Amidst rising concerns for public health and safety, Royal Anthos announced that it has cancelled the majority of planned festivities for Flower Bulb Day 2020, a pop-up tulip garden held on San Francisco's Union Square filled with more than 100K colorful tulips that the public is invited to pick and take home free of charge.
The tulip garden will be closed this year to comply with recommendations announced late March 6 by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the Department of Emergency Management and San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed's Office. The recommendations call for the cancellation of non-essential events, such as large gatherings and large community events, as well as limited outings for vulnerable populations, suspended non-essential travel, remote workplaces, safety protocols for schools, cleaning and protection of public transit, health care settings, and general recommendations for the general public.
In lieu of the closure of the pop-up tulip garden, Royal Anthos volunteers will begin handing out bouquets of free tulips on Union Square to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, until all the tulips are gone.
"We are deeply saddened to have to cancel Flower Bulb Day 2020 on such short notice, however, we understand the gravity of the situation and agree that keeping the public safe and healthy is more important as this time," said Henk Westerhof, Chairman of Royal Anthos. "While our 2020 event will no longer take place in the way we had planned, we look forward to returning next year to continue to raise awareness of cut tulips grown in the US from European-produced flower bulbs."
For more information:
flowerbulbday.com
www.anthos.org