King’s Day Brings Dutch Street Party Vibes to Millcreek Common

Every April in the Netherlands, the streets erupt in a sea of orange for King’s Day—a nationwide celebration of royalty, spring, and good times. Now, that same spirit is rolling into Millcreek Common, where Dutch music, street food, quirky games, and a whole lot of orange will transform Salt Lake into a pop-up Amsterdam.

Connie Lewis

April 4, 2025

It might be a well kept secret, but the Dutch like to party, and on April 26, the party comes to Salt Lake City. The Old Dutch Store and Dutch Club of Utah will sponsor their own version of Koningsdag, or King’s Day, celebrating the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander’s, birthday.

In Amsterdam and other cities, King’s Day is a huge street party where revellers dress in orange, the official Dutch color.

According to Sharon Wuolukka, owner of the Old Dutch Store, “People who have been in the Netherlands for the event say that all the orange is almost overwhelming. Everything is orange. And everyone is happy and ready to party in celebration not just of the King’s birthday, but the end of winter and the coming of spring.”

This year’s festival marks the fourth year of the Salt Lake celebration. It started at The Gateway, but since last year has moved to Millcreek Common on 1354 E Chambers Ave. Wuolukka is excited for the venue which offers free access to their roller skating rink (bring your own skates), and the rock climbing wall.

King’s Day is a free admission, family-friendly event. DJ Marc van Brabant, from San Francisco, will be on hand to set the party mood with Dutch music. Dutch cuisine will be offered for sale with everything from Chicken Satay with peanut sauce to beef croquettes, a deep-fried Dutch street food that is crunchy outside with a beef meat sauce inside. And don’t forget the sweet treats!

Kids will have a chance to set up at the Flea Market where they can sell handmade items and run “silly” games, like spijkerpoepen (which translates to the ‘nail pooping game’), where participants put a string around their waist with a nail hanging in the back. The idea is to squat low enough to get the nail in a bottle.

Other offerings will include a variety of beer, and Wuolukka says they’ll be serving orange mimosas. Also, you won’t want to miss out on the great variety of food provided by vendors. A bicycle parade will be held at the skating rink where orange decor will be available to help participants dress up their bikes. Millcreek Skate Legends will be performing.

For those with ties to the Netherlands, there will be a ‘Love Your Legacy’ booth. Wuolukka says, “It is a chance to share messages, stories, and mementos of the immigration experience. There are a lot of Dutch people here as well as LDS missionaries who went there and fell in love with the country.”

King’s Day opens April 26 at 11am and will continue to 5pm.

Feature Image at King’s Day 2024. DJ Marc van Brabant in the background. Photos courtesy of Sharon Wuolukka.

Community Events, Fun Guide

Connie Lewis

Connie has been with Utah Stories since 2013, and has enjoyed learning everything involved in producing a monthly magazine. In addition to writing, Connie performs administrative tasks, coordinates writers, photographers and editors, and oversees a million little details. Her least favorite word is ‘deadline.’ A journalism class at the University of Utah sparked Connie’s love of writing. Finding it hard to narrow her interests to just one major, journalism allowed her to explore a wide variety of topics and disciplines. When she is not writing, Connie loves spending time with her family and traveling with her dogs. “It has been a pleasure learning new things about the state I was born in and meeting the people who make Utah great,” she says. Connie plans to continue her love of learning and improving as the magazine moves onward and upward.