Orange City, Iowa — Whether they’re Dutch or not, many people come to Orange City to enjoy the Tulip Festival and take part in many Dutch traditions.
This year, organizers tell us the Orange City Tulip Festival begins on Thursday, May 18th, and goes until Saturday, May 20th.
There will be many activities at the festival, some have an admission charge, while others are free. The Dutch Museum Private Tours run from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. each day and admission will be $10 per person. During the tours, there will be Dutch costumes and stories about how Orange City was settled.
The Dutch Dozen, which are twelve girls and twelve boys, will dance their way through a musical trip of Old Holland. To see this performance there will be an admission of $5 per adult and a dollar per child.
De Klompenmaker, “the clog maker”, will demonstrate how to make wooden shoes by hand at the Straatmarkt, “street market”, and by machine at the Stadscentrum, “city center”. These demonstrations will take place each day from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. and again from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. This event is free to attend.
Tulip Festival organizers tell us that the Night Show Musical this year will be “Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. This musical is based on the story of Joseph from the Bible with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It’s $25-40 for reserved seating.
The Volksparade (people’s parade) will be each day at 2:15 p.m. and 6 p.m. There will be marching bands, themed floats, and riders wearing Dutch costumes. To reserve seats there will be a $5 fee.
These are just a few of the activities going on during the Tulip Festival, there will be many more as well. For more information and to buy tickets, you can visit Orange City Tulip Festival.
