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New logo, many new events planned for 60th Tulip Festival
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New logo, many new events planned for 60th Tulip Festival
The Canadian Tulip Festival unveiled a new logo Thursday for the 60th anniversary edition and revealed more programming details, including an international garden party at the former home of the Dutch royals in Canada, a tulip-themed photo contest and a number of festival events in the By-Ward Market, Little Italy and Chinatown.
The festival has undergone a makeover of sorts, moving away from festival-sponsored events on NCC properties and instead venturing into the business community and working with some Business Improvement Areas (BIAs). It's a new festival model that volunteer chairman David Luxton thinks will work.
"I'm certainly convinced by the response of the business community that there is real enthusiasm to take this on and that's understandable because they are the primary beneficiaries of it, and, of course, that was the original logic when the board of trade launched the festival 60 years ago," Luxton said.
The festival will run from May 4 to 21.
It kicks off with a private commemorative gala reception at Restaurant Eighteen to honour those who have been part of the festival through the years, followed by a public event at The Side Door restaurant and other restaurants and pubs in the Market.
Capital Sounds is a music program that began last year and featured some of the city's musical talent.
The program will again continue throughout the festival, with more than 20 bands performing on stages set up in the ByWard Market, Little Italy and Chinatown.
Busker entertainment will also be featured, as will a Mad Hatter's Tea Party on Mother's Day.
The International Pavilion, a showcase of culture and cuisine from several embassies, will be erected on an empty corner lot at Preston Street and Carling Avenue, directly across from Commissioners Park, where thousands of tulips will be in bloom. A Friendship Garden featuring a number of "tulip friendly" countries, such as Canada, the U.S., Turkey and the Netherlands, will feature displays and animation in conjunction with ByWard Market restaurants.
The International Garden Party is a commemorative event for the international community at Blue Gables, a former residence of the Dutch royal family in Canada during the Second World War. It will be held at the Gatineau home of artist and sculptor Laura Brown-Breetvelt, who also designed the new festival logo, titled Embrace.
A number of tulip-themed art workshops will be held in participating business areas, featuring local artists and paint lessons, all with a Tulip theme. A tulip-themed photo contest is also planned to honour the legacy of famed photographer Malak Karsh, who inspired the founding of the festival with his famous photos of tulips in Ottawa.
The Great Canadian Tulip Treasure Hunt is back again, Luxton said and, this year, 60 prizes will be offered in the treasure hunt in recognition of the festival's 60 years.
The lineup for Celebridée, the speakers' series, is still being finalized, but Luxton promises a "an internationally-known Canadian poet" as one of the headliners. The theme this year is "Ideas in Poetry and Prose," and the series will be held at various locations in the city.
More festival details are to be released in the coming days.
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