Dutch Traditions And Colorful Tulips Bloom At This Charming Michigan City's Annual Celebration

You walk around and hear the sound of wooden shoes clacking down 8th Street as tulips bloom in perfect rows and a windmill stands in the distance. Believe it or not, you're not in Holland — at least not the one in Europe. This is Holland, Michigan, an underrated town blooming with Dutch charm. During the spring (typically in early May), the town celebrates its Dutch heritage every year with the Tulip Time festival, a 10-day extravaganza full of parades, art shows, and rainbow-striped fields with lanes of over 6 million tulips.

The Tulip Time tradition began in 1929, with the first crop of around 100,000 tulips in Holland. Today, the festival draws in thousands of visitors each year and is spread across various sites and attractions throughout town, from a working Dutch windmill and a wooden-shoe factory to walking trails through tulip fields. The festival is special in that it's less about commercial tourism and more about local identity and history, beloved by locals and visitors alike. Emily Retro, a blogger and Holland local, described the festival as "one of the most magical times to visit Holland, Michigan." During Tulip Time in Holland, even the waves of Lake Macatawa, lapping the town's shores, sound like they're clapping in wooden shoes.

It will come as no surprise that Holland, Michigan was settled by Dutch people, who brought tulips with them from the Netherlands. The town began selling tulips to residents in 1928, turning the event into an official celebration the following year. Tulips are spring perennials, meaning they return every spring, and timing the festival to line up with the blooms is crucial — if warmer weather comes early, the tulips could wilt by mid-May. While some of Holland's volunteers tend to the millions of tulip bulbs that color the town, others practice their Dutch dance routines and arrange parade lineups. All of this goes to show how Holland's community comes together to make Tulip Time spectacular.

There are a few key locations to know when you're in town for the festivities. One is 8th Street — this is where the parade route traverses. Another is the Windmill Island Gardens. This island and peninsula encircled by the Macatawa River is where you'll find the town's iconic Dutch windmill, "De Zwaan," that was brought over directly from the Netherlands and still operates, grinding wheat into flour. Among the Gardens' other features is a street organ (gifted by the City of Amsterdam), an antique carousel, and "Little Netherlands," with replicas of Dutch buildings — and during Tulip Time, the island is blanketed in fields of red, pink, and white tulips.

Close by is Window on the Waterfront, a lakeside park that's full of tulip walking paths. Here, you'll also find Dutch statues and photo stands, and it's a great way to see the tulips for free. Some other free areas where you can check the tulips out are Centennial Park and the Tulip Lanes (planted right along the streets) on 9th Street, 12th Street, and Van Raalte Avenue.

Downtown Holland is walkable, with many of the events and attractions for Tulip Time taking place within a few blocks. Many events take place daily for the festival's duration, including walking tours, art shows (like the "Art in Bloem" exhibition showcasing tulip-inspired works), Dutch dance lessons, and a thrill ride-filled carnival. A selection of concerts are scheduled for specific dates, as well as workshops, like a wooden-shoe painting class. Also look out for Street Scrubbing, during which volunteers don traditional Dutch outfits and clean the streets of the festival's debris. You don't necessarily need to come during the festival's official dates to see the tulips, however. Local Emily Retro said on her blog, "To avoid all the tourist crowds, visit Holland the week before the Tulip Time begins."

Getting to Holland, Michigan for the Tulip Time festival is a breeze if you're flying in — the closest major airport is Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, just about a 40-minute drive from downtown Holland. If you have some extra time on your itinerary, make a stop in Grand Rapids to explore the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, a Michigan gem that's especially vibrant in spring. Once you arrive in Holland, you'll be happy to know that parking downtown is free, though it might get packed pretty quickly. While you're in the area, also consider carving out time for a 30-minute drive to Grand Haven State Park, where you'll find one of the U.S.'s best beaches on Lake Michigan's shores.