Tulip Time Announces Theme to Celebrate 95 Years of the Festival
Tulip Time Festival, Inc. is preparing to celebrate its 95th anniversary during the 2024 festival, from May 4 to May 12, 2024, with a special theme; “Bikes and Blooms!”
Tulip Time continues its’ legacy of cultural exchange by celebrating an undeniably Dutch icon – the bicycle. Tulip Time’s mission is to celebrate tulips, Dutch Heritage, and Holland today. What better way to connect the Netherlands and Holland, Michigan than through tulips and bicycles?
To fully celebrate the Dutch cultural icon of the bicycle, Tulip Time will incorporate bicycles into several of its’ celebrations this year.
Tulip Time is inviting the community (individuals, families, and organizations) to be a part of a community-sourced public art project named “Pedals in Bloom.” Community members are encouraged to decorate bicycles and bike parts (provided by Tulip Time) to create works of art that will be on display throughout downtown Holland during the festival. Participants should use their creativity, joy and passion to create unique works of art that embody the theme of “Pedals in Bloom.” Details, inspiration, and submission forms will be available on Tulip Time’s website starting September 1st, 2023. Submission Forms and concept drawings are due October 20, 2023. Finished sculptures will be due April 15-18, 2024.
The Netherlands has long been a beacon of bicycle use, with bicycles outnumbering people (about 23 million bikes to 17.5 million people). Traveling by bike is the preferred method of transport in the Netherlands, but it has also been instrumental in shaping the history of the country. Stories of bicycle use during World War II abound. And in the ’50s and ’70s, the Dutch government made concerted efforts to create an infrastructure that supported cycling over driving.
In the last few decades, the cycling culture in West Michigan has seen prominent growth. Driving through town, you can see more and more bicycles being used for commuting and for fun. In the past, events like the Holland 100 and Pedal the Provinces have shown the community's love affair with bikes.
Experience 95 years of Tulip Time during the Festival, May 4 – 12, 2024. Detailed program and event information for Tulip Time Festival 2024 will be available in October. Tickets will be available at www.TulipTime.com starting Tuesday, November 7, 2023.