The Canadian Tulip Festival (or Festival Canadien des Tulipes) in Ottawa is an annual world-famous festival celebrating the Canadian capital's love affair with the tulip. It is not centered in one specific area but rather spread across Ottawa. The epicenter of the festival is the 250,000 tulips blooming in Commissioners Park near Dow's Lake. The Ottawa Tulip Festival is held annually in May, and admission is free.
Where To Take Photos
Impressive displays of tulips planted throughout the city attract over 650,000 visitors every year. Picturesque Commissioners Park on the shores of Dow's Lake and the Rideau Canal are definitely the most popular spots. Other spots to photograph tulips include the Major's Hill Park, Parliament of Canada along with Parliament Hill, and also dozens of the region's gardens best explored on a self-guided tour or guided excursion. Renting a bike is also a great solution to view all places.
Flower Festival Events and Activities
The Canadian Tulip Festival has free admission and a variety of extra activities and events. Shop the Tulip Market, which takes place daily from 10 am to 8 pm, offers guests a mini-market experience at Commissioner's Park, Dow's Lake, with regional artisans and hand-crafted tulip-theme items. If you're a movie buff, Movies & More in the Park is the perfect event for you.
The children's movie program starts at 2 pm, and at 7 pm for adult visitors. Festival guests can watch various films for different tastes, for example, The Monuments Men, Top Gun: Maverick, Trolls, The Boss Baby, Ocean's Eleven, The Secret Life of Pets, and more. You can also attend a famous star's "live performances" almost every night by watching a concert movie, like Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You, Shawn Mendes: Live In Concert, or Justin Timberlake Tennessee Kids.
Visit the Blacklight Boardwalk display nightly from 8 pm-10 pm to learn to see the tulips as a pollinator would. This exhibit shed light on a group of beings that require our utmost attention and nurturing. Also, in the evening, you can visit the Sound & Light Show on Dow's Lake Blacklight Boardwalk from 9 pm–9:15 pm to learn about the brave pilots and crews of the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. And, of course, if you get hungry as you explore the festival, you'll always be treated to food truck vendors.
Parking
There is limited parking at Commissioners Park, so there are paid options. Paid Parking at Carleton University Lot P7 is $12 per day, with partial proceeds supporting the Canadian Tulip Legacy. Guests can also take the Ekeau Tulip Water Taxi across Dow's Lake and go directly into the Festival grounds for $12 per ride.
Festival History
The Tulip Festival is also a time to celebrate art, cultural, historical, culinary, and family tulip experiences. If you visit the bustling ByWard Market neighborhood next to Major’s Hill Park, don't miss the tulip art created by artist Monique Martin. Another option is a culinary tour with C’est Bon Cooking to taste edible tulip petals and bulbs.
Ottawa's massive bloom goes back to 1945 when the Dutch royal family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs as a token of appreciation for sheltering Queen Juliana and her family for three years during the Nazi occupation. In 1943, the Dutch Princess Margriet was born at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. In 1946, Juliana sent 20,500 bulbs specifically for the hospital and would send 10,000 more. The first Canadian Tulip Festival was held in 1953 and was organized by the Ottawa Board of Trade and photographer Malak Karsh. It was visited by Dutch royals several times.
