538 Koningsdag

538 Koningsdag (or Radio 538) is an influential commercial radio station established in Hilversum, Netherlands, in 1992. It has the reputation of being the second most listened-to radio broadcast throughout Holland.

Named after the wave on which Radio Veronica aired during the 1970s, Talpa Network owns it and mainly caters to a younger audience's taste as they play current mixes of dance music, R&B hits, pop tunes, and rock classics. Not only is this musical selection based on the Dutch Top 40 chart rankings, but its breakfast and drive-time shows also feature lively conversations about relevant topics.

Initially, Radio 538 was only accessible through a cable subscription. In 1998, however, it upgraded its frequency package, allowing regional signal strength variations. It resulted in the launch of Juize FM—a hip-hop and contemporary R&B program that spun off from Radio 538's original broadcast in 2004. Fast forward to 2011: the station created another sister channel called TV538!

Every year until 2011, 538 hosted a top-rated event at the Museumplein in Amsterdam - Queen's Day. Hundreds of thousands of visitors from both near and far attended to hear renowned DJs perform a mesmerizing musical and visual display. From noon onwards, local and international artists graced the stage for hours, providing guests with nonstop entertainment from noon through the night!

In 2011, the Amsterdam municipality determined that a Queen's Day celebration couldn't occur for safety reasons. Initially, 538-party planned to happen in 2012 near RAI Amsterdam; however, the plans were only made true in January of that year. The city council decided to create multiple smaller celebrations on Queen's Day instead after a thorough assessment of the situation from 2012 onward. But since King's Day 2014, the glorious festivities have returned and are held each year at Chasséveld, located in Breda!

On Wednesday, April 27th of 2022, Radio 538 was thrilled to make once again its return to Breda for a live edition of '538 King's Day.' In honor of the king's birthday celebration, DJs and artists came together with listeners who gathered at Chasséveld. This event marked the twenty-sixth time that Radio 538 had hosted an Orange event in person after being forced to go virtual due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions over the past two years.