Grab your clogs and head to Melbourne’s picturesque Dandenong Ranges for the 66th annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival, 14 September to 13 October
Each year, Tesselaar Tulip Festival draws in visitors from Australia and internationally, to experience a dazzling display of over a million spring bulbs in bloom including more than 900,000 Tulips in every colour of the rainbow.
Attracting more than 100,000 people over four weeks, the Tesselaar Tulip Festival has become one of Victoria’s premier spring time events. Visitors are free to wander through 12 acres of fields and marvel at one of the most vibrant displays of floral beauty Victoria, if not Australia, has to offer.
The Festival starts with an explosion of colour on Turkish Weekend, celebrating the origins of the Tulip with Melbourne’s vibrant Turkish community on 14-15 September.
Spring Fever Weeks are the first and last weeks of the Festival and are a great way to enjoy the Tulips and everything else on offer without the school holiday crowds. Even better, entry is slightly cheaper these weeks, 16-17 September & 7-10 October.
The Festival turns into a mini Holland during Dutch Weekend with Dutch treats, entertainment, dancing and more from 20-22 September. Get your photo taken in one of the world’s largest wooden clogs or indulge in a plate of hot Dutch pancakes while you walk the fields.
Children are celebrated every day at the Festival but no more so than during the school holidays. Kids LOL Week (23-26 September) brings daily entertainment from the Splash Test Dummies, while Superhero Week (30 September to 3 October) encourages kids to dress up as their favourite superhero while they watch the PJ Masks stage show. There is also a petting zoo, giant garden games, storytelling, a fairy garden and rides on our famous Tulip Tractor. Best thing? Kids entry is free every day of the Festival.
Enjoy jazz tunes all day long on Food, Wine and Jazz Weekend (27-29 September) with live bands, delicious foods from around the world teamed with award-winning wine, beer and ciders.
Rock the Fields Weekend (4-6 October) will have you jiving in the flower fields with live music from the 50s and 60s all weekend. Food trucks, dancing demonstrations and fashion in the fields will ensure everyone has a rockin’ good time!
What better way to close the Festival than with a pint of Guinness during Irish Weekend (11-13 October). There will be all day entertainment with live bands, Irish pipers and dancers, Celtic arts and the odd Leprechaun.
Throughout the Festival, visitors will enjoy some good old Dutch hospitality with their legendary Poffertjes, Dutch sweet and savoury treats and Tesselaar’s very own Double Dutch ice-cream. Have a crack at a Dutch game or two, try on some clogs at Habitat Nursery or pose in front of Amsterdam streetscapes, windmills or photo frescos.
- What: Tesselaar Tulip Festival www.tulipfestival.com.au
- When: 10am-5pm daily 14 September to 13 October
- Where: 357-359 Monbulk Road, Silvan Tel: 9737 7722
- Ticket prices:
- Adult $29, Concession $25, Children under 16 FREE Spring Fever week tickets (Sept 16-19 & Oct 7-10 only) Adults $19, Concession $15, Children under 16 FREE
- Tickets can be purchased online www.tulipfestival.com.au or at the gate.
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