Tesselaar Tulip Festival, Silvan

Experience the vibrant Tesselaar Tulip Festival in Victoria, showcasing over a million flowers, live entertainment, delicious food, and family activities.

This year, the colourful flower festival is set to take place from Saturday 14 September to Sunday 13 October 2024.

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Tesselaar Tulip Festival Melbourne

Spring heralds our annual visit to the Tesselaar Tulip Festival and each year the event just gets better and better, providing more entertainment and value for money than ever!

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For the tulips’ protection, they’ve been roped off again this year. So while you can’t quite ‘tiptoe through the tulips’ anymore, you can still admire their stunning beauty.

But don’t worry! This year, there are more crossings and photo spots where the ropes are kept low, making it easier to snap that perfect picture.

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Children’s Week at Tesselaar Flower Farm

Amongst a jam-packed calendar of events, Children’s Week (Monday 23 September to Thursday 26 September and Monday 30 September to Thursday 4 October 2024) has special activities running for the school holidays. 


Find Hotels and Airbnbs near Tesselaar Kabloom Festival of Flowers


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Children’s Weeks offers an enchanting escape into a world filled with flowers, fun, and magical experiences for families. 

This year’s event program features a delightful array of activities, including live performances from beloved characters such as Elmo and Peppa Pig. Find the full program here.

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Children can sing, dance, and engage in interactive storytelling, making it a perfect outing for fans of these iconic shows.

Most of the performances are FREE or there is a small cost (between $5-$15) for activities such as face-painting, craft workshops and the Tulip Tractor Ride.

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Each week is packed with educational and entertaining workshops, including drumming sessions, craft activities, and engaging talks from Black Snake Productions, where kids can learn about and interact with Australian wildlife, including reptiles and marsupials. 

The Fairy Garden invites children to immerse themselves in captivating tales and explore their creativity through various craft workshops available for a small fee.

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In previous years, we have particularly enjoyed Black Snake Productions’ Animal Show, which provides lots of opportunities to get up close to reptiles and native animals while passing on environmental and conservation knowledge to kids and adults.

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A must-do for our family is the Ride on the Tulip Train. At a cost of $5 per person or $15 for a family of 4, you can hop on and hop off as many times as you wish.

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At the bottom of the hill stop, you’ll find food stalls, twice daily drumming workshops and scenic swings for that perfect Instagram shot!

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You’re welcome to BYO picnic but I recommend sampling at some least of the Dutch food on offer. The kids love sharing a plate of hot Dutch mini pancakes ‘poffertjes’….

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….and of course the Double Dutch ice cream special!

We also try some other Dutch dishes – kibbeling (Dutch fish bites) with chips and oliebollen Dutch doughnuts.

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To make your trip more enjoyable come prepared. Make sure you wear your gumboots to protect your precious footwear and take warm clothes for the strong breeze that can roll into the valley.

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If it’s raining or super-sunny, or if you just want some great photos, head to the Fresh Flower Market at the entrance and hire some large rainbow umbrellas for free. And then on your way out when you return the umbrellas, buy some tulip blooms to brighten up your home!

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Tesselaar Tulip Festival is a great day out for the whole family where you can enjoy the sight of a million tulip bulbs, lots of fun entertainment and Dutch food. It’s worthwhile going even if the weather’s not perfect as there are fewer people and you can hire an umbrella for beautiful photos.

Click here for more school holiday events in spring

HOT Tips:

  • arrive at 10am so that you can snap pictures without crowds of people in the way. Also available parking is much closer;
  • buy your tickets online in advance to avoid ticket counter queues;
  • midday is peak hour;
  • wear gumboots and easily-washed clothes. The red clay gets muddy very quickly with the number of people walking around and the dirt marks everything;
  • if you can try to avoid taking a pram. Given the crowds and soggy ground conditions it’s really best enjoyed by children who are able to walk steadily;
  • if your kids are old enough, give them a phone camera to experiment with. It’s hard to take a bad shot;
  • during school holidays there are Children’s Weeks with kids activities, animal shows and music at no additional cost;
  • read the Children’s Week event program here. And;
  • you can hire large rainbow umbrellas for free from the Fresh Flower Market at the entrance.

I hope this post has helped or inspired you! Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to find out more ways for your family to have fun together!

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About Joyce Watts

Joyce Watts is a former intellectual property, IT and media lawyer turned serial entrepreneur.

As well as being the founder of TOT: HOT OR NOT she helps businesses with their SEO, email marketing & social media as BrightSmart.com.au; she owns an online bike store CycleStyle.com.au and develops and produces creative experiences for families via WheelieGoodFun.com. She used to publish another popular lifestyle and food blog called MEL: HOT OR NOT The decisive guide to Melbourne.

She lives in inner-city Melbourne with her husband, two children and seven bikes.

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