UDP Internacional

Monday April 27th, 2026

Santiago, Chile – A festive atmosphere filled the Nicanor Parra Library hall as students from Leiden University and members of the UDP community gathered to celebrate King’s Day, known as Koningsdag. Recognised as one of the most important national holidays in the Netherlands, Koningsdag is observed every April 27 in honour of the birthday of King Willem-Alexander.

The gathering took place in the hall of the Nicanor Parra Library. With the support of Globaliza volunteers, students shared traditional Dutch food and participated in games, cultural activities, and a flea market.

Fernanda Espinosa, co-representative of Globaliza and a Design student, stated that this is “an excellent initiative” to experience internationalisation within the University. “Hosting these types of activities allows us not only to learn about other cultures and activities but also to experience a very different way of celebrating. For them, this is a national celebration; it’s very different from how we celebrate our national holidays (the 18 de septiembre), though we also find many similarities,” she said.

Willem Hergelink, an exchange student at the University, noted that this is a very important celebration for his compatriots. “We were interested in sharing our culture with people who might not know about this holiday. So, yes, it has been a lot of fun,” he commented.

Through this activity, the University seeks to create opportunities to experience internationalisation without leaving the country. This initiative is designed to enable the student body to discover other cultures and interact with exchange students currently pursuing their studies at UDP.