After hiatus because of COVID, Skagit Tulip Festival returns

After a year’s hiatus because of the statewide stay-at-home order, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival returns in April to offer acres of bright flowers — a pretty sign of spring and, this year, hope for the beginning of the end of the pandemic.

But COVID-19 remains, along with health and safety rules.

So, if you want to get an up-close look at the large gardens operated by Tulip Town and RoozenGaarde, you’re going to have to first buy tickets online — because of limits on how many people can be there — that will allow you in for two- to three-hour blocks for general admission.

Find them by going to tulipfestival.org.

Online reservations is the biggest change for this year’s scaled-back festival, according to Cindy Verge, executive director of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

“Even though things aren’t the same, we’re still trying to make them fun and (offer) activities that people will want to do,” Verge said to The Bellingham Herald.

Tulip Festival.JPG
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival attendees explore and take pictures in the display garden at Roozengaarde in Mount Vernon in this file photo. After a year hiatus, the festival returns April 1, 2021, with COVID-19 health and safety rules. Staff The Bellingham Herald file

Here are some tips for this year’s Skagit Valley Tulip Festival:

The month-long festival starts April 1 but that doesn’t mean that’s when the tulips will be at their best.

Keep an eye on when tulips will bloom — and be at their most spectacular — by regularly checking out tulips.com/bloommap.

If you head to Skagit County now, what you’ll see are the bright yellow of daffodils.

“Daffodil fields should remain in full bloom through the early part of April as some of the early tulip types begin to join them,” the bloom map stated on Sunday, March 14.

On its ticketing page, RoozenGaarde said April 7 to April 25 “has historically been the safest bet to see the most color,” with the caveat of Mother Nature having the final say.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival page on Facebook is also a good place to check for what’s blooming.

There’s also this tidbit on the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival’s website: “Exactly when they begin to bloom will largely depend on the weather in March — a cold March, a tulip bloom starting later in April. A warmer March, a tulip bloom starting earlier in April.”

It’s been a normal March for temperatures, but the NOAA Climate Prediction Center sees colder than normal temperatures through May.

A lot of people love the tulip festival, which runs through April 30.

In a normal year, it’s estimated up to 400,000 visitors come and infuse about $60 million into the Skagit County economy, according to Verge.

“Last year was a huge hit for our area,” she said of the event’s cancellation.

It’s hard to know what to expect during this scaled-back year, but you can expect traffic control on Saturdays and Sundays at McLean and Beaver Marsh roads and at McLean and Bradshaw roads — major intersections for tulip traffic on days when most visitors come.

If you plan to drive by the 350 acres of tulip fields, go to tulipfestival.org to find a driving map that’s interactive.

Make sure you obey all traffic laws.

Please don’t stop in the middle of the road, open all four car doors and get out of your car, Verge said, adding that people have been known to do just that.

Trying to beat the crowds? Go on weekdays, when there’s less traffic.

Pack your patience, Verge said, referencing changes that have occurred because of COVID last year and what may happen this year.

“This is brand new so we’re all learning. I’m sure there will be improvements for next year,” she said.

About those health and safety rules: They’re the ones we’re all familiar with by now. Wear a mask. Practice physical distancing. Don’t come if you or someone else in your household is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

Skagit tulips
Tulip Town’s Angelina Flores picks tulips at the tulip farm west of Mount Vernon on March 24, 2015. The annual Skagit Valley Tulip festival runs through the end of April. Philip A. Dwyer [email protected]

What to expect

The festival may be scaled back but that may not be the case for the number of visitors.

Tulip Town’s Andrew Miller expects to meet or exceed previous year’s estimates of 100,000 visitors “based on pent-up demand and the vaccine rollout.”

Tulip Town had sold 11,500 tickets online as of Tuesday morning, March 16.

Having never sold tickets online before, he said there’s no benchmark “but we’re extremely excited with the response we’ve received so far.”

Visitors can expect changes to Tulip Town.

“We’ve completely reorganized the presentation of our field, gardens and facilities to optimize the ‘on farm’ experience and connect our guests with these flowers we all love,” he said in an email to The Bellingham Herald.

He also reminded visitors to stay out of the individual rows of tulips to protect the health of the flowers and bulbs.

Once in Tulip Town, you might have to wait for certain areas.

“We have a very large outdoor space but are limited to 400 people in the indoor display, café, beer and wine garden, and gift shop areas,” Miller said. “There’s a good chance we’ll need to meter entrance into this barn area and we ask that guests exercise patience as to when and for how long they can remain in the barn.”

You can’t bring your dog into Tulip Town, unless it’s a service animal, because of U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations and rules from its insurance provider, according to Miller.

Once in Skagit County, Miller hopes you’ll stop in on other attractions.

“Coming to see the tulips is just one of an assortment of amazing things to do and see in Skagit Valley,” he said. “We hope our guests hit the local shops and restaurants owned by our neighbors and friends while they’re in town.”

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Kie Relyea has been a reporter at The Bellingham Herald since 1997 and currently writes about social services and recreation in Whatcom County. She started her career in 1991 as a reporter and editor in Northern California.

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