Canadian Tulip Festival announces 2009 season

Summary: 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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