NCC WELCOMES THE CANADIAN TULIP FESTIVAL TO ITS CAPITAL PARKS

May 6, 2010 · Filed Under Festival News, News

Visit the NCC’s Tulip Legacy Exhibit in Commissioners and Major’s Hill parks

The National Capital Commission (NCC) is pleased to welcome the Canadian Tulip Festival to Commissioners and Major’s Hill parks, from May 7 to 24, 2010, and to provide the colourful displays of tulips found throughout the Capital Region.

NCC’S TULIP LEGACY EXHIBIT

Commissioners Park, May 7 to May 24, 2010
Major’s Hill Park, May 14 to 24, 2010

The NCC’s Tulip Legacy Exhibit recounts the history of the Dutch Royal family’s refuge in Canada during the Second World War and the contribution of Canadian troops in the liberation of the Netherlands in 1944-45. With panels, photographs and a discovery cart*, NCC interpreters can help visitors discover how the tulip has become a symbol of peace and freedom shared by Canada and the Netherlands. (*discovery cart available at Commissioners Park, Monday to Thursday from 9 am to 5 pm, and Friday to Sunday from 9 am to 8 pm)

65th ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF THE NETHERLANDS

This year, 22,000 tulips, donated last fall by the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, will bloom in a special commemorative flowerbed at Commissioners Park to pay tribute to the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. The design of the bed represents, in red and white tulips, the two countries – Canada and the Netherlands, and in blue hyacinths both the Netherlands’ flag and the ocean that unites us.

While touring the Capital, visitors can pick-up a free copy of the “Experience the Beauty! The National Capital Commission’s Tulip Beds” brochure, which provides information on the tulip legacy story, maps out the location of key gardens and designated photo sites in some of the Capital’s most beautiful tulip displays, and recommends walking and cycling routes, with distances, to best enjoy the flowerbeds.

TULIPS AT THE NCC’S CAPITAL INFOCENTRE

May 7 to 14, 2010, from 9 am to 5 pm / May 15 to 24, from 9 am to 9 pm

Tulip lovers will also want to visit the NCC’s Capital Infocentre, one of the Festival’s official sites located across from Parliament Hill. The gallery on the second floor offers an impressive view of the 28,000 red tulips planted by the NCC each year on Parliament Hill.

TULIPS AT THE NCC’S HISTORICAL MACKENZIE KING ESTATE IN GATINEAU PARK

Beginning May 15, weekdays from 11 am to 5 pm and weekends and statutory holidays from 10 am to 5 pm

William Lyon Mackenzie King was Prime Minister of Canada when Princess Juliana of the Netherlands sent a gift of thousands of tulip bulbs to the Canadian people to be planted in Canada’s Capital. Each spring, tulips also bloom at Mackenzie King Estate located in the Capital’s Gatineau Park. The historic buildings of the Estate, set among a unique collection of ruins and stunning gardens, will be open to the public beginning May 15, 2010.

ABOUT THE NCC’S FLORAL PROGRAM

Each spring, over one million tulips and 200,000 annuals planted by the NCC bloom on Parliament Hill, in Major’s Hill, Commissioners and Jacques-Cartier parks, as well as along Confederation Boulevard, the historic Rideau Canal, the Capital’s scenic parkways and recreational pathways, and in front of national museums and institutions. As the official gardener of Canada’s Capital, the NCC is responsible for the design and maintenance of many of the public gardens and the 90 flower beds found throughout the region. The most impressive display of tulips is found in Commissioners Park, where some 300,000 tulips bloom each year.

For more information on tulips, the public can contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 1-800 465-1867, 613-239-5090 (TTY) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca/tulips.

For information on the Canadian Tulip Festival, the public can visit the Festival’s website at www.tulipfestival.ca.

Tags: Canada's Capital Region, Canadian Tulip Festival, Commissioners Park, Major’s Hill Park, National Capital Commission, National Capital Region, NCC, Ottawa Festivals