HOLLAND, MI -- The wooden-shoe clomping is starting earlier, and getting louder, for Holland’s 2025 Tulip Time.
The nonprofit is releasing its event and ticket schedule this month, following an announcement that the festival will begin on the first Friday of May, rather than the first Saturday.
The 96th annual festival will run from Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 11, 2025. There will be festival-related activities and entertainment every day of the festival, according to the Tulip Time press release.
“We are so excited to be able to start the festival a day early this year,” said Gwen Auwerda, executive director of Tulip Time. “We looked at all of our data and realized the tulips are here, our out-of-town guests are here, let’s just start the party early! So we’re bringing some entertainment to town the first Friday of May this year.”
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The 2025 festival will celebrate 90 years of Dutch dancing.
Dutch dancers, who wear costumes that are historically accurate and hand-sewn by local seamstresses, will take to the streets and “welkom” even more cloggers.
The lineup includes traditional Dutch Dance performances, Dutch Dance Lessons, a Dutch Lunch and Style show.
New for the anniversary is De Familiedans or the family dance. This will be a Dutch Dance experience designed specifically for parents and children from baby to early elementary age, according to the Tulip Time press release.
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There has been a growing number of community members interested in learning Dutch dances and joining in on the parades and performances.
This past year about 800 dancers performed throughout the festival.
If wooden shoes − and many pairs of socks − aren‘t your thing there’s plenty more on the Tulip Time schedule.
You may also consider the wooden shoe painting class, the wooden cutting board workshop, fused glass tulip tutorial or the wine and Dutch cheese pairing course to name a few.
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Holland’s Dutch heritage is drawing in more visitors every year as the beach town becomes a four-season destination.
Holland‘s de Zwaan windmill nearly broke another visitor record this season with more than 130,000 guests passing through since April.
Windmill Island stayed open additional fall weekends to accommodate the influx of guests and will continue it’s new Christmas-time traditions this December.
RELATED: The last windmill to leave the Netherlands sits on this 36-acre park in Michigan
More information on the 2025 Tulip Times festival can be found at TulipTime.com.
A detail program and ticket information will go online 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29.
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