UDP Internacional

Monday April 27th, 2026

A group of students from Leiden University, along with the UDP community, celebrated King’s Day or Koningsdag. This is one of the most significant holidays in the Netherlands, held every April 27 to commemorate 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 internationalization 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 internationalization without leaving the country. This initiative is designed for the student body to discover other cultures and interact with the exchange students currently pursuing their studies at UDP.