It’s Tulip Time

We celebrate TulipDay Amsterdam

We celebrate TulipDay Amsterdam on the third Saturday in January, marking the start of the tulip season. This day we create a tulip-picking garden with up to 200,000 tulips at Museumplein, in the heart of Amsterdam. At 13:00, the garden will open, and everyone is welcome to pick a free bunch of tulips. The theme for 2026 is United in Bloom!, highlighting how tulips connect people, evoke emotions, and speak a language everyone understands. This sense of togetherness can be felt on every TulipDay.Together, we turn it into a vibrant celebration of tulips.Our tulips will be on sale all over starting on TulipDay. Tulip Promotion Netherlands, organizer and initiator of the event, welcomes in 2026 TulipDay sponsors: KG Systems, Technison, and Bercomex. Want to enjoy the tulip season digitally? We share our story on social media:Facebook: TulipTimeInstagram: Tuliptime.info The next TulipDay Amsterdam will take place on January 16, 2027.

A new tulip

Tulipa 'Emma Kok'

On Wednesday, 14 January, Emma Kok officially unveiled her own tulip, Tulipa ‘Emma Kok’, in Maastricht.

With this new tulip, Dutch growers honor the singer for her music, strength, and positive spirit.

As a preview of TulipDay Amsterdam, Emma surprised passers-by on Vrijthof Square with colorful tulips.

The Royal General Bulbgrowers’ Association (KAVB) in Hillegom is responsible for the official registration of Tulipa ‘Emma Kok’ in the International Cultivar Register of Tulip Names, permanently linking the singer’s name to this unique Dutch tulip.

Opening hours

Be on time

The tulip picking garden opens at 1.00 PM, and visitors can pick your own bunch of tulips. The garden will close once all the tulips are gone, so don’t wait too long—be sure to join the queue early!The event is very popular, so we cannot guarantee tulips for everyone.

Music

An orchestra will provide a warm Dutch atmosphere

The tulip picking garden is extremely popular, so make sure to arrive on time. The average waiting time is about 60 minutes. While you wait, you’ll enjoy a cozy atmosphere with music. The brass band plays typical Dutch songs that everyone can sing along to.Our favorite song is "Tulips from Amsterdam."

Tulip Promotion organisation

Our volunteers

TulipDay Amsterdam is the day we celebrate the start of the tulip season. This celebration is made possible by all Dutch tulip growers, united through Tulip Promotion Netherlands.They ensure the event is a success and volunteer their time and tulips for you. You can recognize the volunteers by their cheerful orange jackets.

Pick your own tulipbouquet

Pick up to 10 tulips in our unique tulip bag

At the entrance to the tulip picking garden, you will receive a biodegradable tulip bag, the perfect size for 10 tulips. The maximum amount is 10, so more visitors can pick their own tulip bouquet.

Tulip picking garden rules

The tulip party is a party for everyone

  • Pick your own bouquet of tulips (maximum of 10 stems), so that many more people, just like you, can enjoy this moment and have their own little bundle of spring happiness!
  • Take good care of yourself and your belongings; you are responsible for them.
  • Use the biodegradable tulip bag for your tulips.
  • Do not bring your own shopping bag into the pick-your-own garden.
  • Photos will be taken in the garden.
  • Be careful with the sharp pins in the crates.
  • Enjoy the moment and share your experience on social media: #Tuliptime and #TulipDay.

Care

What do you do with the bulb?

Is the bulb still attached to the flower?The bulb has provided all the energy for the tulip to bloom, so it won’t bloom again once cut.What should you do with the bulb?You can either leave the bulb attached to the tulip and place it in a vase with a small layer of water, or you can cut the tulip stem (at an angle) and place the tulips in a vase with plenty of clean water. You can use one large vase or several smaller vases. Either way, enjoy the beauty and joy of your tulips!

How to take care of your tulips

Place the tulips, wrapped in paper, in the vase for about an hour. During this time, the tulips will absorb water and straighten up.Choose a clean vase that is tall enough, as tulips will continue to grow a few more centimeters.Cut about 1.5 cm (1 inch) off the bottom of the stems.Keep the tulips away from fruit and direct sunlight.Tulips drink a lot of water, so be sure to top up the vase regularly.

