The annual Canadian Tulip Festival takes place May 10 to 20, 2019, in Commissioners Park and Aberdeen Pavilion, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

The festival centers around Ottawa’s love affair with the tulip, with a million tulips blooming in public areas, including 250,000 blooms in Commissioners Park near Dows Lake.

The Canadian Tulip Festival was established to celebrate the historic Royal gift of tulips from the Dutch to Canadians during 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 commemorating the birth of Dutch Princess Margriet in Ottawa during World War II —- the only royal personage ever born in Canada.

There are all sorts of shows and musical performances scheduled, plus fireworks, films, and readings, but Road Trips Gardeners won’t want to miss the new Tulip Pavilion, a “celebration of the gorgeous, adaptable flower that is the Festival’s key attraction”. In addition to tulip displays, the Embassy of The Kingdom of the Netherlands will offer a look at the future of sustainable agriculture.

The Garden Workshop Area of the Tulip Pavilion will host some of Canada’s greenest thumbs as they share their gardening and horticultural expertise in hands-on sessions. It’s also the site of a new Virtual Reality installation that will feature a visit through the Kingdom of the Netherlands and that country’s legendary Tulip Fields.

At the Tulip Plaza, there’s a Giant Celebration Tulip Garden, featuring handcrafted and hand-painted five foot high Tulip sculptures plus a marketplace of vendors. Also at the plaza is a new Canadian Tulip Festival Museum, showcasing the 66-year history of the tulip festival.

(Photos courtesy of Canadian Tulip Festival)