The most beautiful traffic jam in the Bulb Region

The 79th Bollenstreek Flower Parade takes place on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The colorful procession of floats follows a route of over 42 km, starting in Noordwijk (around 9:00-9:15 AM) and ending in Haarlem. It is one of the largest flower events in the Netherlands, with festivities from April 15 to 19 in the Bollenstreek. Will you also be standing along the roadside to watch the flower parade, or will you see the floats in Haarlem on Sunday, April 19, 2026?

Annual tradition

The Bollenstreek Flower Parade is an annual event that has been held since 1947. During this procession, floats richly decorated with spring flowers travel a 42-kilometer route from Noordwijk to Haarlem. The event attracts more than a million visitors annually. In 2021, the Bollenstreek Flower Parade was inscribed in the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Netherlands. This recognition underscores the cultural importance and tradition of the parade within Dutch society. The 79th edition of the Bollenstreek Flower Parade will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The route starts in Noordwijk and ends in Haarlem, passing through various villages in the Dune and Bulb Region. The floats will be assembled in Noordwijkerhout on April 15, 16, and 17, 2026, where they can be viewed up close. The evening parade will take place in Noordwijkerhout on Friday evening, April 17.

Bloemencorso Bollenstreek

On April 18, 2026, the Bulb Region Flower Parade will travel the 42 km route from Noordwijk to Haarlem. The flower parade passes by Keukenhof, along the road renamed Keukenhof Boulevard on the side of the main car park. Admire the Flower Parade along the road that runs past the Main Entrance of Keukenhof.

On April 18, 2026, the world-famous Flower Parade of the Bulb Region will travel its colorful route of over 42 km from Noordwijk to Haarlem. The parade also passes Keukenhof, via the specially renamed Keukenhof Boulevard, on the side of parking lot P1 at the park's main entrance. This is a unique opportunity to admire the Flower Parade up close during your visit to Keukenhof. During the Flower Parade, it is extra busy in the Bulb Region and at Keukenhof. Do you want to visit Keukenhof without traffic congestion or road closures? Then we recommend choosing another day. Do you still want to visit the park on the day of the parade? Then make sure you are at Keukenhof before 12:00 PM. After that time, various roads in the Bulb Region will be closed for the Flower Parade. The main Keukenhof car park (P1) will then no longer be accessible or exitable. You will not be able to reach or leave the main Keukenhof car park during these hours. This applies to both public transport and travel by car.

Flower parades in the Netherlands originated from driving around with decorated farm wagons and bicycles, whether or not as an allegorical procession. That tradition goes back further than the origins of the parades. The parades are able to endure because they are passed down from generation to generation. In this sense, it is justified to consider flower parades as part of Dutch tradition and identity, as intangible heritage as defined by UNESCO. This also explains the current increase in interest in flower parades: they are riding on the wave of renewed interest in national culture and identity in an era of internationalization and globalization.

Where the idea comes from to join the Dutch parades dahliaIt is not known why they are being used, but the reason could well be pragmatic: the dahlia is both suitable and available. The dahlia is a flower that was very popular at the time (and is again today!) and adorned many farmyards. Dahlias are cheap and hardy. It is sometimes called the poor man's rose. Dahlias come in a wide variety of shapes and colors, and dahlia flowers can be picked from the plant without penalty during the flowering season (from late July through September). New flowers appear on the plant within a few days. The availability of the dahlia is therefore ample.

Of the hundreds of dahlia varieties available, dozens are highly suitable for use as ground covers. The suitable varieties are sturdy, consistent in color, compact, and not too large. To this day, the dahlia proves to be ideal when field yields fall short due to unfavorable weather conditions. The alternatives used in such cases, such as begonias, fall far short of the dahlia.

Naturally, in the early years of the various flower parades, the dahlia was not yet cultivated specifically for the parade. The float builders scoured the surrounding area on foot or by bicycle to pick dahlias on farms. Trucks were also driven to the Bulb Region to collect dahlias from commercial growers in Lisse, Sassenheim, Hillegom, and Aalsmeer. The ties with the dahlia growers from the Bulb Region continue to this day.

Nowadays, all major flower parades grow their own dahlias. Just like the construction of the floats, the maintenance of the dahlia fields is carried out by volunteers. The fields supply dahlias for the respective parade, but because flowers can be picked from the dahlia fields throughout the entire season, a lively trade takes place. Parades that do not take place simultaneously supply each other with flowers. In addition, dahlias are sold to many smaller parades (which often do not maintain their own dahlia fields) and to all kinds of events throughout Europe that require dahlias for floral tableaux, mosaics, and the like.

 

<strong> More info: </strong>

Bulb Region Flower Parade, April 15 to 19, 2026:

https://bloemencorso-bollenstreek.nl/

Start Noordwijk, flower parade:

https://www.noordwijk.info/nl/highlights/bloemencorso-bollenstreek