Tulip fun facts

Did you know...?

  • 400 growers in the Netherlands produce 3 billion tulips each year for use as cut flowers.
  • Cut-flower tulips are mainly grown under glass from November to May.
  • Germany is the largest importer of Dutch tulips.
  • Thanks to solar energy, geothermal heat, rainwater use, and more, the production of cut tulips is becoming increasingly CO₂-neutral.
  • Crop protection products are usually not used in tulip greenhouse cultivation.
  • Tulips come in an endless variety of flower colors – only blue and pure black are still missing.
  • Tulips also vary in flower shape. In addition to single and double varieties, there are also fringed, parrot, or lily-shaped tulips.
  • Many double tulip varieties not only have lots of petals but also smell wonderful.
  • The cooler a tulip bouquet is kept, the longer the flowers will stay fresh.
  • Before putting tulips in a vase, the stems should be recut.
  • Unlike some other cut flowers, tulips like cold water.
  • The tulip is the only flower that "dances" daily – it continues to grow in the vase. When combined with other cut flowers, it quickly outgrows them.
  • Adding flower food is not necessary for tulips in a vase.
  • Breeding new tulip varieties is labor-intensive and time-consuming: it takes about 7 years for a tulip grown from seed to produce a bulb that blooms.
  • Before a new tulip variety is introduced to the market as a cut flower, it often takes 25 years.
  • The tulip is not originally a Dutch flower – it comes from Central and Middle Asia.

Sustainability

How 'green' is the Dutch tulip?

Dutch growers are very progressive in constant search for new and more sustainable solutions. Over the years, the tulip nursery sector has worked hard to produce a colorful product while using less and less energy and fewer pesticides. This is possible because this cultivation under glass takes place in controlled, enclosed spaces. Virtually all tulips sold are certified. Tulip forcers meet the requirements established by the Dutch MPS (Milieu Programma Sierteelt = Environmental Programme for Ornamental Horticulture). The carbon footprint is also calculated, which is done over the entire growth process, from bulb to flower. Calculations by Milieu Centraal (Environment Central) show that tulips, within cut flowers, emit the least CO2 per bunch. This is because tulips are mainly forced on a large scale, locally and efficiently. Cut tulip farms are using solar panels, LED lighting, water re-circulation, minimal crop protection and doing trials with biocides. In this way, we are working toward a more sustainable tulip industry. Bulb cultivationTulip bulb cultivation takes place in the open field. There, control of a number of fungal diseases is necessary to grow a good bulb for forcing. Consequently, tulip growers are deploying fewer and fewer resources to keep the crop as healthy as possible. Together with researchers and consultants, growers are committed to using fewer resources and applying new techniques to grow healthy bulbs, see: Project Green Tulip.

Frequently asked questions about the tulip picking garden

Is your question included?

Since 2012, TulipDay Amsterdam has been celebrated with a colorful tulip picking garden in Amsterdam. Here are the questions we hear most often:
The tulip picking garden opens to the public at 1 p.m. and closes when the tulips are gone. So join the queue on time.
The organisation will provide you with a special tulip bag (biodegradable), so you don’t have to worry about taking a bag with you. Per person you are allowed to pick max. 10 tulips.
You can pick up to 10 tulips per person, this is the amount that will fit perfectly in the bag. The tulips will remain in good condition until they reach your vase.
The tulip bulbs have given all their energy to the (cut) tulip and will not flower again.
The tulip picking garden is organised by Tulip Promotion Netherlands (TPN) to celebrate TulipDay Amsterdam. This day marks the start of the (cut) tulip season.The foundation was established by over 400 tulip growers/breeders. Together they promote tulips worldwide.
You don't have to pay any entrance to visit the tulip picking garden.
People with disabilities are also welcome in the garden. You can enter the garden with a wheelchair through the VIP-entrance. Our volunteers at the gate will be happy to assist you.