OTTAWA -- As the tulips start to bloom across Ottawa, the festival to celebrate the gift of tulips and Canada’s role in the Liberation of the Netherlands is set to kick off with a new look.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Canadian Tulip Festival to go completely online this year.
Festival president Grant Hooker jokes at least they don’t have to worry about the weather for the festival.
“That’s one advantage actually of moving the festival online is, the tulips are coming in but they won’t be in full bloom this Friday when we open,” said Hooker in an interview with CTV News Ottawa.
“And that would have been a bit of a sweat issue last year.”
The Ontario Government’s ban on gatherings of more than five people has forced the Canadian Tulip Festival to move all activities online this year.
The Canadian Tulip Festival runs from May 8 to 18, and all activities and events are online. The festival’s website allows visitors the opportunity to trace the path of the liberation of the Netherlands, and learn about the incredible sacrifices made by Canadians in the Netherlands.
“The festival is more than tulips. Tulips are the star attraction, but our job is to add entertainment, animation and meaning to people’s celebration in the spring when they get out for the first time after a long winter,” Hooker said.
“We’ve brought most of the elements of the festival online. We’ve used most of the artists by videoing their performances, and they’ll be presented online.”
This year is the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands, which Hooker notes partially led to the founding of the Canadian Tulip Festival.
“On the tulipfestival.ca website, people will be able to learn about that liberation in some really neat ways that you’ll have to see them to believe them.”
The Canadian Tulip Festival’s website includes a virtual walking tour of the tulips and TulipTV, which will feature performances.
The festival is also offering “Tulips of Thanks.”
“Fuzzy the TulipMobile” will deliver tulip bouquets to eleven different hospitals and long-term care centres in Ottawa from May 8 to 18.
The National Capital Commission looks after the tulips across Ottawa. The NCC is asking only residents living near Dow’s Lake and Commissioners Park to visit the tulips this year, and practice physical distancing while walking through the gardens.
