The 8 Best Tulip Festivals in the World
By Heather Bolen
Me and the kiddos, Lisse, Netherlands. ©Travel & Culture Salon
As far as tulip festivals go, bigger is definitely better. It’s hard to top the impressive colorful ribbons of eye candy resulting from millions of tulip bulbs planted en masse.
These eight festivals, from the tulip fields of Skagit Valley, Washington to the palaces and parks of Istanbul, represent the most beautiful and inspiring in the world. My love of tulips runs deep! I realize I’ve been to four out of the eight.
Tulips only bloom for two to four weeks at various times throughout April and May, so the festivals are all the more special since they happen for a limited time. And for that reason, they are popular and can get crowded. Weekdays are best!
EUROPE
1. Keukenhof, Lisse, Netherlands
Tulips and other bulbs planted in the design of Amsterdam houses along a canal, Keukenhof garden. ©Travel & Culture Salon
Admittedly, I’m rather partial to Keukenhof in Lisse, Netherlands. During my time living as an ex-pat in Amsterdam, Holland’s tulip-growing region and Keukenhof were basically in my backyard.
Also known as the Garden of Europe, Keukenhof covers 32 hectares and is situated on the 15th-century hunting grounds. Approximately 7 million flower bulbs, including 800 varieties of tulips, are planted in the gardens annually. To ensure continuous bloom, three bulbs are planted in each location. The shallowest bulb will bloom first for three weeks, followed by the subsequent layers.
Keukenhof’s perfectly manicured beds of tulips, arranged artistically in a kaleidoscope of breathtaking colors, are a fun contrast to the natural field beyond the garden gates. The garden features a boat cruise, several restaurants, art exhibitions, and plenty of kid activities. If you only have one day, I highly recommend a bike ride and picnic in the tulip fields during the first half of the day, then a tour of the gardens at Keukenhof for the second half of the day. You can rent a bike near the gardens for only €11.
Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque), Istanbul, Turkey. In Sultanahmet Square, alongside the impressive Blue Mosque, nearly 700,000 tulips have been planted in a world-record-breaking ‘tulip carpet,’ measuring 1,400 square meters (1,674 yards), resembling a traditional Turkish rug. Image credit: dibrova/Shutterstock
While living in Europe, our family also had the pleasure of visiting the Istanbul Tulip Festival. This festival takes over the entire city; city parks, squares, and gardens are amass with millions of tulips of every color. Basically, wherever there is open space, you’ll find tulips!
The main location for the Tulip Festival in Istanbul is Emirgan Park. This is one of the best parks in Istanbul and overlooks the Bosphorus, so you are in for a treat as not only will you see beautiful flowers but plenty of gorgeous sea views too.
It is quite fitting Istanbul holds an annual tulip festival. Many are surprised to learn that tulips are not indigenous to Holland, but originally grew wild in the mountains of Central Asia. For Persians and Turks, the tulip is sacred and was cultivated as early as the twelfth century by the Ottoman Turks in Istanbul. Eventually, the tulip became a central motif in Ottoman art and today is the national flower of Turkey. The tulip didn’t make its way to Europe until the early sixteenth century, where of course it reinvented itself to great admiration.
NORTH AMERICA
1. Tulip Time Festival, Holland, Michigan, U.S.A.
Young women and men wearing traditional Dutch Clothing dancing in the streets of Holland, Michigan during the Tulip Time Festival. Image Credit: Roberto Galan/Shutterstock
The Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan is the largest tulip festival in the United States and about much more than tulips. Established in 1929, the Festival celebrates the area’s rich Dutch history which dates back to its settlement in 1847 by Dutch Calvinist separatists escaping the dire conditions in the Netherlands.
Holland, Michigan sits on the shores of Lake Michigan and offers a spectacular backdrop to the Festival’s events and activities, which include Dutch heritage parades and dancing, arts and crafts, historic walking tours, and garden immersion programs.
The Festival doesn’t take place in one gated location but at various venues in and around the town of Holland. Over five million bulbs are on show at these locations, with the biggest display at Veldheers Tulip Farm + Deklomp Wooden Shoe & Delft Factory. In 1950 Vern Veldheer started a hobby farm with a meager 100 red tulips and 300 white tulips. Today, Veldheers plants over 4 million tulips!
And don’t miss the replica 1800s Dutch village, plus a living museum with a 250-year-old working windmill that produces flour from wheat. It is the only operating windmill in the United States. This very popular destination even has a canal running through it for quintessential Dutch cuteness.
If you’ve ever wondered how these festivals plant so many bulbs each year, the City of Holland put together this cool video showing how they do it with a custom-designed tulip planter.
