Updated March 2023
Did you know that tulips are celebrated across the U.S. at festivals dedicated entirely to them?!?!?! I had no idea! We went to The Netherlands to gawk at the tulips a couple years ago( which was so much fun and the flowers did not disappoint) but there are festivals right here in the U.S. These events are held in cities or towns with a distinct Dutch heritage and are much easier to get to than Keukenhof. Not into traveling right now? Bookmark this post for later! I’ll update it yearly 🙂
Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest – Woodburn, Oregon
This festival boasts over 40 acres of tulips on over 200 acres of outdoor space. The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival is one of the top spring attractions in the state of Oregon. During the week, they sell cut flowers and bulbs. On the weekends, there’s plenty of activities on the farm grounds, including a tulip field a children’s play area, wooden shoe-making demonstrations and wine tastings! The festivities run March 24 – April 30, check their page for updates!
Tulip Time – Holland, Michigan
The name of the city is Holland so you can only imagine this may be as Dutch as you will even get in the U.S.! Each Spring it hosts one of the nation’s largest and I guess, best-known tulip festivals. Again, how did I not know about this? The city plants over 5 million tulip bulbs in public parks, local attraction and along city streets. It sounds like a dream. The cool thing about this festival is that it’s not just in one location where you need to buy a ticket, it’s an 8 day celebration of tulips and Dutch culture throughout the city. Tulip Time festivities will take place May 6-May 14. There’s even a Dutch fashion exhibit and market, I want this super cute mug I saw on their instagram page!
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival- Mount Vernon, Washington
The Dutch have been planting bulbs in this area for more than 100 years. People started to notice the beautiful blooms and visitors would flock to the area every spring to admire the tulips. In the 1980s the people of Mount Vernon decided to plan events during bloom season and the Tulip Festival was born. Check out the website and read closely, you can choose which garden to visit. This festival runs April 1-April 30.
Tulip Time Festival – Pella, Iowa
This tiny town (population 10,231 in 2019) was founded by immigrants from The Netherlands. What started as a small celebration of Dutch heritage in 1935 has turn into a long weekend full of dancing, parades, food and of course beautiful blooms. I was looking at the food vendor list and there’s one that makes fresh stoopwafles! These are a favorite treat of mine so I would be first in line at this place. Tulip Time Festival is held the first full weekend of May each year. This year it will be May 4-May 6.
Albany Tulip Festival – Albany, New York
Being an East Coast girl I wanted to include a festival that was closer to home. The Albany Tulip Festival will be virtual in 2021 year but they hope to be back to street scrubbing in this year. The scrubbing is typically the start to the festivities, with scrubbers dressed in traditional Dutch dress cleaning up the streets before the events begin. The festival takes place Mother’s Day weekend but some events occur before or after so check out this page for more info. May 13-14.
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch
Bonus Spot! So technically not a tulip festival but these 50 acres of ranunculus are definitely worth a visit. You can go on a wagon ride, stroll through artist gardens and check out the bird aviaries. There’s even a fragrant sweet pea maze! Tickets must be purchased online so make sure you check out their site for more details. The season starts in March.
Have you visited any of these Tulip Festivals or have another recommendation for a flower destination? I’d love to hear it! I’m always looking for new places to explore. Make sure to get out this Spring and enjoy the flowers!
More tulip farms/gardens: Thanksgiving Point in Utah, Carlsbad Ranch in CA, Kendall Farms also in CA.
Thank you Lisa! I had no idea there were so many 🙂