The Dutch celebrated their national holiday today amid the smell of rubbish and beer as street sweepers and bin collectors in major cities went on strike demanding higher wages.

Rain overnight kept the Queen's Day Eve celebration - comparable with New Year's Eve - more restrained than in previous years.

Amsterdam expects a million visitors today . The city celebrates the holiday with live music and an enormous offering of second-hand goods along pavements.

National flags and orange-coloured paraphernalia worn in honor of the Royal House littered the streets, along with piles of plastic beer glasses, cans and wrecked umbrellas. The strike ends on Monday.