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8 • POSTED ON April 06, 2009
Posted by ottawastart 
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The Canadian Tulip Festival officially launched its 2009 season today. The Festival will run for 18 days, from May 1 to May 18.
The Canadian Tulip Festival officially launched its
2009 season today. The Festival will run for 18 days, from May
1 to May 18.
In 2009, the Festival is expanding with more activity and locations
along the Tulip Route, at Festival Plaza outside City Hall and
at Lansdowne Park by Queen Elizabeth Drive in addition to the
traditional activity sites at Major’s Hill Park and at
Commissioner’s Park, and Dows Lake.
Celebridée, the Festival’s celebration
of ideas, will again be staged in the beautiful Mirror Tent
from Belgium, which was a new and very popular venue last year,
will this year be located at Festival Plaza in front of City
Hall. The International Pavilion, which last year drew record
crowds, expands this year to 25 participating countries and
will be located at Lansdowne Park.
Major’s Hill Park will now host an all-new event, the
Circus School and Vintage Carnival. Presented in association
with Carnivale Lune Bleue, the Circus School will run
for 18 days and give young people and adults alike the opportunity
to learn circus skills such as juggling, stilt walking, trapeze
techniques, trampoline skills and much more. Free live performances
will animate the site every 30 minutes. Vintage rides including
a Ferris wheel from 1917 will augment all of the carnival activity.
Major’s Hill Park will also feature a Green Tulip
Showcase, part of the Festival’s new Green Tulip
Initiative. The Showcase is a display area that presents
green alternatives, both big and small, from different energy
sources to simple choices individuals can make in their daily
lives.
The International Pavilion, free to the public, is home to 25
participating embassies and local cultural groups located on
the grounds of Lansdowne Park. Visitors will be able to enjoy
a variety of international entertainment daily on the Friendship
Stage, taste traditional international cuisine, dip into the
history of participating countries, explore traditions, shop
for souvenirs and discover exotic travel destinations. The International
Pavilion runs for all 18 days of the Festival at Lansdowne Park.
Celebridée is back with more stimulating speakers,
leading artists and cutting-edge commentators, including Rick
Mercer, Margaret Atwood, Sister Helen Prejean, Angela Davis,
Lawrence Greenspon, Daniel Taylor, Martha Henry and Jessica
Holmes.
In addition to Celebridée programming, the Tulip
Festival Mirror Tent will host musical performances by Ian Tyson,
Kleztory, Lynn Miles, Meredith Luce, Kellylee Evans and two
children’s concerts with Fred Penner.
The Mirror Tent will also host the spectacular Nanjing Acrobatic
Troupe for the duration of the Festival with a total of 23 performances.
One of China’s top performing groups, the Troupe will
present a unique opportunity for North American audiences to
enjoy the very best in Chinese acrobatic and circus performances.
The Mirror Tent will also host Montreal’s critically acclaimed
Seven Fingers, an ensemble comprised of Quebec’s
top circus performers in their brilliant and profound production,
La Vie.
David Luxton, Chair of the Canadian Tulip Festival,
commented, “The Tulip Festival showcases our national
capital to hundreds of thousands of visitors, celebrating our
international friendships and reaching out to diverse cultures
in a way that reflects core Canadian values.” He added,
“The Tulip Festival is a welcome event each spring. Festival
‘09 will be an optimistic event at a somewhat pessimistic
time.” Mr. Luxton also highlighted the role that the Festival
plays as an economic generator for the city and the region,
adding that “the Festival is an especially important and
welcome stimulus this year against the general economic gloom.”
Teri Kirk, who continues in her role as volunteer
President of the Festival, noted that the Canadian Tulip Festival
is a registered charity and one of the important volunteer organizations
in the region, drawing on over 1,000 volunteers each spring.
“For those of us who volunteer our time to the Festival,”
she says, “we are always surprised that so many think
that the Festival is a business, or even a government initiative
operated by the City or the NCC. The Festival is a nonprofit
organization and charity we like to think of it as a gift to
the families and people in our City each spring.”
Ms Kirk added, "The founding idea of the Festival is international
friendship, which we express by supporting international outreach
in very tangible ways. Last year the Festival was able to contribute
to War Child Canada, which helps children displaced
by conflict. This year we will be encouraging Festival goers
to help support Soles4Souls to send much-needed footwear
to impoverished children and families overseas.'”
More info: Ottawa Tulip Festival Guide
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