Tulip Time

Every year in May, Holland, Michigan hosts The Tulip Time Festival, one of the largest festivals in the country. It celebrates dutch heritage and is just a ton of fun. 

We lived in Holland for many years and did all the traditional things.  We dressed our kids up in little dutch costumes, took them to the parades, ate elephant ears and enjoyed the beautiful tulips and dutch dancing. 

Jarred with a near miss on picking a tulip. 

 

 

Check out those mini wooden shoes on Ryan. Aren't they cute!

Since we lived in Ann Arbor for the last several years, we haven't been able to make it to Tulip Time and were very happy this year to be able to go.  The kids were very excited except for the prediction of rain.  We got there early to claim our spot along the parade route.

We watched some dutch dancing while we were waiting for the parade to start. 

When the dutch dancers were done with one song and getting ready to start another, all of a sudden, the lady standing next to us flies over 3 rows of people sitting down and walks right into the street.  She was walking down the middle, right where the dancers were. I was like...what is that crazy lady doing.  And then....the music changed and I saw lots of other people going out into the middle of the street. 

FLASH MOB!!!!! 

 

Tulip Time was rockin it out this year.  Flash Mob? Way cool!! The kids loved it and the crowd went nuts.  Even some of the dutch dancers were part of it. 

 

Then the traditional parade started as scheduled. The rain was off and on but it was still fun.

 

There were lots of bands...

and horses...

 

and floats....

Bethany Christian Services float

Gentex sponsored robotics float



and of course there were all kinds of creepy people who could potentially give the kids nightmares...

 

 

 

 

There was even support for breast cancer and the women rocked it out with pink wooden shoes!!!

 

 

And last but not least, a party bus at the end. 

I will say that one thing we will change next year is giving the kids the camera to take pictures.  When I went to sort them out, they had taken 1035 pictures!  Yes, you saw that huge number correctly.  They will forever be banned from sports mode! 

We had a lot of fun, rain or shine.  Didn't matter.  We enjoyed being back in Holland, the parade, eating junk food and elephant ears.  We feel blessed as a family to be back in West Michigan with our family and to be able to enjoy Tulip Time again.

MiMi