Your ultimate guide to the 2025 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. - The annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival — the largest tulip festival in the U.S. — is about to kick off.
Each year, thousands of people make their way to the tulip farms to see the fields adorned in brilliant hues of purple, pink, red and yellow.
To make the most of your trip to the fields, we've put together a guide of everything to know before you go. Keep reading for all the blooming details.
What is the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is an annual event held in the Skagit Valley, and celebrated throughout the month of April. In addition to multiple gardens and tulip fields, there are events and activities for all ages throughout the valley.
The Tulip Town windmill seen during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon, Wash., in April 2024. (FOX 13 Seattle)
When does the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival start?
The festival runs April 1-30. However, the festival may begin before April 1 if the blooms arrive early. In years past, the festival has been extended beyond April 30 if the tulips are still blooming. Visitors can view the bloom status online.
When is peak bloom at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?
According to organizers, tulips start to bloom around April 4. The Skagit Valley is at its most colorful time of the year when the blooms are in full bloom, and that time is according to Mother Nature. Visit the bloom status online.
What are the times of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?
Hours vary at each garden.
RoozenGaarde and Skagit Acres are open year-round; Tulip Town, Garden Rosalyn and Tulip Valley Farms are open only during the month of April for the festival. Check the festival's ticket page for pricing, hours and features for each garden.
RoozenGaarde is a spring destination featuring more than 7 acres of display gardens and over 50 acres of tulips and daffodils. (FOX 13 Seattle)
What are the featured farms at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?
There are several farms, but the festival has four featured farms: RoozenGaarde, Tulip Town, Tulip Valley Farms and Garden Rosalyn.
Do you need a ticket to attend the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?
The festival itself is ticket-free, but each farm has distinctive experiences and ticket prices. Visitors can buy their tickets at the garden entrance or online.
When's the best time to visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?
According to organizers, weekends are the most popular days to visit. Visitors who make the trip during weekdays, early mornings and late afternoons will run into fewer crowds.
What happens if it rains during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?
Rain or shine, the festival and fields remain open.
What should I wear to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?
Check the forecast before you go and plan to pack lots of layers because conditions can change quickly. Also, be prepared for muddy fields and pathways to and from the gardens, fields and parking lots. Also, if you visit after heavy rainfall or prolonged rainfall, the fields do take a while to dry out.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is held annually in April and features fields of tulips, display gardens, experiences, events and more. (FOX 13 Seattle)
How to get to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
There are several ways to visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, but walking is not one of them since the festival spans hundreds of acres.
By bike
Roads in the valley are flat, and it's easy to access the tulip fields, events and attractions by bike, but if you decide to travel on two wheels, be prepared for rainy and windy conditions. There are a couple self-guided bike tours available that organizers have suggested.
By car
If driving, visitors should take State Route 20 to enter the tulip area and are encouraged to carpool, if possible.
There is plenty of free parking at Garden Rosalyn, Tulip Town, RoozenGaarde and Tulip Valley Farms. There may be fees at officials lots, and this information will be posted at the fields.
Roadside parking is limited because of shoulder conditions and traffic safety regulations. Law enforcement will issue tickets to drivers parked in no-parking zones.
By bus
Skagit Transit Services has routes around the valley. Visitors arriving in Mount Vernon can ride Skagit Transit Route 615 to visit the tulip fields, departing from Skagit Station.
By guided tour
There are multiple tulip tours visitors can choose from, and organizers suggest booking them early as they often sell out fast.
This guided tour picks up visitors from the downtown Seattle Hyatt Regency Hotel at 808 Howell St. (7:30 a.m. departure, return by 4:30 p.m.). The Skagit Valley Tulip Tour operates daily from 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and starts in the heart of Skagit Valley. The tour is "led by a local expert guide and valley resident with over three decades of experience and personal connections to tulip farmers."
By train
Amtrak Cascades runs to Mount Vernon, but there are no set shuttles from the station. According to organizers, there are local tour options that can pick up visitors from the station. Tours are by reservation only, are small and can fill up fast.
Festival guide, map
Interactive map of the tulip farms
To learn more about the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, visit tulipfestival.org.
The Source: Information for this story came from Skagit Valley Tulip Festival organizers and FOX 13 Seattle original reporting.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Top aide for WA Gov. Ferguson resigns over workplace complaints, report
Seattle police arrest man accused of more than 20 bank robberies
Here's where Seattle renters are relocating
Seattle's Capitol Hill Block Party announces 2025 lineup, changes to event
Could Bryan Kohberger’s autism defense for capital murder set a precedent?
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation