Amsterdam City Council says the capital was busy for Saturday’s national holiday of Queen’s Day, but that the festivities passed off well.
An estimated 800,000 people descended on the capital for the celebrations, about the same number as last year. Mayor Eberhard van der Laan described it as a pleasant and agreeable day.
Amsterdam’s squares were the focal point and the capital’s Rembrandt Square, with its many bars and clubs, was “full, like in the old days”, according to the mayor’s spokesperson.
Day's not over
Museum Square (a large expanse of lawns behind the capital’s main museums) hosted a festival put on by pop station Radio 538. The organisers said 150,000 people were crammed into the square at the height of the party which ended at 9 pm.
Although the police have not issued official figures, it is thought more than 100 people were arrested through the day. There are likely to be more held as people continue to party into the hours of darkness. “Certainly not everyone has gone home. The day’s not over for us yet,” said a police spokesperson.
(mw)
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Email this Bulletin
Printer-friendly version
