7 Lovely Tulip Festivals To Visit This Season

Each spring, fields, palace gardens and castle grounds across the UK erupt into colour as tulips burst into bloom. For a few fleeting weeks the landscape looks more like the Netherlands than the English countryside thanks to these spring blooms: think rows of crimson, apricot, violet and butter-yellow petals stretching as far as the eye can see.

Tulip season is brief, but that fleeting window is precisely what makes it special. Whether you’re after a photogenic day trip or a full floral immersion, here are seven tulip festivals that promise dazzling displays in 2026.

Hampton Court Palace Tulip Festival, Surrey

Historic gardens rarely look quite as exuberant as they do during the annual tulip takeover at Hampton Court Palace. Home to Britain’s largest tulip heritage garden, more than 100,000 tulips bloom across the palace grounds every April, filling the formal gardens with bold bands of colour and unexpected combinations. Expect gardens fit to burst with bright and beautiful blooms in a rainbow of colours, with more filling the courtyards, gushing from the Tudor wine fountain and spilling over vintage horse carts.

Details: Open 10am to 5.30pm, 3 to 26 April 2026 at Hampton Court Palace (Hampton Ct Way, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU). Included with entry to the Palace; adult tickets from £29pp. Members go free. Find out more and book at hrp.org.uk

Tulleys Tulip Fest

Tulleys Tulip Fest

If scale is what you’re after, Tulleys delivers in abundance. Best known for its annual pumpkin patch, Tulleys transforms into Holland every spring with its tulip festival, planting roughly 1.5 million tulips across more than 100 varieties. This year running from 3 to 26 April, visitors can wander through the vibrant tapestry of fields striped with bold colours, with Dutch street food fuelling your tranquil strolls. Once the sun has set, a light-up tulip-themed trail fills the woods.

Details: 3 to 26 April 2026 at Tulleys Farm (Turners Hill Rd, Crawley RH10 4PD). Tickets are priced from £16.95pp and can be booked at tulipfarm.co.uk

Arundel Castle Tulip Festival

Arundel Castle’s gardens are already among the most impressive in the country, but spring adds an extra flourish. Each April, around 110,000 tulips in more than 100 varieties bloom across the castle grounds, from sweeping borders to carefully designed garden rooms. The mix of medieval architecture and vivid spring planting creates a particularly romantic setting – perfect for a leisurely wander through one of Sussex’s most atmospheric gardens.

Details: April (dates TBC) at Arundel Castle (Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9AB). Entry is included with a Castle & Gardens or Castle, Gardens & Bedrooms or Garden only ticket. Book at arundelcastle.org

 

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Tulip Fest At Strawberry Fields Lifton

The Southwest’s largest tulip field is a pick-your-own strawberry patch come summer. But until then, tulips take over the four-acre garden – imagine more than 500,000 blooms in around 60 varieties – at Strawberry Fields near Lifton. Visitors can stroll through the colourful planting displays before stopping at the farm shop or café for something local and seasonal.

Details: 28 March to 19 April 2026 at Strawberry Fields (Lifton, Devon PL16 0DH). Tickets are £10.95 and can be booked at strawberryfieldslifton.co.uk

 

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Tulip Garden Warwickshire

Tulip Garden Warwickshire

Another entry in the expanding Tulleys universe, the Warwickshire tulip garden features hundreds of thousands of blooms across more than 100 varieties arranged in sweeping, photogenic displays. Think winding pathways through vibrant fields, sculptural planting designs and plenty of spots designed for lingering photos. Roaming musicians strum an acoustic backing track while tasty scents drift from food vendors, all adding to the festival atmosphere.

Details: 3 to 26 April 2026 at Tulleys Tulip Garden (Dark Ln, Hatton, Warwick CV35 8XA). Tickets start at £13.95pp and can be booked at tulipgarden.co.uk

Tulip Fields Hertfordshire

Tulip Fields Hertfordshire

Also from the Tulleys team, just outside London, the Hertfordshire tulip fields offer a convenient countryside escape during peak bloom season. Rows of more than 750,000 tulips across 100+ varieties create an impressive palette of colour, with Dutch street food, coffee stands and live entertainment adding to the springtime festivities. It’s a cheerful, lively event that feels part flower field, part open-air festival.

Details: 3 to 26 April to 5 May 2025 at Tulleys Tulip Fields (Coursers Rd, Shenley, St Albans AL4 0PF). Tickets start at £13.95pp and can be booked at tulipfields.co.uk

Spalding Flower Parade, Lincolnshire

The annual Spalding Flower Parade was held every May from 1935 to 2013, when declining funding and popularity rendered it obsolete. At its peak, more than 250,000 fresh tulips would adorn grand floats parading through the streets of the small village of Spalding. After a 10 year hiatus, the Flower Parade returned in 2023 thanks to a grassroots effort. The new form features a blend of fresh (if fickle) tulips and innovative creations like knitted flowers. The festival sadly won’t be taking place in 2026, but we do have confirmation it will return in 2026, on 8 May.

Details: Find out more at spaldingflowerparade.org.uk