and others like it.
Good to know
When is Koningsdag 2027 in Amsterdam?
Tuesday 27 April 2027. King's Day is 27 April unless that is a Sunday, when it moves; in 2027 it stays on the 27th.
Can you go out on a boat on King's Day in Amsterdam?
Yes, and it is the biggest day of the year on the water, but it is heavily regulated and packed solid in the centre. You need a valid vaarvignet, and in recent years only boats under 10 metres may enter the old centre. Check the City's Koningsdag boating map for the current year's rules before you set out.
What are the boat rules on Koningsdag?
In recent years: a valid vaarvignet, about 6 km/h, keep to the right, boats under 10 metres only in the binnenstad, a maximum of 12 passengers plus the skipper, and the skipper held to the car driver's alcohol limit, with fines for breaking the passenger cap. These are set fresh each year, so confirm on the City's official Koningsdag boating map.
Is there a one-way system on the canals?
Yes. In recent years several canals run one-way on the day (the Prinsengracht, Singel, Oudeschans and Nieuwe Herengracht among them), but which canals and which direction change year to year and are published only on the City's interactive Koningsdag boating map. Read that year's map rather than relying on last year's.
Are any canals closed to boats on King's Day?
We have not found a blanket boating ban or a named closed canal with set hours. The widely reported city-centre closure from early morning to evening is for road traffic, not boats. Bridge openings and detours do change on the day, so check the City's boating map.
Around the event · 6
Curated Floating Today spots within a short hop of the water here.
More on the water
We list this as an event we think is worth knowing about. We're not the organiser, and these details aren't official. City of Amsterdam and the signs on the quay have the final say, so give them the final word. More in our Terms.