Queen’s Day, a huge public holiday this Tuesday in the Netherlands, has a rich history with Layar. Just last year, the local newspaper where the Queen herself was to visit enhanced its pages with extra content about the royal visit using Layar. It even provided a link to a livestream of the day’s events for supported devices.

This year, it’s not just Queen’s Day – it’s also the coronation of the new King (yes, next year it will be King’s Day) and with this evolution comes more evolution of augmented reality and interactive print with Layar.

A new Dutch augmented reality agency AugmentNL has come up with a unique way to use some of the most prominent space in Amsterdam as interactive print. The tall and wide Overhoeksgebouw has long been a popular Amsterdam ad space and is currently draped in a decoration for Queen’s Day. Scanning this side of building liberates this space to the people of Amsterdam, letting them post messages and drawings for all to see.

For those in Amsterdam this week, by scanning the side of the Overhoeksgebouw you can view the latest tweet featuring the hashtag #FelicitatieXXL and add your own drawn graffiti to the side. This teaser project from AugmentNL shows the wide audience a simple interactive print ad campaign can have when placed in a prominent location.

Using the dynamic widgets available with Layar’s technology, AugmentNL can provide a live feed of tweets along with an interactive canvas for drawing right on the side of the building. It’s certainly a unique idea, but with Layar it’s simple and easy to implement very quickly.

So if you’re in town for Queen’s Day, scan the Overhoeksgebouw by the IJ river and see how interactive print isn’t just for magazines – it’s great for providing interactivity on large outdoor advertising as well!

It’s that time of year again here in the Netherlands. The time when everyone dons their orange clothing and inflatable crown hats, hops on a canal boat and celebrates with music, friends and, of course, drinking! 

It’s Queen’s Day, or “Koninginnedag” as it’s known here - the Queen’s (official) birthday. Each year the Dutch Queen herself parades through towns in the Netherlands, and this year she’s appearing in the towns of Veenendaal and Rhenen.

The local paper in these towns, the VeenendaalseKrant, published by BDU with a circulation of 40,000 readers, has been augmented with Layar to feature some great digital content about the Queen’s visit.

Ads in the newspaper have been enriched with companion videos, and you can even watch videos and view information about the Queen’s planned route through the cities. But the best part? Access to a live video stream of the royal family as they parade through the towns.

Scanning one of the pages in the paper connects readers to a live stream from NOS, the Dutch public broadcasting service. Those standing on the parade route wondering when the Queen will pass by can simply follow her progress on the live stream.

This is a terrific example of how Layar can be used by publications of all sizes. The VeenendaalseKrant is a small, hyper-local publication, yet with Layar they can provide next generation multimedia innovation to their readers. The same technology which helped launch a print AR campaign to over 4 million people in India can just as easily and effectively be used at the local level.

The special issue of the VeenendaalseKrant is available now, and if you’re in Veenendaal or Rhenen on Monday, make sure you carry it with you to the parade! 

And for those of you in Amsterdam for Queen’s Day this year, check out the layer “De Blaffende Vis,” made by friend of Layar Menno Bieringa. Scanning the facade of the cafe De Blaffende Vis (located in the Jordaan) will display special messages throughout Queen’s Day.