New York City Tulip Day: Celebrate Spring With a Free Bouquet in Union Square
Spring typically brings warmer temperatures and more sunshine, which helps the most beautiful flowers bloom. For some lucky New Yorkers, the benefits of spring’s arrival will include a free bouquet in a scene right out of the Netherlands’ famed tulip fields.
The First-Ever New York City Tulip Day
The first-ever New York City Tulip Day is being held in Union Square on April 7. From 11 am to 3 pm, visitors will have the opportunity to build their own bouquet of ten tulips from an estimated 200,000 up for grabs. While advance tickets are sold out, a limited number of walk-in spots are still available. It’s recommended to arrive early as the event is likely to draw thousands. The event is in partnership with the Consulate General of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos, a Dutch flower trade association.
A Celebration of Dutch New York History
Organizers of the event are hopeful that this will become an annual event as it has in other cities. But this year is special because it celebrates 400 years of Dutch New York History and is part of the Dutch consulate’s Future 400 initiative. The idea for Tulip Day stems from European traditions. Traders in Europe export tulip bulbs to over 100 countries worldwide, including the United States.
Amsterdam Tulip Festival and Similar Traditions in the US
Amsterdam is specifically known for its annual tulip festival, held in April. Visitors flock to see the flowers in full bloom in over 80 locations around the city. While the US doesn’t have a dedicated tulip festival as widely known as Amsterdam’s, some cities have similar traditions. New Yorkers who frequent Park Avenue know the famous street is lined with beautiful blooms in April and early May. Then, at the end of the tulip season, an annual dig is held across the Park Avenue Malls for residents to take the bulbs home and replant them. That event – usually held at the end of May – is free to the public.
Tulip Day in US Cities
Tulip Day has previously been held in other US cities. San Francisco Flower Bulb Day was held on March 9, the day after International Women’s Day. Featuring 80,000 tulips imported from the Netherlands, guests created bouquets of six stems for keeps. The event has been held in the city since 2018, drawing crowds of thousands. San Francisco Tulip Day has become such a massive event that organizers have started including a social media component to draw more attention. The Show Us Your Tulips’ Journey Home contest encourages those who secured tulip bouquets to display how they planted the bulbs around their properties. The event costs about $100,000 to produce, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, and uses funds from a European Union grant.