More than 35K turn out for Dutch orange walk Thursday in downtown Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, was a sea of orange Thursday morning as Dutch fans gathered to celebrate their country ahead of tonight's World Cup match against Tunisia.

Fans gathered at the Power and Light District at 14th and Grand Boulevard throughout the morning. Around 11 a.m, they started their march south on Grand through the Crossroads Arts District, eventually finishing near the FIFA Fan Fest at the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

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Reflections of the Orange Sea

Reporter Charlie Keegan

I was hot, I was surrounded, I was unsure what to expect. Then, suddenly, everything felt fun, communal, like it was meant to be.

Supporters of the Netherlands’ soccer team have a pre-game tradition of parading through town behind an “oranje” bus.

Once the bus left Kansas City’s Power and Light District, photographer Jake Weller and I found our groove. We kept pace with the bus, I painted the Netherlands flag on my cheeks, I grabbed a bright orange flag and immersed myself in the fun.

The crowd was full of people like me, everyday Kansas Citians who wanted a piece of the World Cup fun. Leaders promised rallies with fans bursting the city at its seams. That’s what Thursday felt like.

I ran into Evan Johnson, who brought a cardboard cutout of his friend Braum with him to the march. Braum was born in the Netherlands, lives in Canada and couldn’t attend the match here in Kansas City.

Charlie Keegan/KSHB

Evan said his friend’s passion for the team inspired him to walk.

I found people from Illinois, Milwaukee, Canada and, of course, the Netherlands. They all talked about how much they enjoyed being in Kansas City and having the town show up for them.

I even spoke to a Tunisian fan, the country playing the Netherlands in tonight’s match. He admitted he was vastly outnumbered, but he enjoyed seeing so many people be so happy.

One very drunk fan made what I thought was a surprisingly good point. He said soccer can unite people from all walks of life, countries and allegiances. Thursday’s orange fan march proved that.

Reporter Elyse Schoenig

I saw Dutch soccer fans kick things off first-hand Thursday morning with a rally at Power & Light! My new friends Marcel and Gert were joined by over 36,000 others who rallied for the famous Orange Walk, which, of course, was led by the iconic orange bus.

"It's singing, it’s dancing, and football is ... friends all [over] the world,” Gert Gremmeus said.

They demonstrated what all fans need to know when dealing with the Dutch parade. "Left and right" is "links en rechts."

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"To me, it's a lot of culture, identity,” said Mirjam Dekker, who is from the Netherlands and lives in the U.S. now. "These silly songs mean everything to us."

As I watched these fans wrap up at P&L to take the streets, one thing was clear: this orange tradition thrives most when it’s shared.

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"Love, love is the message, and also sport is love,” Gert Gremmeus told me.

Digital contributor Addi Weakley

There was a different energy about my normal streetcar stop this morning. Nearly everyone waiting was dressed in orange, and there was a palpable excitement in the air.

That excitement continued to build as I moved closer and closer to the epicenter of orange celebrations, the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Addi Weakley/KSHB 41

I was quickly consumed by a very welcoming and extremely orange crowd. I can't claim to speak Dutch or know any of the supporter songs by heart, but I came prepared for links en rechts, the left-right dance.

After ending up in the middle of everything, I slowly wiggled out of the crowd toward Grand in search of the iconic Orange Bus. All of the pre-walk pomp and circumstance felt like Kansas City and a faraway place all at the same time.

Addi Weakley/KSHB 41

Celebrations continued, time quickly flew and the walk was off before I knew it.

Following along while pausing to take it in, I saw nothing but smiles and joy from sidewalk to sidewalk.

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The cherry on top was turning around to see a sea of orange with the Western Auto sign in the background at the end of the walk.

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UPDATE, 12:50 p.m. | Here's the view from the back of the Oranje bus during today's march in downtown Kansas City.

And here was the view from atop a downtown Kansas City, Missouri, building:

UPDATE, 12:30 p.m. | We're hearing reports that more than 36,000 people turned out to participate in this morning's Dutch Orange walk in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Who are we to disagree?

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UPDATE, Noon | Here are some of the best moments so far from this morning's Orange walk in Kansas City.

UPDATE, 11:30 a.m. | There are just no words!

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UPDATE, 11:15 a.m. | Here's the scene from one of our downtown Kansas City, Missouri, tower cameras.

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UPDATE, 11 a.m. | It looks like the march is about to get underway.

UPDATE, 10:35 a.m. | We have our first (of many) Dutch sing-a-longs in Kansas City!

UPDATE, 10:25 a.m. | KC Current owners Angie and Chris Long are among those in the crowd this morning at Power and Light.

UPDATE, 10:10 a.m. | Probably pretty obvious by now, but expect lots of crowds if you're downtown KCMO today.

UPDATE, 10 a.m. | Many Dutch fans are using the KC Streetcar to get to this morning's rally. Check out this video.

UPDATE, 9:45 a.m. | Power and Light is packed already! KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva reports that fans are starting to spill out onto 14th Street and Grand Boulevard outside the KC Live! area.

Fernanda Silva/KSHB