The Canadian Tulip Festival was established to celebrate the historic Royal gift of tulips from the Dutch to Canadians immediately following the Second World War as a symbol of international friendship. The Festival preserves the memorable role of the Canadian troops in the liberation of the Netherlands and Europe, as well as commemorates the birth of Dutch Princess Margriet in Ottawa during World War II—the only royal personage ever born in Canada.
This festival also takes place throughout the entire city. There are up to 5 million tulips and 60 different varieties on display, each in pools of beds decorating Parliament Hill, Confederation Boulevard, along the Rideau Canal, pathways, parkways, and en masse at the Commissioner’s Park beside Dow’s Lake.
The Festival features outdoor concerts, international food fests, games for children, auto shows, a tea party, and a grand finale fireworks display over Dow’s Lake.
One of my favorites! While living in Seattle, I had the chance to visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival on several occasions. Nestled between the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea to the west, and less than 30 miles to the summit of Mt. Baker to the northeast, the Skagit Valley is settled into a dramatic landscape near the most northwestern corner of the Lower 48.
And, the mild winters and summers of the maritime region of Washington have helped make Skagit County the largest single-county producer of tulips in the US.
The history of the festival dates back to 1883 when English immigrant, George Gibbs moved to Orcas Island to grow apples and hazelnuts. Though he only had five dollars worth of flower bulbs to plant, he witnessed how the bulbs had multiplied and, with assistance from Dutch flower farmers, learned about the business of cultivating tulips, gradually making it into a successful enterprise.
The festival doesn’t have one “site” but rather comprises fields of tulips and four tulip gardens scattered throughout the Skagit Valley. Attractions also include a street fair, a parade, art shows, and the Quilt Walk. Keep in mind, fields are rotated annually, so you'll want the latest map to know which of the region’s fields are open to roam.
Floret Farm, my absolute favorite flower farm in the world, is located in the area and offers a wonderful guide to the Skagit Valley. For me, the stunning backdrop of the mountains and the untamed, get-your-shoes-dirty atmosphere make this festival incredibly special and unique.
“Dutch Weekend” at Tesselaar Tulip Festival in Silvan, Victoria, Australia. Image Credit: International Flower Fairs
If you happen to miss out on spring tulip festivals in the northern hemisphere, you can always head Down Under in September-October for the Tesselaar Tulip Festival in Silvan, Victoria, Australia. More than a million spring flowering bulbs are on show, including over 900,000 tulips.
This festival really has it all. Every day, in addition to walking the tulip fields, the festival features:
Dutch Fun: clog dancing workshop, historic cheese market performance, windmills
Tractor Train
Food Stalls: The best of Dutch fare such as Poffertjes, Croquettes, Dutch Kibbeling (fish), Reifkoek (Dutch Potato Cakes), Frikandellen (Sausage dish), Gozleme, Baked Potatoes, Sandwiches, Pies, Sausage Rolls, Cakes, Pizza, Calamari, Double Dutch Soft Serve, Belgian Fries
Market and Souvenir Stalls: Unique souvenirs, many imported directly from Holland, including wooden clogs and tulips.
Live Music
Oh, and this festival also has Australia’s largest wooden clog on display …
The famous Dal Lake is visible from the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden. Image credit: Holidays Hunt
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden was opened in 2007 with the aim to boost floriculture and tourism in the Kashmir Valley. It is the largest tulip garden in Asia spread over an area of about 30 ha (74 acres) and overlooks the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar. This lake is so pristine it is described as “paradise on earth.” can be explored by taking a Shikara Ride, a traditional Gondola-type rowing boat,
The garden features about 1.5 million tulip bulbs, all in multiple colors, that were brought in from Keukenhof in the Netherlands. There are over 60 tulip varieties.
Every year in the month of April, the government of Jammu and Kashmir organizes Srinagar Tulip Festival to kick off spring and the state’s tourism season. The celebrations include various cultural programs, musical events, food fests, and conferences.
2. Tonami Tulip Fair, Tonami Tulip Park, Tonami, Japan
The symbol tower of Tonami Tulip Park. Image Credit: Tonami Tulip Park
The Tonami Tulip Fair features 2.5 million tulips in 600 varieties. Tonami City is the leading producer of tulip bulbs in Japan since 1918, growing over 250 varieties of the flower.
The annual event features a number of performances, in addition to its trademark tulip soft-serve ice cream. Visitors can also customize their own tulip bouquets, create tulip artwork, and climb to the top of the giant tulip to see the sprawling spectacle of the colorful grounds. This is probably the only place on earth you can get a tulip-shaped omelet.
The Tulip Festival’s duration is limited, but the Tonami Fair is open all year round to enjoy the other assortment of flowers, including cherry blossoms.
