Orange sign reads Begin vrijmarkt with a canal, parked bicycles, and buildings in the background on a sunny day.

This afternoon the inner city of Utrecht slowly turns orange when the annual King’s Night starts. In and around the center of Utrecht there are parties and we have what is called the Vrijmarkt, which loosely translates to “Sell the trash from your attic and shed in front of our house”-market. These parties and the self-proclaimed street-entrepreneurship naturally transcends into the King’s Day festivities which will happen tomorrow. Not only in Utrecht but throughout the whole country. I don’t have any warm connection to our monarchy or the ceremonial traditions it tries to represent. But I find the orange-clad crowds partying in the streets, the young salespeople finding a quick buck a nice way to spend the day off.

A bustling street market with numerous people browsing stalls against a backdrop of townhouses under a cloudy sky.

My wife and I had a small walk through some of the streets where you can buy any old vinyl, half-broken toys, shady “second-hand” bikes, questionable “vintage” jewelry and other knick-knacks. I had the idea to find a small collection of toys and assorted plastic junk I could use to kitbash some new monsters and robots together.

Alas, no luck during the small walk tonight. We might try again tomorrow, when we will visit the terrain of the University College around the corner. There will be foodtrucks and again a children’s Vrijmarkt. But we will start King’s Day with at least one tradition at home: the orange Tompouce! A Dutch pastry that consists of two layers of crispy puff pastry with an airy, creamy filling in between, topped with a sweet orange glaze. Maybe more pictures tomorrow…