Dutch march in KC was the biggest in the country
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Views from the party bus. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
The biggest Dutch march in the U.S. to date took place in Kansas City on Thursday.
The big picture: The Power and Light District says roughly 22,000 fans turned out, stretching down Grand Avenue as far as the eye could see.
- P&L communications director Dana Witt Fulks says the Dutch calculated the number by street width and the parade length, which stretched nearly two-thirds of a mile.
The vibe: KC Live! opened its gates at 9am. By the time we arrived around 9:30am, the beer was flowing and the grounds were packed.
- Crowds hopped to "Links Rechts" and unleashed orange smoke and confetti.
- The march got moving at 11:15am and finished at Crown Center around noon.
- From there, the "Oranje Army" went to Union Station and Fan Fest.
- Oh, and Missouri-born actor David Koechner was there.
What they're saying: "It's so amazing to see how local people are enthusiastic about orange and our team," Marianne van Leeuwen, director of professional football with the Royal Dutch Football Association, tells Axios. "Our players, they like it a lot."
- Van Leeuwen estimates 5,000 in attendance were Dutch nationals. The rest were local and domestic visitors, including first-generation Americans from as far as LA.
- A fan from the Netherlands named Ruben tells Axios he was out last night until 3:30am and was up again for the parade. His plan was an all-day party — with no nap in sight.
Yes, but: KC2026 closed Fan Fest at 2pm due to thunderstorms.
- Downpours at Kansas City Stadium forced fans who arrived early to take shelter.
💭 Travis' thought bubble: I've been to every Chiefs Super Bowl parade since 2020, and I've never seen anything like this.
- The atmosphere felt different, with fans filling the street instead of keeping to the sides. Maybe Kansas City should take note.
💭 Abbey's thought bubble: There's something special about a crowd that makes a whole city feel like part of their family. The Dutch did exactly that.
Go deeper: World Cup fans love KC. Tourism leaders want more of that.