Commissioners Park
The main viewing area of Canada's Tulip Festival, where about 300,000 tulips bloom along the shore of Dow's Lake in May, making it Ottawa's loveliest spring setting.
The Tulip Festival originated when the Dutch royal family took refuge in Ottawa during World War II. After the war, the Netherlands sent tulips every year as a thank-you. The festival runs for about 10 days in mid-May, and Commissioners Park has the most concentrated flowerbeds. Admission is free. The rest of the year it is an ordinary lakeside park. Weekends are busy, so visiting early in the morning for photos is recommended.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Dow's Lake
- Canadian Museum of Nature
- Sparks Street
- Bank of Canada Museum
- Supreme Court of Canada Building
- Hog's Back Falls
- Canadian War Museum
- National War Memorial