Spring officially arrives in Boulder, Colorado, on April 23, 2011. (OK, so that’s a month after its calendar debut, but, heck, this is Boulder!)

That’s the date for the annual Tulip Fairy & Elf Parade, which kicks off downtown at 3 p.m. Spring is “official” because that’s when the Tulip Fairy, accompanied by pint-sized fairies and elves, parades around the Pearl Street Mall “waking up the tulips”.

This springtime tradition featuring events and activities for children, also includes more than 15,000 tulips that adorn the Pearl Street Mall throughout the spring season.

(Photo courtesy of Downtown Boulder)