The Canadian Tulip Festival is a tulip festival held annually each May in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The festival claims to be the world's largest tulip festival, displaying over one million tulips, with an attendance of over 650,000 visitors annually. The 2026 festival will take place from May 8 -18 at Commissioners Park, along the Rideau Canal, and at Major's Hill Park ------ HIGHLIGHTS ------ - The festival features over one million tulips, family-friendly activities, and free admission to the site, and some programming. - Opening ceremony: Saturday, May 09 at 11 AM, with a fly-by from the CF-18, a Central Band Parade, and an Air Cadets Parade - Walk through 26 stunning tulip garden beds in full bloom - Free Tulip Legacy Tour sharing the WWII story behind the festival - Tulip Trail ($5): Explore 4,000 years of tulip history - CIBC Tulip Trek ($5): Interactive scavenger hunt for kids - Tulip Market with artisan vendors & live potted tulips - Evening magic with blacklight boardwalk: 8–10 PM nightly - Polestar Ottawa Tulip Taxi: Save Your Feet and See It All: Hop Aboard the Polestar Tulip Taxi! - Family-friendly movies in the park are available at 2:00 pm, and 7:00 pm daily, weather permitting. High-flying fun continues on the Mother’s Day Weekend with mini planes and a runway from the Edenvale Classic Aircraft Foundation for children. The RCAF Flower Fun Run, starts at noon on Sunday, May 12th. - Food Trucks will be open from 10 am – 9 pm daily serving festival favourites such as popcorn, fudge, and beavertails. - Flower Fun Run RCAF Centennial: May 12 at 12 PM, starting at Queen Elizabeth Drive - Mother’s Day weekend will also be in full bloom downtown. With tulips in every planter around the historic ByWard Market Building, steps away from Major’s Hill Park, where there are over 10 tulip gardens for viewing. - Drone Show Finale: Sunday, May 19 at 9:30 PM, celebrating the Royal Canadian Air Force's 100-year centennial