The 70th annual Canadian Tulip Festival took place in Ottawa from May 13 to 23.

The celebration takes place in Ottawa at Commissioners Park by Dow’s Lake and at Major’s Hill Park near Parliament Hill. Ottawa locals and tourists are invited to view more than one million tulips blossom each spring.

Tulips seen at Commissioners Park alongside a walking pathway on May 14. [Photo by Emmanuella Onyeme]
Floral donations are part of a diplomatic initiative by the Netherlands. The country sends 20,000 tulips to Canada’s capital each year as a thank-you to Canadians, who liberated the Netherlands and hosted members of the Dutch Royal family during the Second World War.
Visitors walk through Commissioners Park on May 14. [Photo by Emmanuella Onyeme]
Many visited the festival with their families, taking photos of and with fields of tulips. Events such as bingo, fireworks and walking tours also took place at the festival.

Alongside food and drink, candles, cups, shirts and puzzles were sold to visitors to take home as souvenirs from the festival. Tulips and other cut flowers were also for sale.

A sculpture of a tulip at Dow’s Lake on May 14. [Photo by Emmanuella Onyeme]
Although the 2022 festival has come to an end, organizers are already planning future events years in advance.

Featured image by Emmanuella Onyeme.

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