Celebrate Royal September in style at Royal The Hague

During Royal September, the court city will be covered in royal orange and visitors can experience The Hague in a special way. (Photo: Stichting Binnenstadsmanagement Den Haag)

The Hague - For ten days, the hofstad will be all about Royal September. This year, it kicks off on the 7th of the month, the time when the popular boat trips on the Hofvijver start. The following days, visitors can enjoy numerous festive activities and ‘royal’ celebrations up to and including Prinsjesdag.

Ceremonial exercises with horses and music, the outdoor cinema, royal and monumental openings, the Prinsjesmarkt and Hat Stroll, music festival PrinsjesNach; there is much to see and experience in The Hague in September. Royal September traditionally culminates on the third Tuesday of the month, with the impressive carriage ride across Lange Voorhout during Prinsjesdag, 17 September.

Alderman Saskia Bruines (Economic Development): ‘All these festivities provide a wonderful opportunity to visit The Hague and see our royal court city in all its glory. There is only one city in the Netherlands with this royal allure and during the ten days of Royal September you can immerse yourself in it completely.’

Sailing on the Hofvijver

As in past years, it is possible to take a guided royal tour on the Hofvijver. This will allow visitors to admire the iconic facade of the Binnenhof from 7 to 17 September every day, as well as the Torentje of new Prime Minister Schoof.

On Wednesday morning 11 September, the special credentials ceremony will take place. From 9.25 a.m., you can watch as new ambassadors arrive at Palace Noordeinde in gala gardens to present their credentials there. The same day, the outdoor cinema at Noordeinde will restart. Expect a list of feel-good family films, royal and historical (costume) dramas and upbeat sing-along musicals.

Celebrate democracy

Fixed item on the Royal September agenda is Prinsjesfestival, this year from 11 to 17 September. The many festivities, such as the musical opening, the PrinsjesDebat, the PrinsjesRede and the presentation of various awards are all publicly accessible. Everything this year revolves around the theme ‘The state and the street - human scale in the rule of law’.

Saturday 14 September is the ‘public day’ with numerous activities including the PrinsjesOntbijt, a fashion show, music performances, the famous hat parade ‘The Hague Hat Stroll’ and the lively PrinsjesMarkt on the shell path along the Hofvijver. This year's PrinsjesCabaret in Diligentia features Patrick Nederkoorn and Sanne Wallis de Vries.

Openings

The weekend before Prinsjesdag, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 September, is also Open Monument Day. In The Hague, this is largely dedicated to Royal September with openings of various palaces and royal monuments. These include the King's Cabinet, Kneuterdijk Palace (where King Willem II and Queen Anna Paulowna once lived) and Huguetan House, the temporary home of the Senate.

In addition, the imposing royal waiting room at The Hague Hollands Spoor station can be visited from Sunday 8 September. Ticket sales for this ‘jewel for the residence’ opened this week and can be purchased via denhaag.com.

The Mauritshuis will open a new exhibition during Royal September. Between 1822 and 1875, the ground floor of the Mauritshuis housed the ‘Royal Cabinet of Rarities’. With over 120 objects, the exhibition The Lost Museum (from 12 September) temporarily brings back this cabinet of rarities, from jewellery to dolls, vases, perfume bottles, suits of armour, weapons, a pagoda and even hair braids.

Courtesy music festival

Monday 16 September sees the second edition of PrinsjesNach, the new musical tradition on the eve of Prinsjesdag. A surprising mix of the best that musical The Hague has to offer can be admired in over twenty of the nicest cafés in the city centre of The Hague.

‘Last year, the pilot edition of PrinjesNach was received with overwhelming enthusiasm. Our concept, with surprise and intimacy as guiding principles, proved to be a hit,’ says Sarah de Bruijn, one of the organisers and initiators. ‘We look forward to letting the festival spread like an oil slick across the (inner) city this year, and in the years to come.’

Royal tour

Before the royal procession passes through The Hague in full ornament on Prinsjesdag, it is prepared in detail. On the days leading up to Prinsjesdag, for instance, there are various practice ceremonies on Lange Voorhout, such as horse training by the Bereden Brigade and the Marechaussee Trumpeter Corps.

Sunday 15 September is the dress rehearsal of the driving tour and the following day, Monday morning 16 September, is the spectacular beach exercise at Scheveningen. Here, schoolchildren from the neighbourhood are invited to make as much noise as possible with pots and pans to get the horses (and riders) used to it.

For more information about Royal September and tickets for the various activities, go to denhaag.com/royalseptember