Vrijmarkt Amsterdam flea market - Amsterdam, Netherlands
The vrijmarkt is a nationwide car boot sale or flea market. Koningsdag (From 1890 to 2013, the day was known as Koninginnedag) is the one day of the year that the Dutch government permits sales on the street without a permit and without the payment of value-added tax. ING Bank found in 2011 that one in five Dutch residents planned to sell at the vrijmarkt flea market and estimated they would earn €100 per person for a total turnover of €290 million.
Over half of the Dutch people buy at the vrijmarkt flea market; ING Bank already estimated that each Dutch people spends €28 in average each at the vrijmarkt. As a matter of facts, the Queen has been known to buy at the vrijmarkt flea market.
Among the most popular areas for the vrijmarkt flea market in Amsterdam is the Jordaan quarter, which is already famous for its antique dealers and its design stores. But the wide Apollolaan in front of the Hilton hotel in southern Amsterdam is gaining in popularity.
Children sell their cast-off toys or garments at the Vondelpark, also in southern Amsterdam, and in a spirit of fun passers-by often offer the young sellers more than they are asking for the goods.
Until 1996, the vrijmarkt flea market began the evening before and lasted for 24 hours. This was ended in the hope of gaining a pause in the celebrations so preparations could be made for the daytime activities. Nowadays, only Utrecht retains the overnight vrijmarkt among all the Dutch municipalities.
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Besides its vrijmarkt, Amsterdam regularly hosts a couple of interesting flea markets, among which the IJ-Hallen flea market and Waterlooplein, as well as the Spiegelkwartier, a street specially dedicated to antique dealers.
Where: Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
When: Saturday, April 27, 2020
More information: Full review of Vrijmarkt Amsterdam
