The Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa: A 2024 Guide

You may have thought it was just a Dutch thing, but each year, the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa celebrates the spring tulip season with a magnificent display of over a million blooms. 

This might come as a surprise, but that makes it the biggest tulip festival in the world.

In fact, the National Capital Commission, which runs the event, says it plants enough flowers to cover nine NHL hockey rinks.  So Canadian.

It’s the prettiest time of the year to visit Ottawa.

And it holds a special place in my heart.  My Mom used to come visit me from Calgary every year to see the tulips in Ottawa, and to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Read on for my tips on visiting the Canadian Tulip Festival.  (First tip:  Take your Mom).

History of the Canadian Tulip Festival

You might be wondering why there’s such a big tulip festival in Canada.

The Ottawa event signifies a special friendship between Canada and the Netherlands. 

During World War II,  the Dutch Royal Family was spirited out of the Netherlands to safe exile in Canada’s capital, Ottawa.  While they were here, Princess Juliana gave birth to daughter.  As a show of gratitude,  she presented to the people of Canada 100,000 tulip bulbs, and the family sends more every year.

The fields of flowers became so popular, it soon grew into a festival. 

When is Ottawa’s Canadian Tulip Festival?

This year’s festivities run from May 10- 20, 2024.  The dates are similar every year.

When will the tulips be in bloom?  Every season is a little different, but the NCC plants a variety of tulips that bloom at different times throughout the festival.

And you can always check the online Tulip Meter to get a read on things.

If you want to avoid crowds, the best time to visit the Tulip Festival in Ottawa is on weekdays in the morning.

Best places to see the tulips in Ottawa

You’ll see tulips everywhere in the city and it’s free to visit Ottawa’s Canadian Tulip Festival.  Here are the top spots to see tulips in Ottawa:

Tulips at Commissioners Park

Comissioners Park, near Dow’s Lake, is the main site for the Ottawa festival.  Here, you’ll find huge beds of tulips, and more along the Rideau Canal.

You’ll also see a variety of tulips that you probably never knew existed.  There’s even a test bed to try out new kinds of tulips.

It turns out that tulips have really evolved over the years, including tall ones, fuzzy ones and interesting colour combinations.

Things to do at the Canadian Tulip Festival in Commissioners Park:

Since Commissioners Park is the hub for the tulip festival, there are lots of things to check out:

• Shop the Tulip Market.  You’ll find hand-crafted tulip-themed items by artisans, and you can buy tulips at the festival market.  It’s open daily during the festival from 10 am to 8 pm.
• Movies in the Park.  Check out the line-up.  There’s also a sound and light show about the Royal Canadian Air Force every night at 9 pm.
• The Blacklight Boardwalk.  See the tulips with ultraviolet light, just as pollinators do.  It’s free and runs from 8 to 10 pm nightly.
• Opening and Closing ceremonies.  The opening ceremony on Saturday, May 11th at 11 am includes a fly by of Royal Canadian Air Force planes.  The closing ceremony on Sunday, May 19 at 9:30 p.m. features a 200-drone show over Dow’s Lake.
• Food trucks – Get all your snacks onsite, including the famous Canadian beaver tails (see below).

Be sure to check the festival schedule for more details.

Tulips in Major’s Hill Park

Major’s Hill Park, just behind the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel, is another popular spot for tip-toeing through the tulips.

Here, the tulips have a fabulous downtown backdrop, flanked by the Notre Dame Cathedral (above), the National Gallery of Canada and Canada’s Parliament buildings.  The tulips on Parliament Hill are also worth a look.

Downtown Gatineau Tulips

You can also see tulip beds with stunning views if you walk across the Alexandra Bridge to the Quebec side of the Ottawa River.  This is an easy walk (maybe 20 minutes) from Major’s Hill Park.

Some prime spots are near the bridge, Jacques-Cartier Park and behind the Canadian Museum of History.  From the museum, you have great views of tulips in the foreground and Canada’s Parliament buildings in the background (although it’ll be better when the cranes are gone).

Will I see fields of tulips like in the Netherlands?

Not in the city.

The tulip beds in Commissioners Park are sizeable.  But they’re not huge fields like you see in pictures from the Netherlands.

But there are a couple of farms outside the city that have something similar:

Green Corners Farm is a 30-minute drive south of Ottawa.  It has fields of 500 thousand tulips, with pick your own and professional photography options.  Buy timed-entry tickets online in advance.

Vankleek Hill Tulip Fields is just over an hour’s drive east of Ottawa.  It has 300 thousand tulips with similar options and a requirement to buy tickets in advance.

How to get around at the Ottawa tulip festival

I’m not going to sugar coat it.  Commissioners Park is only about a 10-minute drive from downtown Ottawa but parking near there is a problem.

