News of: Friday, April 29 2011,
On Friday evening, the city is already very busy with visitors and tourists. And with people preparing tomorrow's parties and street sale.
The night before Queens Day is usually very busy in Amsterdam, particularly if this is a Friday.
One of the main outdoor parties is on Museum Square, which is just behind the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. It is organized by Radio 538.
Like always, the Vondelpark will be the exclusive territory for children.
A day like Queens Day is also a massive security operation. A lot of police will be deployed, and there are extra strict security measures on the trains to Amsterdam tomorrow.
Extra rules agains alcohol (ab)use and sales are in effect in Amsterdam. In all trains (and other public transport), and on the train stations, there is a complete alcohol ban.
Due to the large amount of visitors that are expected, all street parties will stop at 8 or 9 pm, in order to allow the people to get back home on time.
Last year, Amsterdam had 800,000 visitors and it says that is the limit of what it can handle. Amsterdam has therefore asked towns near Amsterdam to organize parties too, to 'share the burden'. Only Haarlem has done so.
Because a huge number of boats are expected to go to the canals in the center of Amsterdam, some canals have been closed off, and many canals will be one-way, to avoid traffic problems.
The weather forecast is perfect, so about a million visitors to Amsterdam are expected. They expect sunshine and dry weather, with pleasant temperatures.
