See Thousands of Beautiful Tulips at 4 Iowa Festivals This Spring

Spring has sprung in Iowa! Here are some of the big tulip festivals on the way in 2025:

Tulip Time

For the last 90 years, the town of Pella has been hosting the Tulip Time Festival. The celebration of Dutch heritage is always held the first Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in May, and is known for its "more than 300,000 vibrantly blooming tulips!" 

In addition to the beautiful flowers, the festival also features daily parades, street vendors, Dutch dinners, historical tours, live entertainment, a quilt show, a craft market, and more. And if you're there Friday night, be sure to stick around for the fireworks!

The 2025 Tulip Time Festival is scheduled for May 1st through 3rd. Admission to the festival is free, but tickets are required for certain activities like grandstand shows and museum tours. Check out the full schedule of events HERE.

Iowa Tulip Festival

Unlike Tulip Time, the Iowa Tulip Festival is a brand new event being held this year at Bloomsbury Farm in Atkins. It will feature over 200,000 tulips and more than 30 different varieties!

Festival attendees will be able to design their own tulip bouquets, take advantage of beautiful photo opportunities, visit with baby animals, and enjoy all of the other attractions that the farm has to offer.

The dates for the 2025 Iowa Tulip Festival are still tentative, but they are hoping for a late April opening. Tickets will go on sale on April 21st at 8 a.m. HERE.

Wilson's Tulip Festival

Wilson's Orchard is hosting their annual Tulip Festival in both Iowa City AND Des Moines this spring! Attendees will be welcome to "wander through the fields, capture beautiful photos, and even create [their] own colorful bouquet to celebrate the start of spring."

The Iowa City festival will kick off on April 23rd and run through April 27th. It may be extended, depending on the weather conditions. Admission for ages 3 and up is $3 and the hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You-pick tulip bouquets are $18 and pre-picked ones are $22. You can purchase tickets in advance HERE.

The Des Moines festival will kick off on April 24th and run through May 4th and the costs are exactly the same as the Des Moines event. The farm's spring hours are Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can purchase your tickets in advance HERE.

Orange City Tulip Festival

Last, but not least, is the Orange City Tulip Festival, which is located over in Western Iowa. The 2025 event will be their 86th Tulip Festival, and, much like Tulip Time in Pella, it is also a celebration of Dutch heritage. The annual celebration always takes place the third weekend in May.

According to the event website, the Orange City Tulip Festival features "music and dancing by children and adults in authentic Dutch costumes, two daily parades, nightly musical theater, a carnival midway, Dutch delicacies, delicious food, plus thousands of tulips and a dozen replica windmills throughout this charming village." There are also horse-drawn trolley tours, petting zoo, wooden shoe carving demonstrations, a craft show, and more. You can check out a full schedule of activities HERE.

The 2025 Orange City Tulip Festival is set for May 15th through 17th. It's free to attend, but there are several ticketed events that require a fee. You can see those HERE.

Check out a list of big events happening this month in Eastern Iowa HERE.

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