Where to park at the Tulip Festival in Ottawa:

The festival has parking at Carleton University (P7 Lot) for $12 a day.  Then it’s an 8-minute walk, with stairs, to Commisioners Park.  Or you can take a water taxi from the parking lot to the festival’s Blacklight Boardwalk for an additional $12.

There are a couple of private parking lots within about a 6-minute walk to the festival, but it’s not that easy to get a spot.  They’re at:

• 205 Champagne Avenue near Carling, and
• 371 Beech Street

Tips on other transport options:

Taxi or Uber:  If you take a taxi or Uber from downtown to Commissioners Park, get them to drop you on the Carling Avenue side of the park.  This way, you can avoid traffic near Dow’s Lake.

Bus: Use this trip planner to take Ottawa public transit.

Hop-On, Hop-Off  Tulip Tour:  These double decker or trolley buses go from the Byward Market and major downtown hotels to Commissioners Park.  It’s only $5 for a return trip and you pay cash in person. Check the website for estimated departure times and stops. I think this is one of the easiest ways to go.

Cycle: You can also rent a bike downtown and ride along the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO site, to Commissioners Park.  You’ll see plenty of tulips on the way.

To see the tulips at Major’s Hill Park, it’s an easy walk from any central hotel or downtown attraction.

Tulip tours in Ottawa:

In the 30-minute Tulip Legacy Tour at Commissioners Park, you’ll learn more about the tulips as well as the festival’s history.  There are 7 stops with QR codes to access the information.

A relaxing thing to do in Ottawa is a 1.5 hour boat cruise on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Rideau Canal.  The cruise goes from downtown to Dow’s Lake, pointing out the sites along the way.  It’s an easy way to see the tulips!

Don’t miss these things to do in Ottawa:

There’s so much to do in Ottawa that you really should review the Ottawa Tourism website.  But I want to highlight a few things:

• There are more blossoms to see!  Depending on the weather, you can also see magnolias and cherry blossoms blooming in early May.  Lilacs will start to bloom toward the end of May.  Great place to see the floral display are the Dominion Arboretum and the Ornamental Gardens at the Experimental Farm. 
• As the national capital of Canada, Ottawa is a museum city – – great for rainy days.  Popular museums are the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, and the Canadian War Museum.
• For an exciting birds-eye view, take a helicopter ride over Ottawa and the Gatineau Park.

What to bring

The weather in Ottawa in May can be quite variable, so be prepared for warm days, cool evenings, and, perhaps, some chilly, rainy days.

Even though it’s Canada in the spring time, sunglasses and sunscreen are still a good idea.

You should also have a travel umbrella and a breathable rain jacket on hand.  This Helly Hansen waterproof jacket has kept me dry through countless downpours.

What to eat – Beaver Tails!

A festival in Ottawa provides a good excuse for a Beaver Tail.  This is a delectable deep fried pastry – – essentially a flat donut – – with any number of toppings.  My favourite is the classic cinnamon & sugar.

There’s an outlet at the festival, but you can also visit the flagship location in Ottawa’s Byward Market.  You may also want to check out the many restaurant and bar options in the “Market”.

Or you can get a wider sampling at the best spots in the Byward Market on this delicious food tour.

Where to stay in Ottawa for the festival

Your best bet is a hotel in downtown Ottawa for easy access to the best tulip sites and restaurants in the city.  The festival is very popular, so it’s a good idea to book early, especially since the festival ends on a long weekend (Victoria Day).

Recommended hotels include the Fairmont Château Laurier , Le Germain Hotel or the Andaz hotel.  Don’t miss the incredible view from the rooftop bar in the Andaz hotel.

For a more budget-friendly hotel that’s still centrally located, try the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Downtown East.

Tips for great tulip photos

Want to get some special photos of the tulips?

Best time of day: The best times of day to take photos of tulips is early morning, late afternoon or anytime on overcast or rainy days.  Bright, mid-day sunlight washes out the colours and creates harsh shadows.  There’s one exception to this – – tulip closeups can look great with back lighting.

Try a tripod and different angles:  You’ll get the sharpest shots with a tripod, as long as it’s not windy (this is the one I use).  But, whether or not you use a tripod, try to change your perspective.  You can get a different look by getting down low and shooting level with, or up at the tulips.

Use an open aperture on closeups:  Look for interesting groupings of tulips or interesting details on one tulip.  Open up your aperture to focus on the detail, blurring the background.  A fixed 35 mm lens is particular good for these kind of shots.

Finally, you may want to use a polarizer for your lens.  It will really make the colours pop, especially on bright days.

Enjoy your visit to the Canada’s Tulip Festival.  It’s sure to put a spring in your step!

Map of the places to see at the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa

Click on the blue markers for more details on each location.

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