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Part of me mourned that I was even further away from the Dutch tulip fields when I relocated to the Pacific Northwest from London. Imagine my astonishment when I discovered that the Skagit Valley’s fields bloom into a technicolor tulip quilt every April, 90 minutes north of Seattle.
The Skagit Valley, one of Washington’s top tulip-producing regions, has a distinctive microclimate similar to that of Woodinville, where wine is made. Some of the most stunning tulip displays you will find in the United States are cultivated thanks to a temperate environment, mild winters, and enough of rain.
You’re not the only one who wants to go to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. As you might anticipate, this well-known flower festival frequently draws large people in 2022, but things will work a little differently this year. Continue reading to find out more about the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in 2022, how to get there, and other helpful planning advice.
This article was updated in April 2022 after being first published in June 2014. Prices, schedules, and connections for the 2022 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival should be correct.
Are the tulips in Washington in bloom?
MOUNT VERON, Washington The Skagit Valley is once again covered with stunning fields of vibrant tulips and daffodils, signaling the arrival of spring in western Washington.
After the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival went virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 epidemic, this is the second year that guests are let back onto the fields for the festival.
The festival attracts visitors from all 50 states as well as more than 85 other nations in a “typical year,” according to the festival website.
You should be aware of the following before attending the annual event:
When will the Skagit Valley be covered in tulips?
Our newest tulip garden is called Garden Rosalyn. Enjoy the expansive tulip garden with its beautiful arrangements. Enjoy the nearby food trucks and picnic tables. Dogs on leashes who behave well are welcome! Children under the age of five can enter for free. Parking is uncharged. Garden Rosalyn may be found in Mount Vernon, Washington, at 16648 Jungquist Rd. They can be reached at 360-202-7982.
Do the tulips have blooms yet? What time of year is ideal for seeing tulips? Mother Nature determines the precise dates that tulips blossom. For updates, check out the Bloom Map and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. The entire month of April is devoted to the Tulip Festival. On weekdays, early morning and late afternoon are the least crowded times. The weekend is busy. Booking a Lodging Option in Skagit Valley and passing by the fields in the early morning or late afternoon will give you the finest experience.
A: Every year, from April 1 to 30, the Tulip Festival is celebrated. However, when the tulips blossom is decided by mother nature. Tulips can bloom in the last week of March in some years and the second week of April in other years. Additionally, there are tulip variants that bloom sooner and later. The first daffodil blossoms in March are celebrated at the La Conner Daffodil Festival.
A: I’d want to begin making travel arrangements for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.
A calendar of events where? A: In January, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival brochure will be available. Here are links to download and view: Brochure for the 2022 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
A: Observing the fields from the road is free, but for information on admission for Tulip Town and Roozengaarde, check above.
A: You can always see the tulip fields! However, Tulip Town is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily during the Tulip Festival, and the RoozenGaarde display garden is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Are children welcome at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival? Are there children’s activities or events?
A: Yes, please see our list of tours for the tulip festival. Check out our other Skagit Trips options, such as our whale viewing and Deception Pass boat tours, if you appreciate tours. Check out our self-guided tour maps, which include Heritage Barns, Skagit Valley Culinary Bounty, and a Walking Trail Guide, if you’d want to venture outside the tulip world. Interested in more? Check out Skagit County’s Things To Do.
A: Can we ride our bikes on the fields, and are there any bike trails nearby?
Yes! Nearly every road has a shoulder to ride on and is beautiful and flat among the tulip fields. For routes, consult the Skagit County Bike Map.
A: The roads leading up to the fields will have signage prohibiting parking. Please use a parking area for safety reasons.
A: Dogs and other animals are not permitted in the fields or show gardens. The newest Tulip Garden is an exception. Dogs on leashes that behave nicely are welcome in Garden Rosalyn.
A: From Seattle, take I-5 North, and from Vancouver, BC, take I-5 South. Use the Tulip Festival map to choose your exit based on where you want to go and which fields you want to see. From I-5, you will be traveling west.
I’m a Canadian.
Can we re-enter the border with cut flowers? How about lightbulbs?
A: You are welcome to place cut tulip flowers along the border. However, because they are in the ground, bulbs cannot be purchased during the tulip festival, but they can be delivered to Canada in the fall.
What are Show Gardens, exactly? A: You really must go to both RoozenGaarde and Tulip Town! The grounds have more than a million spring bulbs planted. Both have an admission fee; however, Tulip Town tickets cannot be used at RoozenGaarde and vice versa. The gardens are off-limits to pets.
Since the early 1900s, tulips from the Skagit Valley have been grown here. Currently, the Washington Bulb Co., Inc/RoozenGaarde grows “field tulips.” The timing of the field tulips’ blooming is dependent on the weather in April. Visit our Facebook sites, phone the Tulip Festival office at 360.428.5959, or the BLOOM MAP to check on the status of the bloom. You will require a fresh map every year because tulip crops rotate.
