Thousands come out for last day of Canadian Tulip Festival on Victoria Day
Artist Johanne Richer never knows when inspiration will hit, but when she's surrounded by tulips at Commissioners Park in Ottawa, she doesn't have to look far.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"When I came in this morning I said, 'Okay where am I going to go?' My eyes are not big enough to capture the beauty of the nature," Richer said.
Richer joined the thousands that came out for the final day of the Canadian Tulip Festival, trying to capture that perfect picture on a hot, sunny Victoria Day.
"It’s a beautiful day out with the family," said Peter Bahraini. "It’s a long weekend, so it’s a perfect opportunity to visit the Tulip Festival."
Organizers say last year’s festival brought in half a million visitors and this year, they’re expecting that number to grow.
"We’ve probably seen a few tens of thousands more than we did last year, it’s been a great bloom, we’ve had some great shows, and we’ve met people from all over the world," said the festival's organizer, Jo Riding.
The tulips are a staple of the spring season in Ottawa, but funding cuts meant changes to this year’s programming, including new self-guided tours, swapping fireworks for a drone show and relying heavily on volunteers.
In total, Riding says the festival lost about 30 per cent of its total funding as federal, provincial and municipal funding has declined.
"I was expecting that they had scaled back a lot because of the cutbacks, but I think they did a pretty good job on a tight budget," said Mary Jaekl.
Even though the city has yet to commit to any funding for next year, Riding says she’s committed to bringing the festival back for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands.
The festival was established to celebrate the Dutch royal family gift of tulips following the war, as a symbol of international friendship and has been held every year since 1953.
"We certainly are hopeful that they'll see the impact that we have on the city. Not just the, tangible impact, the spending and tourism dollars which amounts to about 40 million for the city, but also the intangibles," Riding said. "Which is the smiles on all of these faces, the barrier free access to this park, and being able to share our stories and our history with new Canadians."
The festival also provides a much needed boost to nearby local businesses on Preston Street like Pub Italia.
"It’s been great, the crowds have been wall to wall. It’s hard to have another festival that brings that many people to the city," said Pub Italia owner Joe Cotroneo.
"I think it's something the city's got to look at is not cutting their funding. It’s hard to have another festival that brings that many people to the city."
While the organizers are actively finding new sources of funding, Riding is assuring residents the festival will always remain free of charge.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.