Tulips and cherry blossoms at the Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Ontario
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When Ottawa turns tulip. Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa
It starts quietly—rows of tulips opening along the Rideau Canal as spring settles in. Then the story catches up. The Canadian Tulip Festival begins today, marking its 74th year, but its roots go back to wartime Europe. In 1945, after Canada helped liberate the Netherlands and hosted Princess Juliana during her exile, a gift of tulip bulbs arrived in Ottawa. That tradition didn't end; it returned each year, growing into today's festival.
By 1953, the Ottawa Board of Trade and photographer Malak Karsh had organised the first official Canadian Tulip Festival, giving shape to what had begun as a diplomatic thank-you. Today, the displays trace around 300,000 blooms along key routes, including the Rideau Canal, where tulips often appear alongside spring cherry blossoms. Commissioners Park anchors the main showcase with large, organised plantings.
So why does it draw crowds every spring? Because it tells a clear, human story—gratitude, remembered in bloom, brief yet consistent, year after year.
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