Depending where you read, the Ottawa Tulip Festival started in 1935, 1945 or 1953.đ The festival attracts upwards of 650,000 visitors. Over million tulips are planted in formal flower beds around the city, 300,000 of which in the main display area that has 26 flower beds and over 100 varieties of tulips. Holland sends 20,000 bulbs in recognition of Canada's sheltering, from 1939 to 1945  the future Queen Juliana.
The festival takes place for two weeks in May and is at the mercy of mother nature for the tulips to bloom on time. Some years we have had a "stem" festival, some years a "bud" festival. The organizers in preparing for all eventualities now plant early and late blooming tulips.
The tulips are of all different colours, shapes and sizes. They are planted in mixed or single type beds
Two of the mixed beds
A few beds incorporate daffodils and hyacinths
It is always interesting to look for "misplaced" blooms. Mis-placed in that they were either missed being dug up last year, or slipped into a wrong batch of bulbs this year.
Some of the variety of blossoms
One even came with its own unidentified insect
Not all the tulips will have smooth petals
One bed of late bloomers seemed to have some "mutants". A "leaf" seemed to be attached to the flower stem and caused many to acquire a "curly cue"
One seemed to be "grabbed" by some leaves and emerging from the ground and was held captive as it grew
Some photographers take liberties and will bend petals to get a "picturesque" shot. I won't do that, but I am not above taking advantage of what someone else did
I am always tempted to try abstract photos with tulips. Some more successful than others
While not part of the Tulip Festival, a new dock has been installed on the adjoining lake. Relaxing chairs are on the dock and and on the shoreline. Canoes, stand-up boards and kayaks can be easily launched from the dock. Hopes are that swimming might be permitted later in the summer.
The evening before the last day of the Festival, a 20 minute fireworks and drone show took place. The drone show commemorated the liberation of Holland 80 years ago.