Live updates: Orange Walk blankets downtown KC before Netherlands-Tunisia game
Kansas City knows a little something about going all-out for its sports teams. But it might have met its match in the fans of the Dutch national team.
The ardent, orange-clad fanbase is taking over Kansas City on Thursday, June 25, when the Netherlands diehards (and probably some bandwagon locals) will make their way from the Power & Light District to Union Station in the Orange Walk, a boisterous tradition led by the iconic Orange Bus.
Then fans will split up for the game itself, in which Netherlands will face Tunisia at 6 p.m. at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium. While some will head to the stadium to see the game in person, others will go to the FIFA Fan Festival on the grounds of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. Still others will disperse to watch parties at various KC-area bars.
Netherlands is favored in the game, and is already set to advance to the Round of 32. Tunisia has been eliminated from contention.
Star journalists will be out covering every moment of the parade and game itself, and we’ll share updates here.
March reaches south end, but isn’t over
The march has become a giant gathering at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Pershing Road, near Union Station. Fans are spinning shirts, throwing inflatable balls and chanting together.
Cozy crowd atmosphere
The bus has been moving at a slow pace, but energy is still very high. Some watch from the sides, cheering on the squeezed crowd as they walk down Grand.
Kalyn Ahrens brought a ball for as many people to sign. He managed to get Mayor Quinton Lucas to sign, and is continuing to find more and more people.
— Joseph Hernandez
Front of walk reaches Union Station
The beginning of the Orange Walk has arrived in the Union Station area, where the fans will head up to the Fan Fest area.
Though its website says it won’t open until 1 p.m., a Star journalist was told it would start accepting fans around noon.
KC’s traffic management plan
More side streets are closed along Grand Boulevard now, cut off at Oak and Maple. A couple of cars are still driving through, with officers at intersections to direct traffic.
Grand is empty through at least 20th, but no other roads are blocked off north of Truman.
— Alexa Newsom
Photos of the action
We have five visual journalists covering the parade, and we’re starting to receive photos from their vantage points. Here are a few.
Things are moving
The Orange Bus is on its way south, surrounded by a sea of orange on either side, on both the street and the sidewalks.
It’s been reported that a second bus will join the parade halfway through the procession. It contains a DJ and Mayor Quinton Lucas.
— Reporting by Alexa Stone
It’s an orange party at Power & Light
Thousands of fans of the Netherlands packed the KC Live! Block in anticipation for the Oranje Walk and the teams match against Tunisia. Pre-show festivities kicked off the event with DJs playing hits from their homeland and clsssic party anthems from the United States
Flags with the Dutch team’s logo waved through the air inside the party venue. It’s a mystery as to when everyone arrived at P&L, but lines to get into the block wrap around the district and hundreds more are on the outside looking in, waiting for the bus to start its route to FIFA Fan Fest.
— Joseph Hernandez
The scene along the route
It was unclear leading up the parade what roads would be blocked, but it appears to be many of the roads feeling onto Grand Boulevard.
Several Kansas City snowplows were painted orange and are blocking access to Grand Avenue at Truman Road, along with police cars and a fire truck. Walnut Street is also at Truman Road North.
Police and more snowplows also blocked access to Truman Road North at Oak Street and Grand Avenue.
Cars have been honking from I-670. There is orange smoke in the air over the crowd as more people are walking in.
Both buses are toward the front of the crowd, surrounded by orange-clad fans waving flags with the KNVB logo and the Netherlands flag. A few Tunisia fans even pulled up to watch from a distance.
— Alexa Newsom
Masses of fans pack Power & Light
Photos from KC Live! in the Power & Light District show thousands of orange-clad fans filling the entertainment district.
And it’s not just their shirts — orange facepaint, flags, hair and more are common sights.
The parade is set to begin at 11:15, led by the group’s signature Orange Bus.
Orange Walk gets ready to begin
Kansas City will soon witness one of international soccer’s most iconic traditions: the Oranje Walk.
Dennie Prins, who moved from the Netherlands to Kansas City in 2007 and quickly became a Chiefs fan, has been waiting for this moment since the World Cup draw last December. He told The Kansas City Star that when he learned Holland would play here, his reaction was simple: “YEAH!”
“It will be an orange wave,” Prins said. “If you think about the sea of red, you will basically see the sea of orange. That’s probably the better way to say it for the Kansas City area.”
Dutch fans are expected to depart from the Power & Light District starting at 11:15 a.m. Thursday, ending at Fan Fest at the World War I Museum and Memorial — a roughly 1 1/4-mile trek led by a distinctive orange bus blasting Dutch music.
Jaap de Groot, a journalist in Holland, said the walk usually ends at the stadium, but Arrowhead is too far, so KC gets its own version. And here’s the best part for curious locals: you’re invited.
Read more about what it’s actually like inside that orange parade.
— Reporting from Pete Grathoff
This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 10:45 AM.