The Canadian Tulip Festival

SPRING BLOSSOMS EVERY YEAR AT THE CANADIAN TULIP FESTIVAL


The Canadian Tulip Festival

The Canadian Tulip Festival, which is also know as the Ottawa Tulip Festival, has become the world's largest tulip festival and takes place in May each year with more than three million tulips in bloom. It runs for three weeks and in 2009, Ottawa expected more than 500,000 people to enjoy the flowers and the festival activities.

The tulip has become a symbol of the friendship between Holland and Canada. This friendship began more than fifty years ago when the Dutch people gave Ottawa a gift of tulips as a thank you for providing a safe haven to members of the Dutch Royal Family during the Second World War and for the part that Canadian soldiers played in helping to liberate Holland from the Nazis.

The gift of tulip bulbs has become a beloved tradition and today, the celebration is bigger and better than ever.


VIDEO


Though dated, this 2008 video will give you a general idea of what you might expect at the Canadian Tulip Festival:


THEMES


1994 A Tribute to the Origin Country of the Tulip - Turkey
1995 The Friendship That Flowered, the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Holland
1996 Floral Tribute to Nice
1997 Floral Artistry of Japan
1998 A Celebration of Canada's Provinces and Territories
1999 Between Friends
2000 Tulips 2000: A Capital Celebration!
2001 Tulips Forever! A Salute to Britain
2002 Tulipmania! 50th Anniversary
2003 G'day Australia - Tulips Down Under
2004 Canada's Tulip Experience
2005 A Celebration of Peace and Friendship
2006 Tulips 2006 - World Flower Rendezvous!
2007 Celebridée Celebration of Ideas inaugural year
2008 Where Ideas Bloom
2009 The Tulip Route
2010 "Liberation" - The 65th anniversary of the liberation of Europe.
2011 "Kaleidoscope" - A celebration of Spring awakening through colour, culture and community

PHOTOGRAPHS


World famous photographer Malak Karsh is widely know for his photographs of the tulips and was instrumental in the establishment of the Canadian tulip festival.

CONCERTS


The festival helped create some of the artists who have appeared. Concerts have included Liberace who performed an opening concert in 1972, Alanis Morissette who made her first appearance when she was just 12 year sold in 1987, The Trews who opened for Big Sugar in 2003 and General Rudie who performed early in their musical careers in 2000. These 'free' concerts were both entertaining and career building for budding new artists. They proved to be great exposure. However, the concerts have been difficult because of the unpredictability of springtime weather in Ottawa.

WOODEN TULIPS


President Barack Obama's Wooden Tulip from the Ottawa / Canadian Tulip Festival.

The Canadian Tulip Festival presented a very unique gift in the form of a 5 foot tall wooden tulip to President Obama on the occasion of his historic first visit to Canada on February 19, 2009. Large wooden tulips are a beautiful tradition of the festival. This one will represent President's Obama's messages of Hope, Change, and Yes We Can. It will also have his face in profile and other national U.S. symbols on it. This particular tulip is the work of Canadian artist Jill Alexander.

Have you ever seen the tulips at the Canadian Tulip Festival? 

See you
in the Tulips!
Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

OFFICIAL INFORMATION

The largest tulip festival in the world. Millions of tulips will bloom in Canada's scenic Capital Region (Ottawa) creating an exotic mosaic of colour and beauty.

Wikipedia
The Canadian Tulip Festival claims to be the world's largest tulip festival, with attendance of over 500,000 visitors annually. This major cultural event is held annually in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada, over the course of 18 days in May...

360 Degrees of Tulips
Explore high resolution panoramic photography of the 'Canadian Tulip Festival' on 360 Cities. This will put you in a bed of tulips, literally. I have never seen anything quite like this...and the tulips are magnificent! 

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A Bloom Of Friendship Book Review
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