Amsterdam's Tulip Day

When in Amsterdam...Tulip Season has started. The Dutch tulip season officially kicked off as Amsterdam's Dam Square played host to the second annual National Tulip Day.  To mark the event, a special tulip garden was set up on the square and everyone was invited to come and pick a bunch of tulips - for free!

Tulip Day Amsterdam's Dam Square

It was a blustery, cold day in Amsterdam, but big crowds braved the elements to join in the fun.  Around 200,000 tulips were set up in front of the Royal Palace and everyone was welcome to take home up to 20 tulips, including the bulbs.

The Dutch fascination with tulips peaked in the 1630's in an episode known as Tulip Mania.  Whilst Amsterdam was at the height of its Golden Century, tulips became the centre of an economic bubble that made and lost fortunes overnight.  When the bubble burst in February, 1637, the unfortunate were left with hoards of tulips worth a fraction of the price they had paid for them.

Tulip Man on Amsterdam's Dam Square

The tulip is no longer seen as a way to get rich quick, they still hold a special place in the Dutch psyche.  It is estimated that 1.7 billion Dutch tulips are enjoyed every year throughout the world. At the end of the Second World War, the Dutch Royal family sent 100000 tulips to the Canadian government as a thank you for offering them sanctuary during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Ottawa now has the second largest tulip festival in the world.

Music Organ on Dam Square, Amsterdam

The tulip season runs each year in the Netherlands from January until the end of April.  During this time of year tulips become ubiquitous throughout Amsterdam in shop windows and gardens.  Why fight the crowds in the Keukenhof to see them when they are right here to be seen!

Tulip Day 2015 will be January 17.

When in Amsterdam... enjoy the spring!.