Tourists descend on Holland for Tulip Time
HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — This year’s Tulip Time Festival is in full bloom.
All eyes are on Holland as the city hosts the 95th Tulip Time Festival featuring flowers, art, food and entertainment.
“There’s just these cultural ties, people come and enjoy the tulips, Dutch heritage, and Holland the way it is today. So it’s exciting,” said Chad Mesbergen, director of events and operations for Tulip Time.
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Over the course of eight days, the event typically draws around 500,000 people, including community members in West Michigan who keep coming back.
“My wife is a gardener and she loves flowers, and that’s her favorite thing to do,” said Steven VanNoord, a Tulip Time visitor from Byron Center. “And she is the one that really prompts me to head on out to Holland.”
Not only does it bring West Michigan to the lakeshore, but also the world.
“We have people from Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Colorado,” Mesbergen said. “We also have people that come internationally, so I’ve talked to some people from Puerto Rico, we have people from the Netherlands as well as England.”
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All the extra visitors leave a big mark on the area.
“We have people staying in hotels, eating at restaurants, they are doing our events, so they are making that financial impact to the community,” Mesbergen said.
This year’s Tulip Time theme is Bike and Blooms, which pays homage to the bicycle, a Dutch cultural icon. A new event this year is Pedals at the Park.
“Which are 13 sculptures made by local artists, local organizations, that are tulip-themed but also made with recycled parts,” Mesbergen said.
If you want to check out Tulip Time, the festival continues through Mother’s Day.
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