All photos by Arizona Lanceleve.
The 2016 Tulip Festival kicked off yesterday at Lansdowne Park in a big way. Guests were invited to come see a spectacular bout of fireworks to celebrate the 71st run of Ottawa’s famous spring festival. People flocked to the opening festivities last night to see what the Tulip Festival’s new location, the Aberdeen Pavillion at Lansdowne, will have to offer, and even Mayor Jim Watson joined in on the tulip-tastic event, donning a themed tie for the night.
Roughly 400 tickets were sold for the fireworks that lauched around 9:30 p.m. at TD Place Stadium. As the theme song to Game Of Thrones rang through the stadium, families and on-lookers cuddled close together, watching the sky light up, starting off the tulip fest with a bang. It was a magical night with lots of laughs, beautiful tulips, and art; truly a night of celebrations.
The festival runs from May 12 to May 23. The hours for Sunday to Wednesday are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and for Thursdays to Saturdays, hours are 9 a.m. to 12 a.m.
The Tulip Festival is actually a representation of the peace and unity between Holland and Canada. The NCC has donated over 1400 tulips for the event, tulips you will be able see all over the city, as well as in the Aberdeen Pavillon where the floral sculpture garden will be held till the end of the festival. The festival brings in about $8 million during those 10 days, with roughly 400 dedicated volunteers and a core staff of 6, it’s truly a boon to the nation’s capital.
There are also 200 tulip sculptures peppered around the city, with nearly a dozen new designs every year. That means there will be plenty for the eye to see around Ottawa over the next couple of weeks.
Check out the following slide show for a few snapshots of last night’s festivities:
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