Final weekend of the Canadian Tulip Festival draws thousands of visitors
It's been at least three years since Jeslyn Gigi and Minimol Kokkattu snapped a photo next to the tulips in full bloom at Commissioners Park in Ottawa.
“We want to enjoy the beauty of nature, especially Ottawa. It's the capital of Canada,” said Kokkatu.
Both joined thousands of visitors coming from near and far for the final day of the Canadian Tulip Festival.
The tulips have been a tradition in Ottawa since the end of the Second World War. The National Capital Commission plants more than one million bulbs every year, creating the largest public tulip display in the world.
"Our founder said when the tulips came up after the war, they brought colour back to a grey world and especially after a couple of really hard years here in Ottawa I think that's what we see here. We're bringing colour back to the city," said executive director Jo Riding.
She say this year's festival saw around half a million visitors.
“That is busier than Winterlude, that's just as busy as Bluesfest, so we're super proud," said Riding.
All of those people visiting over the course of 11 days also helped drum up business for restaurants nearby.
The owner of Pub Italia says they chose to open early on Victoria Day to accommodate the crowds.
"We're usually closed… but we opened for the festival," said Joe Cotroneo. "It's bumper to bumper cars and the people are bumper to bumper."
While parking was hard to find, those who did make it to the heart of the festival revelled in its beauty. The late season tulips are still in full bloom.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.