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RCAF Centennial Celebrations | May 10-20, 2024Le centenaire de l’ARC | 10 - 20 Mai, 2024Purchase
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MAY 10-20, 2024

Festival Dates

Entrance Fee

Admission is FREE

Festival Location

Ottawa
Commissioners Park

Schedule at a Glance

Shop the Tulip Market

Open 10am – 8pm daily.

A curated selection of Handcrafted Tulip Merchandise from regional artisans.  #SHOPLOCAL

Pick up official merchandise, fresh cut tulip bouquets and potted tulips too! All proceeds support the Canadian Tulip Legacy. 

Movies in the Park

FREE Children’s Matinees: 2pm daily.

FREE Family-Friendly Features: 7pm nightly.

Some showings are live Workshops and Activities. Always check this website and the weather before heading to the park! Shows are weather dependent, updates will be posted.

Blacklight Boardwalk

Alight from 8pm – 10pm nightly, FREE.

Learn about the importance of pollinators in the only blacklit tulip garden in the world.

See the flowers like the bees and butterflies do, in the glowing UV Spectrum. Experience over 1000 blooms along the Dows Lake Boardwalk. 

“Operation Manna” Show

A FREE 10-minute show starting at 9pm nightly.

Experience “Operation Manna”, one of the most important and enduring RCAF missions of the Second World War. 

Located on Dow’s Lake Blacklight Boardwalk. Flashing Lights, Fog and Loud Noises. Weather permitting.

Our Location

The Canadian Tulip Festival is located at Commissioners Park in Ottawa. Click on the image to get directions from your location using Google Maps. There is no on site parking. Visit our How to get to the Festival section to see alternatives. 

Road Closures

Road closures for Queen Elizabeth Drive from Preston Street to Torrington Avenue on the following dates and times.
  • Saturday May 11: 10am – 6pm
  • Sunday May 12: 10am – 6pm
  • Saturday May 18: 10am – 6pm
  • Sunday May 19: 10am – 10pm

Accessibility

For those in need of accessible parking options, Dows Lake Road will be marked as no parking for the duration of the festival, allowing only those with accessibility permits to park, with two flat, barrier-free points of egress to Commissioners Park.

The Dow’s Lake Pavilion Roundabout at 1001 Queen Elizabeth Driveway is available for accessible pickup and drop off, and also serves as an ParaTranspo Stop. Guests who need shelter can wait in the lobby of the pavilion.  

Free wheelchair rentals are available at our 3 CubeIt Info Centres. We ask that guests sign them out with a piece of photo id. Quantity is limited. 

Accessible washrooms are available on site at each restroom area. 

How to get to the Festival

Drive & Park

Festival Parking is available at Carleton University, P7 Lot, for $12 daily. The festival is an eight (8) minute walk with stairs and will be clearly marked. New this year, a Dow’s Lake Water Taxi Service with a Historical Tour is available, loading just north of the Carleton Parking Lot, and taking guests directly to the Festival’s Blacklight Boardwalk, for $10 per person, per ride.

Use Google Maps to search for additional parking in the Festival area. 

Public Transit

Taxi, Uber and OC Transpo are all great options to get to the park. If you are taking a Taxi or Uber, please ask them to let you off on Carling Avenue to avoid traffic delays. Some street closures will make travel around the  Dows Lake Pavilion difficult. 

Additionally you can take OC Transpo. Follow the link below to the OC Transpo Planner to plan your route. Please note the light rail runing south is not in operations. 

Take the Tulip Shuttle

Thanks to our friends at Cobblestone Tours, the Tulip Shuttle will be making stops between downtown Ottawa hotels and attractions and the Festival grounds. For a small fee, you can have one-way or round-trip transportation. 

For a full list of stops and to purchase tickets, visit the Tulip Shuttle page. 

THE CANADIAN TULIP FESTIVAL IS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH