It’s tulip time in the Southern Highlands and the Tulip Time Festival will be running from Tuesday, 19 September through to Monday, 2 October in the beautiful Corbett Gardens at Bowral.
About 80,000 hand-planted tulips will bloom for the 63rd Tulip Time Festival, which this year will feature a new Tulip Trail alongside the centrepiece Corbett Gardens display, as well as the ever-popular Tulips After Dark.
The tulip festival marks the arrival of Spring and is a tradition that dates back to 1958 when a festival of flowers was launched at Corbett Gardens. A lack of funding saw the festival’s demise but the Bowral Rotary Club generously stepped in and Tulip Time was born – today showcasing a breathtaking display of colours and designs.
The festival is set to be delightful with a bright and colourful spring theme, daily entertainment and market stalls while the Country Women’s Association (CWA) will be selling home-made scones and sandwiches to raise funds for their community organisation.
The Tulip Trail adds another dimension to this popular event, with displays of smaller but still spectacular tulips in Mittagong (Visitor Information Centre and Winfred West Park), Moss Vale (Leighton Gardens) and Bowral (Lions Park).
At Tulips After Dark, you can enjoy live music, have a bite to eat and see the dazzling display of tulips under lights, which offers a whole new perspective.
Each night over the long weekend there will be a different musical theme: Friday will be a ‘Classic Country Swampy Blues’ night, Saturday will have a ‘Swinging Jazz’ theme and Sunday will feature “Classical Cool’ – with violin, piano, harp and more.
Tulip Time head gardener Rod McTernan said: “The weather conditions were very pleasing during our planting time during May. Over 80,000 bulbs were planted in Corbett Gardens alone, taking a team of 15 people five days to plant out all the beds.
"We are very happy with the progress so far and our visitors and the community can expect to see lots of vibrant colour, a true celebration of spring.”
Tulip Time fast facts
Tickets are now on sale and can be booked at www.tuliptime.net.au. Please note there will be no ticket sales at the gate.
When: 19 Sep-2 Oct. Daytime sessions (9.30am-4.30pm); after dark sessions: 6-9pm.
Where: Corbett Gardens, Bendooley Street, Bowral
