One of the World’s Best Flower Festivals Is Held in Michigan

Some of the millions of Tulips in Holland
Some of the millions of Tulips in Holland | © Scoopie / Flickr

Every year in the beautiful Dutch-American city of Holland, Michigan, the Tulip Time festival sees the city blossom with literally millions of tulips and hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The festival has a long and illustrious history as the largest tulip festival in the U.S., with parades, music and authentic Dutch traditions taking place across a week in early May. With all that and more, we look at why one of the country’s most celebrated festivals should be on your calendar.

The festival was conceived in the 1920s as the West Michigan city began to prosper as a tourist destination and sought new ways to capitalize on the increasing number of visitors. It had been settled in 1847 by Dutch Americans, who had fled the Netherlands due to its poor economic situation but remained proud of their homeland. In 1928, a schoolteacher suggested making the tulip the city’s flower, which evolved into an idea to import tulip bulbs from the Netherlands and hold a festival when they bloomed to celebrate their heritage and community.

The first festival took place over a week in May 1929 when 100,000 tulips bloomed for the first time, and its success led to Tulip Time becoming an annual event. Over subsequent years, other Dutch customs and traditions have been integrated into the festivities, such as authentic costumes, flower shows, parades, Klompen dancing, and music.

Klompen dancing at the Tulip Time Festival

While the festival’s length has changed a number of times, and it has grown in scale, the festival has largely remained true to its origins for almost 90 years, with the millions of blooming flowers and Dutch culture the main focus. Now held over eight days, other events include carnivals, markets, tours, races, art exhibitions, and more.

Among the awards it has received, Readerʼs Digest has named it Americaʼs Best Small Town Festival. It has also won USA Today’s award for Best Flower Festival, and the World Tulip Summit Society designated it the Festival of the Year.

Other Tulip Time honors have included President Gerald R. Ford and his family making an appearance in a parade in 1976. It even received a shoutout from none other than Homer Simpson in a 2005 episode of The Simpsons when he said “I wouldn’t mind taking that to the Holland, Michigan tulip festival” while admiring a new RV.

landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Winter Sale Offers on Our Trips

Incredible Savings

X
Edit article