People stroll through rows of tulips in bloom during the Tulips of the Valley Festival on May 2, 2017. The colourful spring event, now called Chilliwack Tulips, opens on Sunday, April 11, 2021. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress file)

Chilliwack tulip festival brings colourful salute to spring

April 10, 2021 // by Jenna Hauck

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The bulbs are back in town.

The vast and colourful fields featuring millions of flowers that make up the annual Chilliwack Tulips event (formerly Chilliwack Tulip Festival), will be open as of Sunday, April 11.

“We couldn’t be happier to be back,” says founder Kate Onos-Gilbert. “We look forward to welcoming local Fraser Valley residents to the fields this year.”

Launched in 2006, Chilliwack Tulips was the first event of its kind in the Fraser Valley and it’s still the largest in B.C. The attraction was forced to take a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic, but it returns this year for its 15th edition.

Due to the current provincial travel advisory (avoiding non-essential travel outside of your region), the tulips team is encouraging only residents of the Fraser Valley visit the fields at this time.

Chilliwack Tulips is justly famous for its namesake flower fields. Guests can roam among more than 20 acres of 25-plus tulip varieties, plus over 16 types of double daffodils and 10 varieties of hyacinths – more than 6.5 million bulbs in all.

Tulips in bloom during the Tulips of the Valley Festival on May 2, 2017. The colourful spring event, now called Chilliwack Tulips, opens on Sunday, April 11, 2021. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress file)

Photo-op props are available throughout the fields, plus a flower store on site.

COVID-19 protocols include: Directional pathways three- to five-metres wide; the fields’ capacity will be limited to 25 per cent; tickets are sold online only and in one-hour blocks; masks are mandatory; and hand-sanitizing stations will be available in multiple locations.

Chilliwack Tulips is located at 41310 Yale Rd. It opens on Sunday, April 11 and is open daily for about three to four weeks. For more info, including ticket sales, go to chilliwacktulips.com.

Note: In terms of blooming times, the “Chilliwack Spring Blooms” (featuring full bloom hyacinths and early blooming double daffodils, along with a four-acre field of budding tulips) will take place April 11 to 16. “Chilliwack Tulips” (the remaining acres of tulips) will be in bloom from April 16 until at least May 2.