The Abbotsford Tulip Festival is now open, although green is still the dominant colour at the North Parallel Road site.
Bloom – The Abbotsford Tulip Festival had its soft opening Monday. The festival’s website says this week, and possibly more, will see the fields in “low bloom.”
“The weather has not been on our side so please be patient as are fields are still mostly green,” the website says.
The event will continue through mid-May, or as long as the blooms last.
More than 2.5 million tulips in dozens of varieties have been planted at the 10 acre site. If past attendance is any indication, around 100,000 people will visit the site.
This year, founder Alexis Warmerdam, will honour her grandfather by bringing a new tulip variety to Canada which she will be officially naming “Peter’s Legacy” during a special tulip baptism ceremony on April 18.
Tickets are now on sale at abbotsfordtulipfestival.ca.
Demand to see the tulips has created traffic and parking issues in the past, which has led the festival to try to encourage visitors to see the tulips during weekdays.
While a single ticket bought from the gate during a high-bloom weekend will cost $30, locals can buy tickets for $2 online or $3 at the gate if they intend to visit after 3 p.m. on a Tuesday or Thursday or on a low-bloom weekend.
The festival is releasing tickets online for the following weekend every Tuesday at 12:01 a.m.