A: The two gardens, RoozenGaarde and Tulip Town, offer free parking. Bradshaw Road has parking for Tulip Town. Beaver Marsh Road’s RoozenGaarde. On busy days, both feature overflow parking; flaggers will direct you. A few of the tulip fields are serviced by official, paid parking run by RoozenGaarde. Your official pay lot ticket stub is good for one entry to RoozenGaarde, and parking in designated lots is included with paid RoozenGaarde admission (display your ticket stub). Parking and admission must take place on the same day. Please take note that lots near the fields may close if it rains too much.
Some landowners impose parking fees. You cannot purchase entrance or additional parking with the money you pay.
Can I bring my drone to the festival of tulips? A: No, drones are not permitted in the fields or gardens.
I’m a seasoned photographer.
Do I have to give RoozenGaarde credit if I publish images of the exhibition fields or garden? Yes, please sign and send the Tulip Festival Photo Release Form to the Roozengaarde (Washington Bulb Co.) office.
A: I drive a tour bus.
Do I have to complete a reservation form to park my bus? A: Fill out the Tulip Festival Bus Reservation Form if you would.
Where is the Seattle Tulip Festival?
Make a calendar note. We have scheduled the 2023 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Poster Unveiling as a LIVE, in-person event at Skagit Acres, situated at 18923 Peter Johnson Rd. in Mount Vernon (yes, we will shortly disclose the artist).
Where is the best festival for tulips?
The Dutchest place on Earth is Holland, Michigan. The city, which is on Lake Michigan and is approximately a 3-hour drive from Detroit, annually hosts one of the biggest and most well-known tulip festivals in the country. Five million blossoming tulips that were planted by the Parks and Recreation Department all throughout the city are blooming during the eight-day festival known as Tulip Time, which also includes parades, concerts, art installations, and traditional Dutch dance performances.
What To Eat
Enjoy traditional Dutch foods like saucijzenbroodjes, or Dutch pigs in a blanket, and buttery krakelingen, which are sweets filled with almond paste. Both are offered by the nearby DeBoer Bakery.
Pro Tip
The busiest times of the week are usually the weekends. If you intend to travel at that time, make sure to reserve your lodging well in advance. See this article for additional details and advice.
Skagit Valley, Washington, where is it?
The Skagit Valley is located in the state of Washington’s northwest region. The Skagit River, which flows through towns including Mount Vernon, the county seat of Skagit County, Sedro-Woolley, Concrete, Lyman-Hamilton, and Burlington, serves as its defining feature.
By Train
There is an Amtrak Cascades service that goes to Mount Vernon, and taking this might be a really fun way to go to the festival. There are no scheduled shuttles or tours leaving from the station; however, the local tour option indicated below requires reservations; they are tiny and fill up quickly. To go to the tulip fields, you can also make plans to rent a car or hail a cab. Skagit Transit Route 615 travels along Mc Lean Rd. from Monday through Saturday. The bus station closest to the tulip fields and gardens is Beaver Marsh Road, so if you’re using it, be sure to board and exit at that location. You will still need to travel some distance on foot to get there.
We also offer local tours that you can choose from:
Where in the US is the biggest tulip festival held?
- Since 1986, the Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine, Kansas, has hosted its annual Tulip Time Festival, which features arts and crafts, live music, a carnival, and other entertaining activities. The largest concentration of tulips ever planted in the United States was in Belle Plaine.
- The Dutch Days celebration in Fulton, Illinois, takes place on the first weekend in May. The neighborhood Christian school hosted the inaugural “Authentic Dutch Dinner” in 1974.
- The annual Tulip Festival in Orange City, Iowa, which takes place on the third weekend in May, is cherished by the locals and include a flower exhibit, an evening production of a Broadway play, daytime and evening parades, and street dancing by both young and old. Over 150,000 people attend the celebration, which starts on Wednesday for the locals and runs through Saturday.
- The Tulip Time event, held in Pella, Iowa, also in early May, was started in 1935 to honor the town’s history. The three-day festival includes street cleaning parades, wooden shoe dancers dressed in costumes, wooden shoe carving demonstrations, poffertje vendors, and an old Dutch street organ.
- The largest tulip festival in the United States, the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan, takes place in early May and boasts more than 4.5 million tulips. More than 600,000 people attend each year.
Where in Skagit Valley might I see daffodils?
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Know where to find the daffodils in Skagit Valley.
There aren’t any daffodil fields or display gardens at Roozengaarde or Tulip Town to stroll through, unlike the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.
What you can do is stroll up to a field filled with Skagit Valley daffodils or observe the fields on the side of the road!
Respect the grower by keeping your distance from the field (no more than around a foot) and refraining from trampling any daffodils, not even for Instagram.