So we didn’t have the tulip fest that we’re used to, yet again, because of COVID but the tulips were still there and I’m so happy I got to catch it before they’re gone.
Every year for Mother’s Day weekend, it’s also Tulip Festival in Washington Park in Albany. For the past two years, due to COVID, though, we haven’t been able to have the weekend full of food trucks, local vendors, and live music that we’re used to.
The Tulip Festival has been around since 1947, when the residents of Albany collected 300 tons of donated food, clothing, medical supplies, household goods, and building materials to help rebuild Nijmegen, The Netherlands which was devastated by bombing and fighting during World War II.
As thanks, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands sent a shipment of tulips to Albany, which were planted in Washington Park. That gift is what started the first Tulip Festival in 1948, and Albany and Nijmegen have been sister cities ever since.
Now, every year, we enjoy beautiful tulips in Washington Park. Even though the festival itself was canceled, the tulips were still present and beautiful and they’re still hosting the event where you can pull your own at the end of the month.
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