On Wednesday 27 April 2022, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, Her Majesty Queen Máxima and members of the Royal Family will celebrate King’s Day in Maastricht. After the cancellation in 2020 due to the outbreak of the corona pandemic, the capital of Limburg is once again ready to receive the royal family. The city of Maastricht and the South Limburg region will present themselves with an appealing programme to the royal guests, visitors and TV viewers. Music, completely in line with South Limburg tradition, will play the leading role.
The celebration is all about freedom and solidarity. Our country has a long tradition of harmony, justice and the protection of human values. On King’s Day, the Netherlands will show how important it is to live in freedom and security. To emphasise this, the red-white-blue flag will be flying in almost all Dutch streets. King’s Day 2022 is about appreciating and celebrating this life of connectedness in our city, with the theme: Leef Maastricht! (In English: Live Maastricht).
“King’s Day is a day of unity. We are experiencing the importance of unity now more than ever. The war in Ukraine shows that we must constantly look for connection and that it is crucial to openly show respect and solidarity. Let us respect each other’s differences, regardless of origin, race, nationality, religion and sex; both in the Netherlands and in the rest of the world. Our hearts go out to the Ukrainians. As the city of Maastricht, we are honoured to be able to organise this day of unity. We are also delighted that the King is offering us a new opportunity after the cancellation in 2020. We will fulfil our promise with an extra brilliant day. A day on which we will pay tribute to living in harmony and unity,” said burgemeester (mayor) Annemarie Penn-te Strake.
Leef
Maastricht has picked up where it left off in 2020. The program initiated then and the same route as announced in 2020 will be maintained. The title of this King’s Day is: Leef Maastricht! (Live Maastricht!). It shows the many aspects of Maastricht life: the life of bon vivants, working life, association life, cultural life, student life and all those other lives that give the Limburg capital its distinctive character. Leef Maastricht! is also about togetherness and connectedness, about big and small things, about style and diversity. And not coincidentally, Leef Maastricht has a second meaning in the city, because it means ‘Dear Maastricht’ in Maastricht dialect. The royal bus will stop at 11.00 am on the Sint Servaasbrug. The route will then continue on foot via Vissersmaas, Het Bat, Graanmarkt, Onze Lieve Vrouweplein, Bredestraat and the grand finale at Vrijthof.
International region
International region “Living together is central to the south. Life in Limburg goes beyond city and municipal boundaries and beyond our bon vivant and touristic character. On King’s Day we will introduce you to life in Limburg. Where, in addition to harmony and concord, innovation, culture and European cooperation have a place.” says gouverneur (king’s commissioner) Emile Roemer. “With the most Europe-oriented university in the country, Limburg characterises itself as the most international region of the Netherlands. Different nationalities, talent and innovation come together on the four Brightlands campuses. Experience it with us on April 27 through a varied programme.”
Party
After the visit of the royal family, Maastricht will celebrate King’s Day all day long with numerous music performances, sports and markets. The big stage at Vrijthof will be starring La Pegatina (known from major music festivals such as Pinkpop, Lowlands and Sziget), cover band The Dirty Daddies and Martijn Fischer as André Hazes. Several side events will take place throughout the city.
Photo by Visitmaastricht.
Source : Maastricht municipality website