HOLLAND, Michigan — The 93rd Tulip Time Festival wrapped up in Holland after a record breaking year Sunday.
After the 2020 festival was cancelled and then scaled back in 2021, Tulip Time Executive Director, Gwen Auwerda says she's feeling great because of sold out shows, events and record crowds.
"There were people backed up all the way to the edges of the stores downtown. And I haven't seen it like that since 2017, 2018," said Auwerda about the crowd at the Volksparade on Saturday.
Although the exact number of Tulip Time Festival goers is hard to determine, Auwerda is confident that this is the largest crowd that Holland has seen for Tulip Time.
She says that in a few weeks, they will share the number of tickets sold to events and that will give a better idea of how large the crowds were this year.
The festival has a huge economic impact on Holland every year. In 2018, the festival had an impact of $48 million, according to an economic impact study by Hope College's Frost Center.
"This year, we suspect that it's bigger, we're going to try to see if we can pull together some of that data with the Frost Center following the festival and see if we can get a different number. I totally believe that it's going to be higher," said Auwerda.
The weather for Tulip Time has been great for visitors with the warm sunny days, but the tulips prefer it to be a bit cooler. But, even though the weather wasn't completely favorable for the tulips, they still might be in full bloom in certain areas around the city for the next week.
"It's hard to say but I suspect through next week, you'll still be able to see beautiful tulips here in town at this park window on the waterfront, Windmill Island and Centennial Park, which is very shady," Auwerda added.
This year's festival had over 800 volunteers that helped with everything from running events, to trash pickup, to welcoming guests, to assisting in parking.
Below, watch some videos of some highlights of Tulip Time 2022.
Dutch Dancers
Tulip Time Kinderparade
Tulip Time Volksparade
Tulip Time Immersion Garden
Tulip Time's "Blooming Beds"
This year's festival may be over, but the work is just beginning for next year.
"People look at me and say, oh, did you start planning this the first of April? And I say no, we start the day after the festival is done," Auwerda said with a chuckle.
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