The Tulip Festival

During the Second World War, the Government of Canada sheltered exiled members of the Dutch Royal Family in Ottawa, and even declared part of the Ottawa Hospital as "extraterritorial" so that Princess Margriet of the Netherlands would not be born a British citizen (making her ineligible for the throne of the Netherlands). After the end of the war and every year since, the Dutch royal family has sent thousands of tulip bulbs in gratitude. Each May, they blossom into a spring bonanza of flowering bulbs, and a concert series features well-known Canadian rock and other popular music groups. The festival activities focus on Commissioner's Park, but over a million tulips bloom in public gardens in parks throughout the city.

Website: tulipfestival.ca (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Ottawa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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See
Commissioners Park
Located adjacent to Dows Lake, where you can rent boats, it features the Festival of Tulips in May. In summer, there are a number of flower beds with flowers arranged by colour in attractive patterns.
Drink
Pub Italia
An Irish/Italian pub with hundreds of bottled beers listed in its "Beer Bible", especially Belgian. Decent pizza and pastas, but other places in Little Italy have better; you're going here for the beer, not the food. Intimate faux Medieval/Gothic décor; a bit strange, but the patio is very nice.
Mon 4PM-1AM; Thu-Sat 11AM–1AM; Sun noon-midnight
Eat
Di Rienzo
This little deli tucked away in Little Italy, a secret known to many locals, is famous for the best and freshest deli sandwiches in the city for $5 (taxes included). During the week the lineup can stretch outside the packed little store, but they are arguably the fastest sandwich makers anywhere so don't worry about a long wait. There is also another newer location run by the family at Meadowlands Drive and Fisher Avenue.
Mon-Fri 7:30AM-9PM, Sat Sun 8AM-7PM
Buy
Bike Dump
407 Catherine St