General

The Municipality of Doetinchem had officially invited the King and his family to come celebrate King’s Day in Doetinchem on April 26, 2025. We are still honored, super proud and happy that the King had accepted our invitation.

The King had not previously celebrated King’s Day in the province of Gelderland. Doetinchem is the heart of one of the most beautiful regions of Gelderland; the Achterhoek. Over 20% of all Gelderlanders live in our region!

We saw this as a great opportunity to introduce the King, his family and the rest of the Netherlands to the people and life in Doetinchem and the Achterhoek. We showed that we are a city and a region of extremes. Here you have everything. Traditions and modern developments. Peace and space and atmosphere and conviviality. Old crafts and innovative companies that are global market leaders. And much more…

The program

Check the page about the program to see what was on April 25, 26 and 27 in Doetinchem. On the page about the Royal walk you will find all information about the route the Royal family walked through the center of Doetinchem on Saturday, April 26, 2025.

The organization

The Municipality of Doetinchem organized Kings Day 2025 in cooperation with various parties. The organization operated from the Orange House at Boliestraat 29 in Doetinchem.

Region and province

The Province of Gelderland warmly supported the invitation to the King from the municipality of Doetinchem. It is good practice for the King to celebrate King’s Day in a city with a regional function. Doetinchem has this regional function within the Achterhoek and that is one of the reasons why Koningsdag in 2025 was celebrated in Doetinchem. The program reflected the people and life in Doetinchem and the Achterhoek (8 municipalities).

Involvement of the Royal House

For information about the involvement of the Royal House, we refer you to the website of the Royal house.

Costs

You can read more about the finances of King’s Day 2025 on the budget page.

Emergency ordinance King’s Day

During Kings Day, additional rules apply in certain areas. These rules are included in the Emergency Ordinance Koningsdag 2025 Doetinchem. This emergency ordinance was necessary for the safe conduct of King’s Day. You can find the Emergency Ordinance via official announcements.

Safety

We paid great attention to public order and safety. Both visible and invisible measures were taken to make the event not only festive but also safe.

As with any major event, there is a focus on safety during King’s Day. Kings Day should be a celebration for all residents and visitors, that was paramount. And everyone should be able to feel safe. In the center we therefore temporarily hung extra cameras. These cameras were sometimes close to homes, but they never filmed in homes.

We kept downtown safe by closing many roads in and around downtown. Check out the traffic measures on the traffic measures page.

The Oude IJssel was closed from Thursday, April 24, 2025 4 p.m. to Saturday, April 26, 2025 4 p.m. for freight traffic and pleasure craft (waterway closure). This applied only in Doetinchem from the Europa Bridge to the Railway Bridge. So unfortunately you could not watch Koningsdag in a boat from the Oude IJssel.

During the event Koningsdag in Doetinchem, together we ensure that everyone has a festive and safe day. At the temporarily designated event site:


  • Pictures and videos will be taken. So keep smiling! When you enter this area, you automatically give the organization permission to use these festive images.
  • We understand you want to enjoy a drink. You can get that from our welcoming hospitality staff. Alcoholic beverages and glassware are not allowed with you. Neither are drugs, for that matter. NIX18.
  • Must leave the following attributes at home: drones (improvised or potential) percussion, impact and other weapons, flares, fireworks or other objects suspected of being aimed at disturbing public order or obstructing police action, face coverings with the intention of making recognition difficult or frustrating. Signs, images and/or uttering texts that are offensive, inflammatory or discriminatory are also not permitted.
  • Therefore, can your bag be checked. You may also be searched.
  • May not distribute flyers or sell stuff without our permission.
  • Will everyone stay outside the fences of the route. Want to cross? Then use the designated crossing areas after receiving permission from police and security personnel.
  • Don’t bring your bike: you can park it in the designated bike racks.
  • Finally, listen carefully to the instructions of police and security. If you break one or more rules, you will be removed from the event site and may be denied access.