Golden Jubilee of King Johan II

The Golden Jubilee of King Johan II was the commemoration of King Johan II's 50th anniversary of his reign in 1963.

In late 1962, planning began towards his golden jubilee, which was occurring in October 1963. The jubilee year opened with the traditional King's New Year's dinner. The new year of 1963 was marked with a fireworks display, the first since liberation in 1944. On 13 April the king marked Liberation Day, the first instance of its commemoration, together with Queen Maria Benedita, the Crown Prince and Princess.

9 June saw the largest Independence Day festivities in many years, but the king was unable to attend due to pneumonia and lung issues. In July he toured Central island, now feeling better, and in September he was well enough to visit Grijzestad and be hosted by dignitaries and nobles there, dine with the mayor of Sint-Anders and further tour Cape Cross, Brezonde and Donderstad.

The week of 21-26 October was the most important of the jubilee year, with most festivities in Koningstad. The actual jubilee date, the 23rd, was marked by a mass in memory of Johan's father, and was capped by a a memorable appearance from the palace balcony, where some 62.000 people had congregated around as part of the festivities. He hosted a dinner for several dignitaries, where all the living prime ministers during his reign were invited (sitting PM Stefan De Vries, Henry Warson, Alexander Bouras and Hans van Loos).