Tulip Time Festival is an annual festival in
Holland, MichiganHolland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River . The city spans the Ottawa/Allegan county line, with in Ottawa and the remaining in Allegan...
.
Tulip festivalThe Tulip Festivals are held in several North American cities, most often ones with Dutch heritage, including Albany, New York; Ottawa, Ontario; Holland, Michigan; Orange City, Iowa; Pella, Iowa; Mount Vernon, Washington; and Woodburn, Oregon. The tulips are considered a welcome harbinger of...
s are held in many cities around the United States of America that were founded or largely inhabited by
DutchThe Dutch people are the dominant ethnic group of the Netherlands.Dutch people, or descendants of Dutch people, are also found in migrant communities world wide, notably in Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the United States....
settlers. It has been held every year in mid-May since 1929 and is currently the largest tulip festival in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The festival currently runs from the first Saturday in May through the second Saturday.
Activities at the celebration include three
paradeA parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
s,
fireworksA firework is a low explosive pyrotechnic device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
, a Dutch Market, various shows and concerts, a craft fair, klompen dancing, and street scrubbing.
Tulip Time Festival is an annual festival in
Holland, MichiganHolland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River . The city spans the Ottawa/Allegan county line, with in Ottawa and the remaining in Allegan...
.
Tulip festivalThe Tulip Festivals are held in several North American cities, most often ones with Dutch heritage, including Albany, New York; Ottawa, Ontario; Holland, Michigan; Orange City, Iowa; Pella, Iowa; Mount Vernon, Washington; and Woodburn, Oregon. The tulips are considered a welcome harbinger of...
s are held in many cities around the United States of America that were founded or largely inhabited by
DutchThe Dutch people are the dominant ethnic group of the Netherlands.Dutch people, or descendants of Dutch people, are also found in migrant communities world wide, notably in Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the United States....
settlers. It has been held every year in mid-May since 1929 and is currently the largest tulip festival in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The festival currently runs from the first Saturday in May through the second Saturday.
Activities at the celebration include three
paradeA parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
s,
fireworksA firework is a low explosive pyrotechnic device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
, a Dutch Market, various shows and concerts, a craft fair, klompen dancing, and street scrubbing. The city of Holland has thousands of
tulipA tulip is a flower in the genus Tulipa, comprising about 150 bulbous species, and in the family Liliaceae. The native range of the species includes southern Europe, north Africa, and Asia from Anatolia and Iran in the west to northeast of China. The centre of diversity of the genus is in the Pamir...
s lining the streets and in special tulip gardens throughout the city. It has been ranked as America's third largest town festival and named
Reader's DigestReader's Digest is a monthly general-interest family magazine co-founded in 1922 by Lila Bell Wallace and DeWitt Wallace, and based in Chappaqua, New York, United States of America...
's best small town festival.
History
Tulip Time's roots can be traced to a 1927 community beautification project. Lida Rogers, a biology teacher at Holland High School, suggested Holland adopt the tulip as its flower due to the city's close ties to
The NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
.
In 1928, City council approved funding to import 100,000 tulip bulbs from the Netherlands and plant them in city parks.
The next year, the city invited visitors to come during the week including May 15. The success prompted an annual event to be born.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Tulip Time was scaled back, returning with a four day festival in 1946.
The 1947 festival was geared towards celebrating Holland, Michigan's centennial. A tradition was started that year when Michigan's governor,
Kim SiglerKimber Cornellus Sigler, commonly known as Kim Sigler, was an American politician. He served as a Republican governor of Michigan from 1947 to 1949.-Early life:...
, donned a Dutch costume and took part in the festivities.
As America celebrated its
bicentennialThe United States Bicentennial was celebrated on Sunday, July 4, 1976, the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.-Coins:...
in 1976, Tulip Time was honored with the presence of President Gerald R. Ford.
In 1991, Tulip Time expanded from four to ten days.
In 2001, the festival was shortened to eight days and moved up a week to better coincide with when the tulips were in bloom.
A
carnivalCarnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during January and February...
was added in 2003.
In 2008, the outdoor concert series was moved to a new location, Sixth Street Stage at 6th street and College Ave. The outdoor venue was perfect for bringing in many visitors and featured concerts by "That 80's Band", "Bronk Brothers", "
Pop EvilPop Evil is an American post-grunge band from Muskegon, Michigan. It was formed in 2001 by Leigh Kakaty, Dave Grahs, Jamie Nummer, and Dylan Allison. Lead guitarist Shane Allison was originally added as a temporary/studio guitarist for the band, but then was invited to become a full-time member in...
", "Fun In The Sun Band", "Shirey Brothers", "Jimmie Stagger", Lakeshore Idol Winner "LaSondra Leffler" and many more!
Performances
The Tulip Time festival has been host to performances by many well known artists.
2000 featured a concert by pop star
Christina AguileraChristina María Aguilera is an American pop musician. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994. Aguilera signed to RCA Records after...
.
2001 had a concert by the boy band O-Town.
2006 featured performances by
Frankie AvalonFrankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, sex symbol, and former teen idol.-Career:...
,
The Oak Ridge BoysThe Oak Ridge Boys is a country and gospel group that is based in the United States. The group was founded in 1945 as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular during the 1950s. Their name was changed to the Oak Ridge Boys in the early 1960s, and they remained a gospel-oriented group until the mid...
, and
Jars of ClayJars of Clay is a Grammy Award winning Christian rock band from Franklin, Tennessee. They met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois....
.
2007 hosted
Bruce HornsbyBruce Hornsby is an American singer, pianist, accordion player, and songwriter...
.
2008 featured entertainment included
Jonny LangJonny Lang is a Grammy Award-winning American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter and recording artist. Lang's music is notable both for his unusual voice, which has been compared to that of a 40 year old blues veteran, and for his guitar solos...
,
Tony OrlandoTony Orlando is an American singer best known for his work with the group Dawn in the early 1970s.-Biography:Born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis to a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother, he was raised in Manhattan's then-notorious Hell's Kitchen.Tony Orlando's musical career started with...
, and
Ronnie MilsapRonnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and musician. He was one of country’s most popular and influential artists in the 1970s and 1980s. He became country music’s first blind superstar. He was also one of the most successful country crossover singers of his time, appealing to both...
.
2009 featured
Jan MulderJan Mulder is a former Dutch politician andMember of the European Parliamentwith the Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie,part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe...
,
1964 The Tribute1964 the Tribute is a Beatles' tribute band that was formed in 1982. They have performed over 2900 shows, released albums and released videos. Rolling Stone magazine has called 1964, "The best Beatles tribute ever." They were also featured in a PBS special of the same name; the soundtrack to...
,
Bobby VintonBobby Vinton is an American pop music singer of Polish origins.-Early life:Vinton is the only child of a locally popular bandleader, Stan Vinton At 16, Vinton formed his first band, which played clubs around the Pittsburgh area...
, and
The Oak Ridge BoysThe Oak Ridge Boys is a country and gospel group that is based in the United States. The group was founded in 1945 as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular during the 1950s. Their name was changed to the Oak Ridge Boys in the early 1960s, and they remained a gospel-oriented group until the mid...
.
Rating
In 2004,
Reader's DigestReader's Digest is a monthly general-interest family magazine co-founded in 1922 by Lila Bell Wallace and DeWitt Wallace, and based in Chappaqua, New York, United States of America...
rated the festival as the best small town festival in the USA.
External links