Pictures of The Ottawa Tulip Festival

Ottawa's Tulip Festival is an annual event in Ottawa; more than just tulips - though tulips are the theme for the month of May until Victoria Day.

The history of Ottawa's tulips is well known in Canada.

In 1945 the Netherlands sent 1,000,000 tulips to thank Ottawa for giving safe haven for Dutch Princess Juliana during the Nazi occupation of their homeland.

The tulip has come to symbolize friendship among different cultures. Fitting since Canadian culture is multi national in its origins. The new logo created in 2012 for the Tulip Festival is two tulips, a yellow one symbolizing Holland, a red one Canada. The stems form a heart.

The festival was celebrated at various locations through the city: the Byward Market, Little Italy, Sparks St., Eglinton St. and Chinatown.

Each year, city of Ottawa anticipates about half a million local and out of town visitors to arrive to view the profusion of colours and varieties of tulips, all sent from Holland!

The Festival usually kicks off with an opening party, followed by satellite parties at participating clubs in the downtown Ottawa core throughout the festival.

There will be displays of over one million tulips all over the capital with the "feature" display at Commissioners Park at Dow's Lake, which has 300,000 tulips, 60 varieties in 30 flower beds! The gardens will have early, middle and late blooming tulips so more than one visit is worthwhile as different varieties come in bloom. Fortunate if you happen to live in or near the capital region!

Other displays will be at Major Hills Park along the Rideau Canal. Elgin St will feature the "Boulevard of Blossoms". There is also the Tulip Promenade at ByWard Market, a heritage district.

Besides opening night parties, there were parties at participating clubs during the festival and performances. Last year they were held at the Sparks Street Mall, Little Italy and in Chinatown. There was a Mad Hatter's Tea Party on Mother's Day weekend, which was an "Alice in Wonderland inspired" theme party event with artisans on hand to help visitors create their own inspired "Mad Hatter's hats" with free craft supplies at the George street entrance to the Rideau Centre. Participants then joined the Parade of Hats.

All the events were free with the exception of the Electrik Tulips concert at the new CE Centre.

At the end of the festival, a fireworks show finished off the festivities, as it does every year...weather permitting!

I will leave you with some pictures of the tulips that were part of last year's display that I had the pleasure to see for myself....enjoy!