Dandenong Ranges visitors can grab their clogs and head to the 66th annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival, from 14 September to 13 October.
Each year, the event draws visitors from Australia and the world to experience a dazzling display of more than a million spring bulbs in bloom, including more than 900,000 tulips in every colour of the rainbow.
Attracting more than 100,000 people over four weeks, the Tesselaar Tulip Festival has become one of Victoria’s premier spring events.
Visitors are free to wander through 12 acres of fields and marvel at one of the most vibrant displays of floral beauty that Victoria, if not Australia, has to offer.
The festival starts with an explosion of colour on Turkish Weekend, celebrating the origins of the tulip with Melbourne’s vibrant Turkish community on 14 and 15 September.
Spring Fever Weeks are the first and last weeks of the festival, 16 to 19 September and 7 to 10 October.
They’re a great way to enjoy the tulips and everything else on offer without the school holiday crowds.
Even better, entry is slightly cheaper during these weeks.
The festival turns into a mini Holland during Dutch Weekend with Dutch treats, entertainment, dancing and more from 20 to 22 September.
Visitors can get their photo taken in one of the world’s largest wooden clogs or indulge in a plate of hot Dutch pancakes while they walk the fields.
Children are celebrated every day at the festival but no more so than during the school holidays.
Kids LOL Week (23 to 26 September) will bring daily entertainment from the Splash Test Dummies, while Superhero Week (30 September to 3 October) encourages kids to dress up as their favourite superhero while they watch the PJ Masks stage show.
There is also a petting zoo, giant garden games, storytelling, a fairy garden and rides on the famous Tulip Tractor.
The best thing? Entry is free for kids every day of the festival.
Visitors can enjoy jazz tunes all day long on Food, Wine and Jazz Weekend (27 to 29 September) with live bands, and delicious foods from around the world teamed with award-winning wine, beer and ciders.
Rock the Fields Weekend (4 to 6 October) will have visitors jiving in the flower fields with live music from the ’50s and ’60s all weekend.
Food trucks, dancing demonstrations and fashion in the fields will ensure everyone has a rockin’ good time.
What better way to close the festival than with a pint of Guinness during Irish Weekend (11 to 13 October).
There will be live bands, Irish pipers and dancers, Celtic arts and the odd leprechaun.
The festival bustles with highlights including live entertainment daily, children’s activities, food from around the world, millions of photo opportunities, the chance for visitors to pick their own tulips, retail therapy at the Habitat Nursery, souvenir shops and market stalls, and plenty of space to picnic in the fields or undercover.
There is even free parking.
Throughout the festival, visitors will enjoy good old Dutch hospitality with legendary poffertjes, Dutch sweet and savoury treats and Tesselaar’s own double Dutch ice-cream.
Visitors can have a crack at a Dutch game or two, try on some clogs at Habitat Nursery or pose in front of the Amsterdam streetscapes, windmills or photo frescos.
The Tesselaar Tulip Festival will run from 14 September to 13 October and is open 10am to 5pm daily at 357-359 Monbulk Road, Silvan.
Tickets are $29 for adults, $25 concession and free for children aged under 16 years.
Spring Fever Week tickets are $19 for adults and $15 concession.
Tickets can be purchased from www.tulipfestival.com.au or at the gate.
Visit the website or call 9737 7722 for more information.
