Tulip Festival 2021

Event, Festival

We are delighted to announce that the Garden will be open to visitors for this year’s Tulip Festival.

The Festival weekends are April 17–18 and April 24–25, 10am­–6pm. These dates are a best guess about the peak bloom period, as everything is dependent on the weather; spring bulbs flower when they are ready! However, while the peak season is likely to be the last two weeks of April, some varieties start earlier and others don't finish until late May.

We will have close to 100 varieties of tulip in the Garden this spring, with examples blooming from early April to late May. In addition, small bulbs such as crocuses, snowdrops, scilla, winter aconite and grape hyacinths start to bloom from mid-March, and many daffodils, narcissi and hyacinths can be seen in April.

If you take a walk through the Garden every few days during this season, you will be rewarded with a different array of flowers each time. We encourage you to visit during the week, when the Garden is less crowded than on weekends, or in the mornings before 10am. The Garden is open 7am to 7pm, seven days a week.

Please familiarize yourself with the full guidelines for visitors, in order to make the most of your visit.

Access to the garden will be limited during the expected peak weekends of April 17–18 and April 24–25, as well as at other times when it becomes crowded. Special guidelines will apply, designed to make sure everyone has a chance to enjoy the tulips in bloom, while keeping all of us safe.

Do consider visiting the garden during the week instead - same tulips, fewer people.

Please familiarize yourself with these requirements so you will know what to expect when you visit the Garden during this magical season.

  • Everyone must wear a mask and maintain social distance at all times.
  • On Festival weekends between 10am­ and 6pm there will be a limit of 40 people at any one time.
  • Visitors will only be able to enter on 89th Street and exit on 90th Street, keeping foot traffic flowing in one direction to help with social distancing.
  • Garden members will be posted at both gates to monitor numbers. When the limit has been reached, people will be asked to line up at six-foot intervals on the 89th Street sidewalk to wait their turn.
  • If the Garden is crowded, we will encourage you to limit your visit to 20 minutes to enable others to enjoy the displays.
  • You may line up for a repeat visit, or why not come back during the week when the Garden is less crowded and you can spend more time admiring the spring bulbs.

Please note, sitting down in the Garden will not be allowed when it is crowded; however, for those who are not able to walk or stand throughout their visit, the benches on both sides of the 89th Street gate will be reserved. Once again, dwell time is limited to 20 minutes to allow others an opportunity to sit.

If the Garden becomes crowded at any time (including weekdays or mornings), we will use the above methods to reduce crowding and keep everyone safe.

If you are a photographer planning to use a tripod or other equipment, please contact Judy Robinson (judyrobn@yahoo.com) to arrange a time for your visit.

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