Since 2006, the Chilliwack Tulip Festival has become an annual tradition drawing tens of thousands of visitors from across the region as soon as the fields begin to bloom for their brief growing season.
This year, the season starts Monday April 11th, as the Chilliwack Tulip Festival returns for its 16th edition. The festival is the largest tulip event in BC, with millions of bulbs blooming each year, allowing for guests to roam amongst more than 20 acres of 30 tulip varieties, plus 15 types of daffodils. There will be more than nine million bulbs in all this year.
With the various tulip varieties blooming at different times, all of the flowers can be enjoyed throughout the season, just in different locations around the fields. There will be between 7 and 20 acres of flowers in full bloom for the duration of the festival. The first few days will feature the early blooming varieties of tulips, including the “World’s Favourite,” as well as the double daffodils, located in the far field of the farm, so those with mobility issues may wish to visit later in the festival when the front fields are in bloom.
Looking for that perfect pic to post? Capture your memories and colourful moments with any of the photo-op props throughout the grounds, including seven sets of swings, several raised platforms, a 1950s Morris convertible, and an antique horse cart. Make the most of the festival and enjoy the many outdoor lawn games available to play. As well make a visit to The Farm Shop, open daily, offering fresh cut and potted tulips, sunflower seeds for the garden, and tulip-themed souvenirs, along with individually wrapped frozen treats and bottled refreshments. Feeling peckish, grab a bite at one of three food trucks rotating onsite for the duration of the festival.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 16 years since our first tulip festival,” says festival founder Kate Onos-Gilbert. “Since then, we’ve been lucky to continue growing year after year – and so in addition to return visitors, we look forward to welcoming many first-time spectators in 2022, who will experience the unique awe of standing amidst millions of tulips and other types of flowers in a wide-open, unspoiled natural environment.”
The Chilliwack Tulip Festival runs every day from April 11, for approximately three to four weeks, depending on weather. The fields are located at 41310 Royalwood Dr, just off Highway 1. Parking is free. Tickets are available online only. For complete details, including ticket pricing and purchasing, visit chilliwacktulipfest.com.