Blooms ‘best they ever looked’ when the Tulip Time Festival in Holland begins

Holland, mi – it is the best time of the year for the city of Holland and the visitors.

The 96th annual Tulip Time Festival began on Friday, May 2. The 10-day flower festival will run until Sunday, May 11th.

Every year, half a million visitors from all over the world experience beauty and lively transforming city parks and feed streets.

The main attraction could be for some countless flowering flowers. However, Tulip Time also offers an insight into Dutch culture with traditional dances, parades, clothing and food.

RELATED: Where can you see Holland’s traditional Dutch dancers during the 10-day flower festival

Large tulip sections are free of charge for the public inspection in the Centennial Park and at the window on the water.

Windmill Island Gardens is another popular place. For the admission price, visitors have access to 36 ACRES with 160,000 tulips from 80 varieties that can be overlooked from the historic windmill “de Zwaan”.

RELATED: Start all tulip time traditions from street scrubbing to Dutch dancing

Nicole Mason in Grand Rapids visited the Windmill Island Gardens for the first time on Friday. It was overwhelmed by the brilliance and the variety of tulips on display.

“This is the best you have ever seen,” said Mason. “You see the perfect time.”

The General Manager of Windmill Island Garden, Matt Helmus, repeated Mason’s feeling and said that the area had experienced the perfect conditions for brilliant flowers this year.

If the weather remains forecast, HELMUS expects colors to stay for about three weeks.

The MLIVE photo journalist Isaac Ritchey was there to record scenes from the first day of the Tulp period. Take a look at the full gallery above or take a look at some photos below. Click here to get a direct link to the gallery.

Further information or a complete list of events can be found here on the Tulip Time website.

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