Records shattered after Tulip Time's 'extremely successful' comeback

HOLLAND — It'll be a few more weeks before exact data is available, but Tulip Time organizers are confident records were shattered at this year's comeback festival.

According to Executive Director Gwen Auwerda, there were record crowds at the carnival, in addition to sold-out walking tours and events. The festival's Artisan Market hosted a record numbers of vendors (over 250) and two new Dutch exhibits had great performances.

"The comeback year has been incredibly successful with a smaller staff," Auwerda wrote in an email to The Sentinel. "Yet visitors and locals had a great time at parades, Dutch Dance performances and events."

Tulip Time returned May 7-15, concluding with a fireworks show Saturday and several events Sunday. It was the first year since the COVID-19 pandemic and the festival's first cancellation in decades that Tulip Time offered its full range of events, exhibits and parades.

"I would say it was extremely successful," said Linda Hart, executive director of the Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We really think we had record crowds. It was crazy.

"We knew last year, we had a lot of people, and the flowers were gorgeous and lasted so long. But even though our indoor events returned this year, there were still massive amounts of people outside enjoying the tulips."

Windmill Island Gardens, according to Hart, broke attendance records of its own, with 25,000 visitors the first weekend and nearly 75,000 by the festival's end.

"It's hands-down a record for the island," she said. "And again, it's just like everybody is exceeding what we'd already established as records in the past. And it was amazing how many people were first-timers. We thought we had a lot of first-timers last year, but this year was even more.

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"There was a push-pin map downtown with the United States, and every single state had a push-pin. In our booth, we saw visitors from Ukraine, El Salvador, Chile and Spain. We couldn't believe it. Maybe they didn't come here just for Tulip Time, but they came to Holland."

Hart added, for many Michigan cities with festivals of their own, Tulip Time is a good benchmark.

"We think it's going to be a banner year for travel," she said. "We thought gas prices and higher costs might prohibit people from traveling, but no — long-term it might impact things, but because there's so much pent-up need for travel, people are willing to take that quick trip."

Festival organizers are already discussing an economic impact study, similar to one completed in 2018.

"We want to see what kind of impact the festival had on the community post-COVID," Hart said.

Tulip Time wasn't without its hiccups. Along with record-breaking attendance came record-setting heat, forcing organizers to close the festival's new Immersion Garden a day early.

"They watered multiple times a day and replaced the pots of tulips as necessary, but when you have four days of that much heat, they just couldn't take it," Hart said. "But the good news is, so many ticket holders were given the opportunity Sunday to get pots of tulips, which they can take and plant at home."

Locals also issued a string of complaints online about long lines along Ottawa Beach Road, as visitors made their way to the festival's famous Artisan Market at Beechwood Church.

"But in reality, the sheer number of people that went to Beechwood Church was incredible," Hart said. "The vendors told us they had record sales, and if we were in Centennial Park where we've been in years past, they wouldn't have been able to do so well. It's just a space issue, and the market had honestly outgrown it, and this allowed everybody to enjoy Centennial Park that first weekend, which is really important to us."

Overall, organizers like Hart and Auwerda are grateful for the community's time and support.

"It takes a village to run a festival like Tulip Time," Hart said. "It's nine days, it helps our community thrive, and we're just so thankful."

— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at cassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Records shattered after Tulip Time's 'extremely successful' comeback