Tulip Festivals in the UK: A 2025 Guide to the Best Events

Tulip season in Britain is short, a little unpredictable, and all the better for it. Between late March and mid-May — depending on where you are and what the weather decides to do — castle gardens, country estates and a few working farms fill with rows of colour. Some events are one-day parades, others run for a fortnight, and a handful are charity open days raising money for local causes. What follows is a guide to the UK's main tulip festivals and open days, plus the practical details that make a day out run smoothly. Dates shift each year, so treat the timings below as planning windows and check the venue's own website before you book.

Why the season is a moving target

Tulips are planted as bulbs in autumn, then spend the winter underground before pushing up as the soil warms. Most varieties flower for two to three weeks. A mild March can pull everything forward; a cold snap holds it back; a run of warm, sunny days can bring an entire garden into bloom and out of it again within a fortnight.

Growers and head gardeners work around this by planting a mix of early, mid and late varieties. Early singles often start in late March, mid-season varieties peak in mid to late April, and the doubles, parrots and lily-flowered types carry the display into May. If you are travelling any distance, check the garden's social media in the days before you go — many post bloom updates through April. Midweek visits are quieter and, if the weather is settled, prettier.

The festivals worth planning a day around

Arundel Castle, West Sussex

One of the longest-running and most photographed tulip festivals in the country, spread across the castle's walled gardens and grounds. Expect formal beds, naturalised drifts under the trees and dozens of named varieties, typically from mid-April into early May. The castle itself, the walled kitchen garden and the views over the Arun valley are worth the ticket on their own. Book a timed slot in advance; the town gets busy at weekends.

Hampton Court Palace, Surrey

The palace gardens put on a spring display that runs from April into early May, with tulips threaded through the formal parterres and the long borders. It is a good option if you want a full day out: palace, gardens, maze and the riverside walk. Pre-book entry, and consider arriving when the gates open to photograph the Great Fountain Garden before the crowds build.

Tulleys Tulip Fest, Crawley

Less heritage, more festival. A working farm in West Sussex turns several acres over to tulips and opens the field to visitors from roughly late March into late April, with timed slots, food stalls, a windmill or two and live music at weekends. It is the most family-friendly option here, and the best bet if you want a field of colour rather than a formal border. Weekends and school holidays sell out first.

Hever Castle, Kent

Spring is one of the best times to see Hever, with tulips planted through the Italian Garden and around the lake. The display usually peaks in April and pairs well with a walk around the moat and a look at the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Weekday mornings are noticeably calmer.

Fields, farms and a flower parade

Norfolk Tulips, near King's Lynn

A working bulb field at East Winch opens for a small number of days in late April, usually with proceeds going to charity. It is a rare chance to walk beside commercial rows of tulips rather than a designed border. The ground can be uneven and the weather does what it likes, so wear boots and confirm opening arrangements before travelling.

Spalding Flower Parade, Lincolnshire

Spalding was once at the centre of British tulip growing, and its flower parade — revived in 2023 after a decade-long break — is held on a Saturday in May. Floats are decorated with tulip heads, and the town turns out in force. Arrive early, use the park-and-ride, and expect to stand rather than sit.

Further afield: Wales, Scotland and the north

Some of the best displays are not branded as festivals at all. Several RHS and National Trust gardens plant tulips on a generous scale, and the timing is often the same mid-April window.

RHS Garden Wisley (Surrey) and RHS Harlow Carr (North Yorkshire) — tulips in the trial beds and around the main borders, usually mid to late April.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh — spring bulbs across the garden; cooler Scottish springs often push the peak a week or two later than the south.
National Botanic Garden of Wales, Carmarthenshire — spring planting across the walled garden and the wider landscape.
National Trust gardens such as Sissinghurst, Nymans and Bodnant — tulips worked into mixed borders rather than lined up in rows, which suits anyone who prefers a softer planting.

If you are in the north of England or in Scotland, add a week to any date advertised for the south. The further north you go, the later the peak.