Every spring, our nation’s capital hosts a tulip festival unmatched by any other in North America. Recalling details of a past visit to this event by my late mother and sister, I suggested to my wife we should attend this year’s festival in Ottawa. Arriving in the city in the early afternoon, we relaxed on a boat cruise down the Rideau Canal before attending the festival held in Commissioner’s Park.
Since 1953, the Canadian Tulip Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world, who are drawn to view the tulips throughout the city. This event is held to commemorate the relationship between the Netherlands and Canada during World War II, when Ottawa was home to members of the Dutch royal family. As a way to thank Ottawa, Princess Juliana sent several gifts to the city upon returning to her homeland, including 100,000 tulip bulbs. This continuing legacy was the inspiration for the festival.
With one million tulips planted throughout the city, the show at the park was spectacular. The beds bordering Dow’s Lake held approximately 800,000 tulips, most in full bloom. This expression of love and friendship is unmatched, and a memory which will never be forgotten. Hope you enjoy these photos as much as we did our visit.
William Stanley
While walking through the park, we saw these blooming trees in unbelievable colors – come to find out, they were artificial trees which were part of an installation called the “Big Bug Boardwalk”.
