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The current glacial weather and judgmental Punxsutawney Phil may have you thinking otherwise but spring actually is on the way. And if you need colorful proof, the annual Tulip Day is returning to Manhattan's Union Square next month for its second year.
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Get ready for a floral explosion as the warm-weather tradition returns to the downtown park on Sunday, March 30, with a whopping 170,000 stems of the spring-blooming perennial taking over the public plaza. Put on by Royal Anthos—a Dutch organization that promotes flower and tree agriculture worldwide—in collaboration with the Netherlands Consulate General of New York, Tulip Day won't just be a welcome sight for winter-sore eyes, but also an opportunity for floral-loving New Yorkers and visitors to stock up on the titular flowers and create their own bespoke bouquets to welcome the start of the season.
Open to the public from 11:30am to 4pm, the one-day-only tulip garden pop-up will welcome each attendee to visit the square and pick a maximum of 10 fresh blooms for their own personal bouquets for free. Access to the floral pop-up is free, but if you want to secure your spot, you'll be able to register for the event ahead of time—spots are set to open up in early March. Walk-ins may also be accepted the day of the event on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tulip Day has become a springtime tradition not only in New York but other major cities like San Francisco—the Northern California city has been celebrating the bloom-filled event since 2018 to promote the Bay Area's ties to the Netherlands and to herald the arrival of spring. And if you want even more floral fun, check out our guide to March 2025 events throughout NYC, including the sprawling new floral exhibition The Orchid Show: Mexican Modernism at New York Botanical Garden and the annual blooming of cherry blossoms throughout the city.