The month of May has finally arrived and it’s my favourite! May just so happens to be my birthday month (so it’s always had an edge), but it always seems to be the month where the nice weather really starts here in Ottawa and of course, all the tulips come into bloom! I am a huge fan of Ottawa’s Tulip Festival. It’s one of my favourite things about this city. This year the Canadian Tulip Festival runs from May 10th to the 20th – so it’s coming up quick.

This year all of the festival’s programming has been moved to one location – Commissioner’s Park (which was always THE best place to head anyways.) That’s where you can find Ottawa’s highest concentration of tulips – over 300 thousand tulips in dozens of varieties. In case you are not familiar where Commissioner’s Park is, it runs alongside Dow’s Lake on the Rideau Canal.

The festival will be open daily from 9 am – 9 pm. Boutiques and Pavilions are open weekdays from noon until 6 pm and on weekends from 10 am to 8 pm. Access to the park and to all the on-site festival pavilions is free!

You can expect the Tulip Festival to get very busy, on weekends especially, but don’t let that deter you. It’s well worth braving the crowds. My mom will be visiting from Vancouver over this year’s festival (her first time here in May), and I can’t wait to show her what it’s all about.

If you or any out of town visitors you have coming want to learn more about the tulips there is actually a Digital Garden Tour that will be offered. Simply download the festival’s GrowIt Mobile App to your device and enjoy!

When visiting the flowers and getting those perfect spring photos you can also expect to be entertained by beautiful live music. Musical performances will take place in Commissioners Park throughout the festival. Some highlights include:

• Music and Beyond concert series in The Dutch Theatre, next to the Heritage Pavilion: Monday to Thursday at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.; Friday to Sunday at 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
• Boardwalk Bands: Saturdays and Sundays (plus Monday, May 20) at 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m.

You can also expect to find a number of food trucks and yummy eats options. Last year my two kiddos were thrilled with their lollipop choices. It’s not a bad idea to have some cash on hand in case not all of the food vendors take cards. If the weather is nice, I recommend bringing down a picnic blanket and finding some room on the grass to take it all in.

Make sure to follow the Tulip Boardwalk to the Tulip Plaza at Dows Lake Pavilion and check out what’s being offered there. Visit the Giant Celebration Tulip Garden to walk amongst five-foot high handcrafted tulip sculptures and shop at the outdoor marketplace. Head inside to browse art, flowers, bulbs and festival merchandise in the Tulip Boutique.

There is also a Kids Zone where children can paint some tulip artwork of their own. There will be face painting offered on weekends and the holiday Monday and Pedalheads will be putting on some fun activities over the May 18 and 19 weekend.

If your kids are a little older and can stay up later then you may want to consider heading down to Dow’s Lake on Sunday May 19. There will be a spectacular fireworks show at 10:00 p.m. (weather permitting). My kids are still a little too young to stay up for this one…but one day! Bring a blanket or lawn chair and choose your own viewing spot along the Rideau Canal.