World Tulip Summit honors Holland festival with lifetime achievement award

HOLLAND, MI — For nearly a century Holland, Michigan has elevated the beauty of the tulip and it’s Dutch history. This fall, the small Lakeshore town was honored for its commitment on the world stage.

The Tulip Time Festival was awarded the prestigious World Tulip Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Tulip Summit in The Hague, Netherlands.

The World Tulip Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes Tulip Time’s nearly century-long dedication to celebrating tulips and growing the festival into a globally renowned cultural event, according to the press release.

The springtime festival regularly brings half a million visitors to see the spectacle of 6 million tulips in bloom.

RELATED: Holland planted the seeds with Tulip Time. Now the other 51 weeks are blossoming.

Since 1929, the Tulip Time Festival has blossomed into the longest-running tulip festival in the world, according to the press release.

“Receiving the World Tulip Lifetime Achievement Award is a tremendous honor that speaks to the passion, commitment, and hard work of the Tulip Time staff, our community partners, and the residents of Holland who have poured their hearts into this festival for generations,” said Gwen Auwerda, Executive Director of Tulip Time. “To be recognized on the global stage for the lasting impact our small town has had on the worldwide tulip community is a true point of pride.”

RELATED: Tulip Time’s 2025 schedule starts a day early, tickets on sale this month

Tulip Time previously won awards such as the Flower Festival of the Year, presented by the International Garden Tourism Network in 2023; the World Destination Worth Traveling For Award in 2019; and the Tulip Festival of the Year Award, presented by the World Tulip Summit in 2017

This year, the festival is starting a day early in hopes of more visitors catching the full bloom. The festival will begin on the first Friday of May, rather than the first Saturday.

This year’s festival lineup has already been released and tickets are already on sale for performances, concerts and tours.

The 96th annual festival will run from Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 11, 2025. More information can be found at TulipTime.com.

Related: ‘You can’t buy this on Amazon.’ Holland’s Dutch Dancing costumes stay true to 19th century heritage

In addition to the iconic Dutch flower, the festival brings heritage to life with Dutch dancers in authentic costumes handsewn and historically accurate right down to the buttons.

Dutch dancing was a beloved community tradition that grew to be a centerpiece of the festival. This past year about 800 dancers performed throughout the festival.

More performances have been added to the lineup this year including the De Familiedans or the family dance. This will be a Dutch Dance experience designed specifically for parents and children from baby to early elementary age, according to the Tulip Time press release.

RELATED: West Michigan’s Dutch Christmas market makes national destination list

Holland’s Dutch heritage is drawing in more visitors every year as the beach town becomes a four-season destination.

Holland‘s de Zwaan windmill nearly broke another visitor record this season with more than 130,000 guests passing through from April to October.

Windmill Island stayed open additional fall weekends to accommodate the influx of guests and will continue it’s new Christmas-time traditions this December including Magic at the Mill with 1,000 LED tulips lighting up Windmill Island.

See what‘s coming up in the Lakeshore town.

• Kerstmarkt on Fridays and Saturdays from Nov. 23 to Dec. 21.
• Sinterklaas Shuffle on Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7.
• Magic at the Mill Friday and Saturdays starting Dec. 6 running through Saturday, Dec. 21.