Discover The Largest Tulip Festival In The World

When you think of massive tulip festivals, ushering in visitors from the entire world for a couple of weeks of red, yellow, and pink blooms, you’re probably picturing a field of flowers overshadowed by Dutch windmills and folks dancing about in clogs.

And while the world’s largest tulip garden is housed within one of the world’s largest gardens in Keukenhof in the Netherlands (Holland), the largest tulip festival in the world is actually in Canada.

The Largest Tulip Festival in the World: The Canadian Tulip Festival

The largest tulip festival in the world is in cold North America, where the flowers thrive. They pop out in May, vibrating with brilliant sunlight in an incredible array of colors and forms. The festival is a free event, so any visitor to the city may enjoy the glorious blossoms, mini markets, and walking tours through the festival grounds.

Location

The Canadian Tulip Festival is found is hosted within Commissioners Park in the nation’s capital: Ottawa. The park is located at the corner of Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Preston Street. It has over 22 acres of beautiful grounds containing tulips, many varieties of trees, and other plants that bloom in other seasons. The garden is built on the site of the former lumberyard owned by lumber and railroad tycoon, J.R. Booth.

History of the Festival

The festival is part of the Canadian Tulip Legacy, which is a nationally registered charity. The Legacy commemorates the sacrifice of 7500 Canadian soldiers who fought for the liberation of the Netherlands. The Legacy also celebrates the only British royal born in Canada, Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet. The tulips in the gardens of the festival were gifted from the Netherlands for the nation’s assistance in their liberation.

The festival began in 1953, just a few years after World War II when the country received the bulbs from the Netherlands and planted them in the capital region. The tradition has carried on since then, with the festival growing exponentially over time, becoming the world’s largest tulip festival.

Festival Dates

The festival is set around the projected blooming season of the tulips each year. Experts gauge weather conditions, the known history of specific bulbs, and other factors that occur each autumn and winter to estimate the dates. The festival is held in mid-May, as this is when the bulbs will produce the flowers most prominently. In 2023, the festival will last for 16 days from May 12 to 22.

The festival typically lasts between 2 and 3 weeks.

Activities

Witnessing the gorgeous blooms is clearly the pinnacle of the Canadian Tulip Festival experience. But there are many other exciting tulip-themed activities at the festival.

Walking Tours – Ghost, Nighttime, Self-Guided, and More

For a variety of prices, including some free, you can take a walking tour of Commissioners Park and appreciate the tulips in all their glory, gain different perspectives of the flowers and history of the flowers, and learn more about the region and festival itself.

Self-Guided Tours

There are several self-guided tour options. The first key to these is downloading and engaging with the interactive garden map. This will lead you to various parts of the tulip display by the species or variety of tulip. The map offers information in both English and Spanish and shows photos of the type of tulips in the garden beds.

• Daytime self-guided tours: Use the interactive map to meander through Commissioners Park and discover information about the type of tulip. Price: FREE.
• Blacklight Board self-guided tours: From 8 to 10 pm each night of the festival, the boardwalks are lit up with blacklights, giving the perspective of pollinators. Live DJs help set the mood and help to make the distinct experience one of the largest attractions in the city. Price: FREE.

Guided Tours

If you prefer the handy and immense knowledge of well-studied tour guides, you’ll find a variety of activities to participate in as well.

• Tulip Legacy Walking Tour: The professionally-led walking tours give in-depth insights into the historical and horticultural aspects of the tulips and the festival. The tour highlights include the Queen Juliana Gift Bed, The Man with Two Hats historic statue, and the Heritage Canada’s Dutch-Canadian War Brides Display. Price: $10 per person, children 12 and under free.
• Virtual tours: Saturdays and Sundays provide folks with a single tour each day for those who can’t make it in person for the set tour hours. Price: $5 per household.
• Ghosts of the Glebe Walking Tour: Leaving every half hour from 8 to 9:30 pm, the ghost tour is a 45-minute 4-person play. The unique tour is led by a young Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Reservist from 1946 and takes you through the haunting tales of the local neighborhood and military stories of far-off lands, reflecting the themes of the Duth-Canadian relations of World War II. Price: $20 per person, children 12 and under free.

Markets and Boutiques

There are both boutiques and mini markets in the festival, welcoming visitors to explore and spread the legacy of Canadian tulips.

• The Tulip Boutique by RE/MAX: Handcrafted tulip-themed artwork and artisanal pieces are for sale at the beautiful boutique on the festival grounds. Items may include prints, wooden tulips, books, jewelry, beach towels, pillows, paintings, puzzles, mugs, Christmas décor and ornaments, water bottles, totes, clocks, apparel, and more.
• Mini markets will be announced before the festival so you can prepare to shop and explore the tulips even more.

Shows & Movies in the Park

There are also two other night activities during the festival that you and yours may enjoy.

• Sound and Light Show: Merging sounds, lights, and storytelling, the sound and light show runs, weather permitting, for 10 minutes every night from 9:15 to 9:25 pm. The show tells the story of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Haida, the last of the twenty-seven tribal class destroyers of World War II, and Canada’s “most fightingest ship”. Price: FREE.
• Movies in the Park: All tulip-themed in some way, the movies in the park at Dow’s Lake play daily during the festival (weather permitting) with viewings from 2 to 4 pm and 7:30 to 9:30 pm. The movies have different tulip themes, from Ecology Evening to Veterans’ Tribute, and Dutch film features. Bring your own food and blanket or purchase a Tulip Festival blanket and food from vendors at the festival. Price for movies: FREE.

What You Need to Know

Prepare yourself for the tulip festival by:

• Wearing comfortable walking shoes
• Bringing water bottles (you may be able to purchase on-site, as well)
• Dressing according to the forecast for the day (sweaters or shorts, rain gear or sunblock)
• Bringing snacks (or purchasing on-site)
• Downloading the interactive map
• Booking tickets in advance for any walking tours, as they sell out fast day-of
• Bringing some spending money. The vendors have some truly delightful offerings!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Facto Photo/Shutterstock.com