Bollenstreek flower parade happening today

The Flower Parade of the Bollenstreek is happening on Saturday. Floats made of thousands of brightly colored spring flowers will cover a distance of 42 kilometers, going through all the “bulb municipalities.”

The route starts in Noordwijk. Between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., the floats will be set up on the Koningin Wilhelmina Boulevard. They’ll start moving toward Voorhout from 9:00 a.m., arriving in the municipality at around 10:50 a.m., then Sassenheim around 11:00 a.m.

After a break at noon, the floats will get going again toward Lisse at 2:00 p.m., arriving around 2:50 p.m. Hillegom is the next destination at around 4:30 p.m, followed by Bennebroek at 6:00 p.m. and Heemstede at 7:40 p.m. The parade ends in the “flower city” of Haarlem, arriving just after 9:00 p.m. if all goes according to plan and reaching the final destination of the Oude Gracht at 10:00 p.m. You can find the route here.

This year's parade will consist of sixteen floats. The makers started working on them in the autumn, submitting their final designs in March. Spectators can find a spot to watch from for free along the route. But there are also dedicated, covered, and catered spots to watch the parade from in five participating municipalities, with tickets starting at 19.5 euros. The Voorhout, Lisse, and Hillegom stands were already sold out on Friday.

Can’t make it to the Bollenstreek for the flower parade? The Tulip Festival in Noordoostpolder, Flevoland, is also happening at the moment.