The start of the new tulip season was celebrated in Amsterdam on Saturday 18 January. National Tulip Day attracts around 20,000 visitors to the Dutch capital every year who come to admire the spring flower display in the giant picking garden.
Photo credits: TPN/VidiPhoto
Some 200,000 tulips in various colors graced Amsterdam's Museumplein. After a brief opening ceremony, the public in attendance could pick tulips for free from 1:00 pm. The annual event marked Amsterdam's 750th anniversary. Dutch tulip growers (TPN) set to work early in the morning to set up the picking garden in a record time of 3.5 hours.
Photo credits: TPN/VidiPhoto
Notable was the large number of foreign tourists who came to the Netherlands, especially for this 'unique' celebration, states the TPN team. Tulip grower and TPN chairman Arjan Smit reflects on a 'successful' day: "Even though we have been celebrating the National Tulip Day with a picking garden in Amsterdam since 2012, it's still amazing to see all those people with big smiles on their faces. In times of great tension and uncertainty in the world, it is fantastic to create altogether such a positive, cheerful atmosphere with tulips."
Photo credits: TPN/VidiPhoto
According to the TPN team, the Netherlands is the world's largest producer of sustainably produced tulips. In total, there are some 375 growers who will collectively produce more than 1.7 billion tulips this season. Main export countries are the UK, Germany, France and Poland. Tulip season lasts until mid-May. The most popular and cheerful of spring flowers come in numerous varieties, shapes and colors.
Photo credits: TPN/VidiPhoto
Photo credits: TPN/VidiPhoto
For more information:
Tulpen Promotie Nederland (TPN)
www.tulpenpromotie.nl