About the Festival
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is one of the destination events for the Pacific Northwest, held from April 1-30. Every spring hundreds of thousands of people come to enjoy the celebration of spring as millions of tulips burst into bloom. As with all things governed by Mother Nature, the tulips bloom according to their own schedule sometime during the festival. The tulips allow us to share our corner of the world and showcase Skagit Valley agriculture.
Our festival is designed as a driving tour for the visitor as there is no one "site" that you go to for your visit. This is because the farmers in our valley raise tulips as an agricultural crop and the 100s of acres of blooming flowers are scattered throughout the Skagit Valley. In addition to the flowers, festival visitors enjoy taking in one of the many events and activities that happen only during April. These too are scattered throughout the Skagit Valley.
As the festival continues on its journey – now for 30 years – we welcome people from across the United States and from around the world. The beauty of the flowers truly transcends differences, bringing cultures, ages and diverse lifestyles together to marvel at nature's creation. In 2012 we were proud to greet visitors from all 49 states (somehow Mississippi did not get recorded) and from 53 foreign countries.
We hope you enjoy our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SkagitValleyTulipFestival)and add your own favorite photos there. We also publish an electronic newsletter -- sign up under the Newsletter/Brochure tab to get the latest festival news. We continue to refine our brochure to give our fans the printed information they need to fully enjoy their trip to Skagit Valley.
Thank you for visiting. We hope you enjoy your stay.
History
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival was officially inaugurated in 1984 by the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce. Chamber directors Jerry Diggerness and Joan Houchen saw that people were coming by the thousands to view the tulips and, through a retreat, decided to add events and festivities to enhance the visitors’ trip to the Skagit Valley. In 1994 the Tulip Festival broke off from the Chamber of Commerce and became an entity of its own. [more]
Staff
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival has a year-round staff who work to make sure the festival is a success each year. The festival office is in downtown Mount Vernon, WA at 311 W Kincaid Street. It is open all 30 days of April from 9 am to 5 pm. The rest of the year (May thru March) the office is open Monday thru Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, except for Federal holidays. Besides obtaining information you can purchase Official Merchandise items at the office, including t-shirts, mugs, magnets, posters and coasters. [more]
Board of Directors
An all volunteer Board of Directors governs the nonprofit corporation that makes the Tulip Festival become a reality each spring. The Executive Board is made up of a president, vide-president, treasurer, secretary and immediate past president. There are nine board members serving rotating three-year terms. In addition the board has created two permanent positions for the valley's tulip growers and three advisory positions to help with official merchandise, legal matters and insurance concerns. [more]
Sponsors
Businesses and groups large and small support the festival through sponsorships ranging from $275 to $5500. These sponsorship dollars are vital to the successful operation of the festival. Please take the time to look over these businesses and drop by for a visit when you come here to the festival. [more]
Poster Artists
Each year tulip fans are treated to a new Skagit Valley Tulip Festival poster -- always different from the last -- with a fresh rendition of what the tulips are all about. Some are pastoral scenes, others feature cats and birds, and some have featured children along with the flowers. No matter what, the poster art says "Skagit Valley." [more]
Designers
Showcasing the grace and beauty of the tulip -- the star of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival -- is a challenge that artists, graphic designers and webmasters find daunting each year. Yet they accomplish their goal, creating products for our hundreds of thousands of tulip fans to use. [more]
