Get ready for a bloomin’ good time at the Tesselaar Tulip Festival’s Irish Weekend from October 13th to 15th. This vibrant event promises fun, music, dancing, and even a sprinkle of leprechaun magic amidst a sea of tulips in full bloom.
The celebrated Tesselaar Tulip Festival, now in its 69th year, has enchanted visitors with a spectacular showcase of vibrant blooms. Held annually in stunning Silvan in Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges, this year’s festival is a celebration of colour, community, and natural magnificence. The blooms, spread across five acres, transform the fields into a vibrant kaleidoscope of colour, with everything from traditional buds to rare and exotic varieties on show. Visitors can discover more than a million spring flowering bulbs, including over half a million tulips.
To celebrate the tulip, they have Turkish Days (to celebrate its origin), Dutch Days (a lively historical and family connection), Food Wine and Jazz (celebrating the local area), Rock the Fields (a rockin’ good time), Children’s Days (with celebrity guests) and at the end of the rainbow, and their Irish Weekend (for the craic).
In addition to the breathtaking floral displays, the festival offers a diverse program of events and activities for all ages and interests. From cultural performances featuring live music, traditional dance performances, and cultural demonstrations celebrating Dutch culture and foods, to family fun with live shows from Sesame Street’s Elmo and Friends, Peppa Pig, interactive Australian Wildlife Shows, Fairy Storytelling, Face Painting, Tractor Rides, and Dance Workshops. Food lovers can indulge in a variety of culinary delights from food stalls offering both international flavours and local favourites.
Paul Tesselaar, a third-generation flower farmer, expressed his excitement for this year’s event: “Last year’s Tulip Festival was a tremendous success as visitors flocked to our farm to soak up the fields of beauty and wonder we pour all our care into. We love welcoming guests to not only enjoy the magic of the tulips but to celebrate the enduring legacy established by our grandparents nearly seventy years ago and enjoy those brilliant Dutch traditions and experiences. We’ve curated an exceptional program that promises something special for everyone, and with family budgets under pressure more than ever, we provide an accessible activity with children 16 and under always free.”
On October 4th, there was an awesome line-up of family fun, including live shows from Sesame Street – Elmo and Friends for Week One of the holidays, and Week Two welcomed Peppa Pig. The Fairy told intriguing tales in the Fairy Garden, and visitors touched and learned about Australian wildlife from Black Snake Productions, participated in free Dance Workshops, and enjoyed a variety of craft workshops for a small fee.
Children could test their powers of observation on a Treasure Hunt, participated in fun Dutch and garden games, rode the Tulip Train, indulged in traditional Dutch foods and other treats, visited market stalls, and of course, were surrounded by sensational tulips.
Rock The Fields Weekend took place on the 5th and 6th of October, where festival-goers put on their dancing shoes and enjoyed rocking tunes amidst the blooms, with live music from the 50s and 60s and delicious, funky food trucks.
To top off the festival, Irish Weekend will be held on the 13th to 15th of October. It’s time to get out and enjoy spring while the tulips continue to bloom!
Visitors can sit back and enjoy a Guinness or Kilkenny while listening to top musical entertainment from The Kerrys and Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo. Irish Pipers will be roving the fields all weekend, and there will be Irish dancing performances from The Victorian Irish Dancing Academy at 10.30am, 12.45pm, and 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
There will also be a touch of Dutch with clog dancing Workshops at 11am and 1.30pm, where visitors can see how it’s done and give it a whirl. The Historic Cheese Market performance at 12pm and 2.30pm showcases how Dutch cheeses were bought and sold.
As visitors stroll through the historic gardens, they can enjoy the sculpture collection, pass through pockets of the Netherlands, indulge in traditional Dutch foods and beautiful garden displays, visit the fairy garden (The Tulip Fairy tells her tales at 11.15am, 12.30pm, 1.45pm, and 3pm), buy a bunch of tulips, ride on the Tulip Tractor around the colourful fields, and so much more.
DATES & DEETS
13 – 15 OCT
Silvan VIC
Pictures: Tesselaar Tulip Festival. Credit: Tesselaar Tulip Festival. And, top, The Kerrys Band will perform at the Irish Weekend. Picture: Facebook.com/TheKerrysBand
Anglo&Celtic 