Tesselaar Tulip Festival
- Written by The Times
THE BULBS ARE BACK FOR A DAZZLING DISPLAY THIS SPRING AT THE 2022 TESSELAAR TULIP FESTIVAL
The much-loved and visually spectacular Tesselaar Tulip Festival, in Melbourne’s magical Dandenong Ranges, returns this spring to once again surprise, delight and inspire with its breathtaking bulbs.
Nearly one million tulips spread across five acres provides a stunning backdrop for families and friends to get together and reconnect with nature’s majesty and beauty in a display that is unrivalled anywhere else in the country.
The Tesselaar Tulip Festival is a Victorian heritage destination event, now in its 67th year, with over 100,000 people making the short trek out of Melbourne and into the countryside to soak up the most spectacular floral display in the country alongside fantastic food and drinks and entertainment for children and fun-loving adults.
Tesselaar Tulip Festival’s Paul Tesselaar said: “It is an honour and a privilege to be able to continue the amazing work of my Grandparents and share the glory of the tulips. It has been joy over the years to welcome people to the farm and see them appreciate not just the sensational tulips but also enjoy time out with family and friends as they reconnect with nature. I have really missed this for the past couple of years and can’t wait to reopen the gates this spring.”
The Tesselaar Tulip Festival runs over four weeks from September 10 – October 9, with themed weeks and weekends. Children 16 and under are free to ensure the Festival is accessible for all to enjoy, especially during the September school holidays.
2022 Full Festival – September 10 – October 9
- Turkish Weekend – September 10-11
- Spring Fever Weeks – September 12-5 and October 3-6
- Dutch Weekend – September 16-18
- Children’s Weeks – September 19-22 and September 26-29
- Food, Wine and Jazz Weekend – September 23-25
- Rock the Fields Weekend – September 30-October 2
- Irish Weekend – October 7-9
Festival highlights:
- Live entertainment daily
- Children’s activities
- Delicious food from around the world
- Millions of photo opportunities
- Retail therapy including Habitat Nursery, souvenir shops and market stalls
- Picnic areas
- Free parking
Turkish Weekend
The Tesselaar Tulip Festival team’s creative flair is expanded into their themed weekend offerings with opening Turkish weekend giving visitors bespoke art demonstrations, music and gourmet food, all whilst soaking up the hospitality, culture and heritage Turkey is loved for. It is fitting that Turkey hosted the first tulip festival over 400 years ago.
Dutch Weekend
The Tulip Festival’s Dutch weekend sees the festival transformed into a mini-Holland. The festival founders, Cees and Johanna Tesselaar, emigrated from the Netherlands on their wedding day, bringing tulip bulbs in their suitcase, and their passion for flowers lives on this weekend. The Festival will recreate a performance of the famous Alkmaar Cheese Market in Amsterdam with cheese carriers as well as Dutch Clog Dancing displays visitors can join in on. There will be Sjoekbak (Dutch shuffleboard) competitions, and delicious Dutch treats including Oliebollen (Dutch dumplings), Bitterballen, Croquettes, Poffertjes and Tesselaar’s very own Double Dutch ice-cream.
Spring Fever Week
The Tulip Festival’s off-peak times with discounted tickets and is a quieter time to enjoy
Children’s Weeks
Treat the kids to a colourful adventure with themed entertainment
Food, Wine & Jazz Weekend
An indulgent fusion of groove, gastronomy and grapes
Rock The Fields Weekend
Put on your dancing shoes and rock’ n ‘roll amongst the blooms
Irish Weekend
What better way to close out the festival, than with the Irish Weekend, renowned for knowing how to have a good time, this craic of a weekend is a pot of gold at the end of the Festival.
Tesselaar Tulip Festival is open daily from 10am – 5pm from September 10 to October 9 at the Tesselaar Flower Farm, 357 Monbulk Road, Silvan, Victoria, 03 9737 7722.
Visit the website for daily updates, ticketing information and full program of events www.tulipfestival.com.au
