The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) will be honoured at Ottawa’s annual Canadian Tulip Festival this spring, where over 300,000 tulips will be in full bloom for visitors to admire between May 10 and 20.
Opening Ceremonies begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, and will highlight this year’s honoured Second World War Veteran, RCAF Second World War Lancaster Tail Gunner, Ronald “Shorty” Moyes.
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The parade with the Canadian Armed Forces Central Band will travel along Queen Elizabeth Driveway starting at Preston Street at 10:40 a.m., move past “The Man with Two Hats” Monument at Dow’s Lake, and stay in position at the “Movies and More Screen”.
Following remarks from dignitaries and the ceremonial sponsor, Calian Group, a cannon salute from HMCS Carleton, and an RCAF fly past at 11:40 a.m. will mark the official opening of the festival.
History of the Canadian Tulip Festival
The story behind the thousands of tulips goes back to World War II, when Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, was born at Ottawa Civic Hospital. The City of Ottawa was gifted the tulips as a thank you for keeping Margriet and her family safe, and for Canada’s role in helping liberate the Netherlands.
Seventy-two years later and people still gather to view the flowers and enjoy the festival, which now involves food trucks, shows, shops, and more.
Festival events for 2024
This year the festival is introducing a new self-guided Tulip Legacy Tour with seven stops using QR Codes. The tour shares Ottawa’s history and gives visitors the chance to travel back in time over eight millennia.
Festival favourites, such as popcorn, fudge, and BeaverTails, will be served at food trucks daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Nightly programs include the Blacklight Boardwalk at Dow’s Lake that involves more than 2,000 tulips and daffodils lit in UV light, which showcases how pollinators see them.
Blacklight Boardwalk shows tulips in a whole new light. Photo credit: CNW Group/Canadian Tulip Festival.
Another show visitors can take in every night at 9:00 p.m. is Operation Manna: Sound & Light Story at the movie screen. This screening will make audiences feel they are part of the heroic RCAF effort to save the starving people of the Netherlands. Adapted from the memoirs of “Shorty” Moyes, this humanitarian operation of incredibly dangerous, low-flying food drops, helped establish a bond of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands.
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For those wanting to commemorate the event with a souvenir, Tulip Market features regional artisans offering tulip-themed treasures, along with the Tulip Boutique, full of merchandise with proceeds supporting the Canadian Tulip Legacy.
Ekeau’s Tulip Water Taxi Service is a new addition to this year’s festival transportation, which takes guests directly from the Carelton Parking lot to the Festival’s Blacklight Boardwalk. It costs $12 a person, plus tax and fees, and features a historical audio tour as well.
Another addition is the Chartwell People Mover, a limited golf cart shuttle service that runs the 1.2 km length of Commissioners Park from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Priority seating will be given to those with mobility issues, and the cost is $2 per person, per ride.
Entry to the Canadian Tulip Festival is free of charge and parking is available at Carleton University, P7 Lot, for $12 daily.
For more information on Ottawa’s Canadian Tulip Festival, visit tulipfestival.ca.
