Holland Michigan Hosts Visitors at Annual
Tulip Time Festival
By Harold Merton
For one week each year the city of Holland, Michigan throws out the welcome mat to locals and visitors alike as they host their annual Tulip Time Festival. With a name like Holland you would expect to see Dutch themes and of course tulips. You won't be disappointed when it comes to tulips because they are everywhere, including dozens of beds along the main streets. If you venture to other areas in the city you'll find even more including huge fields of them at a local growers Veldheer's and at Windmill Island. In 2006 the festival will be held from Saturday May 6th to Saturday May 13th. This is the time that the flowers will be at their best. It is a week of excitement and fun and the Tulip Time Festival committee do a fabulous job of putting together an event that is one of the best we have ever visited.
Photos by Harold Merton
One highlight of the Festival is the parades. People line the route to see the colorful floats, costumed woodenshoe dancers and large balloons in several parades during the event. The highlight of course is the main parade held on Saturday.
But the parades are not all there is to offer. There is professional entertainment in the afternoons and last year headliners included Brenda Lee and the Kingston Trio. There are music shows, Dutch heritage presentations, barbershoppers, a Taste of Holland, a carnival, and a Bier and Muziek Festival. There are several parades, one of which helps prepare the area for the following parades.
The Volksparade is unique in that for 76 years Holland residents have
been keeping with the Dutch cleanliness tradition where hundreds of Dutch-costumed
townspeople armed with brooms and pails scrub the parade route clean.
Following the parade there is entertainment with dozens of colorful bands,
floats and Dutch dancers. This was held on the Wednesday in 2005. The
Kinderparade was weld on Thursday and saw over 7,000 area school children
dressed in Dutch costumes marching with contagious enthusiasm.
The main parade the Meijer Muziekparade was held Saturday and was the
grand finale with nearly 50 bands and as many floats, giant helium balloons,
horses, Klompen Dancers and more. It lasted about two hours. At Windmill
Island you'll find DeZwaab-America's only 244 year-old working Dutch windmill.
There is also a Candle carving store, a gift shop and replicas of a 227-year-old
Dutch Inn. There is a museum, a carousel that offers free rides and the
Amsterdam Street Organ that is now housed in a protective building but
still pumps out its distinctive music. Many of the events which start
on the Friday night are free and when you request their brochure or pick
it up once there, you will find dozens of activities to interest the entire
family.
Of course Klompen Dancers are a favorite with visitors and they perform several times a day creating their unique sounds that occur when woodenshoes hit the pavement. Although thousands of visitors head to Holland each year we found there was still lots of room both on the streets and for parking. We actually got an on-street parking spot for our 30' motorhome about an hour before the parade.
There are plenty of things to keep you occupied and we are sure you would enjoy the festival. We'll list contacts below.
TULIP TIME CAMPING
By Harold Merton
The Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan also offers basic camping
facilities at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds for $18.00 per night. Sites
include 20 amp electrical and water is available to many of the sites.
Pets are allowed on a leash and there is a fenced in dog run.
Reservations are made through the festival office for any day from May
5th to May 15th. There is no shuttle to the downtown area from the fairgrounds
that are located on Ottawa Beach Road near the harbor and Big Red Lighthouse.
The Festival office says drive-ins are welcome as well and they state
that there are unlimited numbers of sites. Scope has not checked out the
facilities.
For reservations or further email them at information contact:
The Tulip Time Festival office at
1.800.822.2770 or
tulip@tuliptime.com
Tulip Time Festival Inc.
171 Lincoln Avenue
Holland MI 49423
1.800.822.2770
616.396.4221
Fax 616.396.4545
tulip@tuliptime.com
www.tuliptime.com
Veldheer's Tulip Gardens, Holland, Michigan
Big Red Lighthouse a Popular Tourist Attraction near Holland, Michigan
Camping for Holland Tulip time Festival - Dutch Treat Campground