Kingsworld took place on April 27th in Zuiderpark Den Haag in celebration of Kings Day. The festival consisted of three stages with a mix of genres ranging all the way from classic Dutch music to Hard Dance.
Amy Melissa Farina
Getting There
Finally a festival close to my house! If you’ve been following my articles you probably know by now its custom for me to travel two plus hours for a night out but thankfully Kingsworld was in The Hague. The festival was easily accessible by public transit, we took the tram and then walked through the beautiful Zuiderpark to access the festival terrain. The festival was easy to find (just follow everyone in orange!).
Venue
Zuiderpark is the quintessential location for a festival in The Hague. The park is lush green with various lakes and picturesque spots. The park is well known in the area to host various events. The festival grounds were comprised of three large tents (one per stage), a seated area with picnic benches and food trucks, and plenty of spots to get that perfect Instagram photo!
They even had an area where you could take free flower necklaces, orange hats, face paint and other fun accessories for King’s Day.
There were a variety of food trucks and options for food for example sweet corn, waffles, cotton candy (one of my favorite Dutch words suikerspin), churros, wings, wraps, pizza, sandwiches, pasta and Surinamese food!
Stages
Mainstage
The Mainstage was the largest of three tents and hosted some of the bigger names in the Dutch Urban and Latin scenes such as Boef, Donnie, and Chuckie.
Huis van Oranje
Huis van Oranje is where you could find your traditional Dutch music with various live performances from Wolter Kroes, John West, and some DJs too! Being inside this tent and even knowing the lyrics to some of the songs made me feel very Dutch!
Happy 90’s
Guess where I spent the most time? 90’s forever! This was the stage where you could relive the best decade with the best music. The stage was even decorated with 90’s graphics such as cassette tapes, 3D glasses, and smiley faces.
Music
Dune
I had the honor and pleasure of seeing Dune not once but two days in a row between Kingsworld and Vissa Royale. Dune took us back to the good ole days with hits like Maria (I Like it Loud), Hardcore Vibes, and Can’t Stop Raving. His dancing and bouncing was contagious and was a great way to start off the day.
Darkraver
Next up was the early hardcore sounds of Darkraver. Darkraver always throws down and no matter what the occasion he always brings 100% pure insanity on stage. Between Darkraver and MC Ruffian this fun 90’s set the bar for the rest of the day. A lot of weird dance moves, a lot of laughs, and a lot of fun. The crowd sang along (or screamed along) to fan favorites such as Cold as Ice and Promise Land. As always Darkraver delivered a high energy and nostalgic set and everyone was loving it.
Chuckie
Seeing Chuckie in The Hague was a bizarre moment for me since the last time I saw him was in college in Washington DC in 2012. Back in the day Chuckie was one of the biggest names in the Dirty Dutch scene, he’s since moved towards more Soca music and Latin flavors. A lot of aggressive booty shaking going on during this set as the sun went down on King’s Day.
Outsiders
The last set of the day was Outsiders and it left me wanting more! I sang my heart out one last time to Somebody to Love and 1 Team. The tent was packed for the finale of the day (which was nice because it was starting to become freezing outside – damn you Dutch weather!). As we left the festival Outsiders dropped one of my favorite all time tracks Too Cold and that was the end of Kingsworld 2023!
Visuals & Sound System
There were times throughout the day where the sound was really quiet or not super crisp but for the most part the production level was standard for a small local festival. There weren’t any visual displays such as lasers or LED projections but there were nice aesthetics thoughout the festival such as orange decorated areas, cute photo spots, and even swings.
General Impressions
Kingsworld is a great festival for those wanting something local and small on Kingsday. If you live in The Hague you’re sure to run into some familiar faces and Zuiderpark really is a beautiful location.