If you have ever watched the Dutch national soccer team play football anywhere in the world — or if you’ve been in Amsterdam during Holland‘s annual King’s Day celebration (formerly Queen’s Day) — you may wonder why nearly all Dutch people dress in orange during such occasions.
After all, the colors of the official Dutch flag are red, white, and blue.
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Dutch Royal Family: The House of Orange
The answer is simple: Orange is the color of the Dutch Royal Family, which hails from the House of Orange.
More specifically:
The House of Orange-Nassau (in Dutch: Huis van Oranje-Nassau), a branch of the German House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands — and at times in Europe — since William I of Orange (also known as “William the Silent” and “Father of the Fatherland”) organized the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years’ War led to an independent Dutch state.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Wikipedia also notes that “Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France.
The Dutch find these type of events to be very gezellig
There’s a whole bunch of dry to very dry history behind all of it.
Suffice it to say that to this day members of the House of Orange are extremely popular in the Netherlands. The color orange has come to symbolize the country, and to signify national pride.
On royal birthdays, the Dutch tricolor is flown with an orange pennant above it. Each year on April 27, Amsterdam — and indeed the entire county — turns orange. Revelers can be heard to sing, “Oranje boven, oranje boven. leve the Koning!” (Orange on top, Orange on top. Long Live the King!)
By the way: Amsterdam has it’s own flag – “the most badass city flag in the world.“
The Only Day On Which Not To Wear Orange
Speaking of King’s Day: As you know, this national celebration — which takes place on April 27 — was formerly known as Queen’s Day. Queen’s Day was celebrated on the 30th of April.
And wouldn’t you know it, for years after the switch was made, quite a few enthusiastic tourists flew to Amsterdam on April 30th — wearing as many orange clothes as they could find. Oh, the perils of using outdated travel guides!
These orange clad revelers became known as #vergistoeristen — vergistoeristen (“mistake tourists”).
#vergistoeristen It is not today pic.twitter.com/91HbkzJn8Q
— Joey van Maanen (@JoeyvanMaanen) April 30, 2017
Hence, a word to the wise. Do not wear anything orange on April 30th.
Soccer (Football) and Orange – Viral Dutch Fans
Oranje, Dutch for orange, is the nickname of the Dutch national soccer team.
Wherever they play, the national team is followed around by the army of sports fans known as the ‘Orange Legion’ (Dutch: Oranje Legioen). They turn stadiums, streets, and bars orange everywhere they go.
Supporters have been known to turn local campings into ‘Camp Orange.’ When possible, the supporters march en-masse from a central location to the stadium where their team plays.
Win or lose, Netherlands soccer fans (that’s football fans to Americans) are famous for supporting the Orange team in a positive way.
A couple of years ago the stellar performance of the Netherlands women’s national football team (Dutch: Nederlands vrouwenvoetbalelftal) in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament did not go unnoticed.
Incidentally, the team’s nickname — ‘Orange Lionesses’ (Dutch: Oranje Leeuwinnen) — stems from the fact that the logo of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) sports a lion is its logo. The lion is the Netherlands’ national and royal animal. [See also: Amsterdam’s Coat of Arms]
See Also: Dutch National Football Team celebration turns Amsterdam canals orange
FIFA World Cup 2026
Yes, the famous Dutch soccer fan bus – and the orange-clad throngs of Oranje Fans – follow their national team even to today’s USA.
Max Verstappen and his Orange Army
And then of course, there is Belgian-Dutch racing driver Max Verstappen and his Orange Army. Verstappen is the winner of three Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles, which he won consecutively from 2021 to 2023.
Turkey and Oranges
In March 2017 the Dutch government refused to be blackmailed into allowing government officials from Turkey to wage a political campaign in the Netherlands.
In response, a tiny fraction of Turks in the Netherlands rioted — while some folks in Turkey took to slicing, dicing, and juicing oranges while uttering threats and other unkind language toward the Dutch.
Sigh.
Meanwhile, let’s just note that Amsterdam is home to people from 180 different nationalities, the vast majority of whom happily wear orange with the rest of us.
Want to Wear Orange Yourself?
Shop for ‘Holland Orange’ T-shirts, caps, socks, and whatnot at Amazon.com.
By the way, nowadays the Dutch Government really wants you to use “Netherlands” instead of “Holland.”
Bonus fact: During WWII, the Germans banned the Dutch flag. But Dutch housewives often made sure that their laundry was hung out to dry in a particular pattern: something orange, something red, something white, and something blue.
Coming to Amsterdam? Here’s what NOT to do
More about Amsterdam
Gezellig — a word that encompasses the heart of Dutch Culture
The Canals of Amsterdam
Amsterdam Coat of Arms and City Flag. What’s with the 3 X’s?
However, we do know…
Anton and Janet Hein live and work in Amsterdam. We are the publishers of DutchAmsterdam.
Anton was born on a houseboat in the center of Amsterdam, right across from the iconic Westertoren and what later became the Anne Frank House museum. Having lived in nearly every district since then, he knows the city like his own back pocket.
Janet was born in England and raised in Ireland before moving to Amsterdam 43 years ago. Even to date she brings an expat’s perspective to the DutchAmsterdam website.
Last updated Friday, June 26, 2026 CET (Central European Time)
Do not republish or repost.
