Information not accurate?
Help us improve by making a suggestion.
Ten days of tulips, parades, and lakeside walks
Holland’s Tulip Time fills parks and streets with millions of blooms, plus parades, Dutch dancing, and family events near Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan.
Event details
What Is the Tulip Time Festival?
Holland, Michigan transforms every May into one of the most color-saturated spring destinations in the country. Tulip Time 2026 runs May 1 through 10, spreading across multiple venues throughout the city with over six million tulips in bloom alongside parades, Dutch cultural traditions, live entertainment, and lakeside walks that connect the festival to both Lake Macatawa and the Lake Michigan shoreline just minutes away. Founded in 1929, the festival draws visitors from across the Midwest and beyond who come for the flowers and stay for the full sensory experience of a small city fully committed to its season.
Where to See the Tulips: Gardens and Key Viewing Spots
The major gardens anchor the experience. Windmill Island Gardens pairs authentic Dutch windmill scenery with manicured tulip beds that photograph beautifully in morning light. Veldheer Tulip Gardens offers a more open, agricultural feel with rows stretching toward the horizon. The Tulip Immersion Garden, expanded for 2026, places visitors inside the bloom rather than beside it, creating an enclosed environment where color fills every sightline. Window on the Waterfront Park and Centennial Park bring the blooms into the city’s walkable core, where flower beds line the streets alongside Dutch architecture and independent shops.
2026 Entertainment and New Events
The 2026 lineup adds fresh programming alongside the festival’s traditional Dutch dancing and parade schedule. “A Love Story,” a Taylor Swift tribute performance, and an Elton John tribute act join the main entertainment calendar, while magician Michael Carbonaro, The Texas Tenors, and the ensemble Fiddlefire round out the specialty event program. The new “Dutch Life” cultural exhibition at Van Raalte Farmhouse presents traditional costumes and heritage demonstrations that give the festival deeper historical grounding. Each event is individually ticketed rather than covered under a single pass, so planning ahead and booking specific shows early is worth the effort.
Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa: The Water Side of Tulip Time
The festival’s setting along the lakeshore is part of what separates Holland from any other flower event. Lake Macatawa runs through the heart of the city, and cycling or walking its shoreline between garden visits gives the day a natural rhythm of color and calm. Holland State Park sits just minutes from downtown, where Lake Michigan opens wide and the beach stretches long enough to feel genuinely remote. Early morning at the state park beach, before the festival crowds build, is one of the quieter pleasures the area offers in May.
Where to Stay for Tulip Time 2026
Holland’s lodging fills quickly for the festival’s opening and closing weekends. The Hampton Inn and Courtyard by Marriott offer reliable downtown proximity, while Teerman Lofts gives a more boutique, residential feel within walking distance of the main bloom corridors. For visitors who want waterfront stillness alongside the festival energy, lake cabin rentals along Lake Macatawa and the broader western Michigan shoreline offer a genuinely different pace. Browse available lake properties on Lake.com to find a waterfront base that makes the drive to the tulip fields feel like the scenic part of the morning.
Information not accurate?
Help us improve by making a suggestion.
