Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2024: Guide to visiting the farms
SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. - The annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival starts next month and it's one of the largest tulip festivals in the U.S.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit the tulip farms each year and organizers want to make sure visitors make the best of their trip.
The following is a guide on what to know if you're planning to see the bloom.
What is the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?
It's an annual event held in the Skagit Valley, and it's celebrated throughout the month of April. Organizers said the festival has multiple gardens, tulip fields, events and activities throughout the valley.
When does the festival start?
The festival goes from April 1-30 each.
What are the featured farms?
There are several farms but the festival has four featured farms: RoozenGaarde, Tulip Town, Tulip Valley Farms, and Garden Rosalyn.
Do you need a ticket?
The festival itself is ticket-free, but each farm has distinctive experiences and ticket prices. Visitors can buy their tickets at the garden entrance or online.
When's the best time to visit?
Organizers said weekends are the most popular days to visit and could be busy. Visitors who make the trip during weekdays, early mornings and late afternoons will run into fewer crowds.
What happens if it rains?
Rain or shine, the festival will still happen.
How to get to the Skagit Valley Festival
- Bike: Roads in the valley are flat, and it's easy to access the tulip fields, events and attractions by bike, but if you decide to travel this way be prepared for rainy and windy conditions. There are a couple self-guided bike tours available that organizers have suggested.
- Car: Organizers said weekdays are the least crowded times and weekends can be busy. If driving, visitors should take State Route 20 to enter the tulip area and carpool if possible. There is plenty of free parking at Garden Rosalyn, Tulip Town, RoozenGaarde and Tulip Valley Farms. There may be fees at officials lots, and this information will be posted at the fields. Roadside parking is limited because of shoulder conditions and traffic safety regulations. Law enforcement will issue tickets for cars in no parking zones.
- Bus: Skagit Transit Services has routes around the valley. For people arriving in Mount Vernon, Washington: Tulip Festival visitors can ride Skagit Transit Route 615 to visit the tulip fields, departing from Skagit Station.
- Guided Tour: There are multiple tours visitors can choose from, and organizers suggest booking them early as they could sell out fast. This guided tour picks up visitors from Seattle and back, and from Lynnwood and back. The Skagit Valley Tulip Tour is daily from 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
- Train: Amtrak Cascades runs to Mount Vernon, but there are no set shuttles from the station. Organizers said there are local tour options that can pick up visitors from the station. Tours are by reservation only, and are small and can book up fast.