Although the concept of a flower parade is certainly not limited to Holland, you can easily say that nowhere else in the world do you see so many different floral processions passing through the streets in so many different places. Each parade - called a "corso" - has its own history and is typically Dutch. Every single one is a feast for the eye, drawing tourists from home and abroad.

Bollenstreek flower parade
The Bollenstreek (bulb-growing area) Flower Parade is the first and biggest parade held in Holland every year, held at the end of April. 50 years ago, initiators of various small parades in the villages of the Bollenstreek decided to join forces and organize one big parade. It was to become the calling card of the flower bulb culture. The Flower Parade winds through the bulb region from Noordwijk to Haarlem. In and around the Dutch bulb area you'll find a lot of interesting cities, like Haarlem, Leiden, The Hague and of course Amsterdam.

The floats
The floats are created with 1.5 million hyacinths and thousands of narcissus and other flowers. In certain parts of the country, only dahlias are used to decorate the floats. Hundreds of volunteers are busy for months making the floats as beautiful and striking as possible. Spectacular flower parades throughout Holland can be seen from April through September.

Flower parades 2009
Below are the dates of a selection of the flower parades in Holland in 2009. They are well worth a visit to admire the beautiful wagons and millions of colourful flowers. Click on the titles to go to the website of the flower parade.

Holland Flower Festival - 25 February - 1 March 2009
Zwaagdijk. Not a parade, but a great place to admire beautiful gardens and flowers.

Bollenstreek Flower Parade - 24 /25 April 2009
Haarlem, Noordwijk, Noordwijkerhout, Sassenheim, Lisse, Hillegom, Bennebroek, Heemstede

Westland Floating Flower Parade - 31 July - 2 August 2009
Delft and Westland region

Lemelerveld Flower Parade - 11 August 2009
Lemelerveld

Belt-Schutsloot Floating Flower Parade - 14 August 2009
Belt-Schutsloot

Rijnsburg Flower Parade - 15 August 2009
Rijnsburg, Katwijk, Noordwijk

Zundert Flower Parade - 6 September 2009
Zundert

Lichtenvoorde Flower Parade - 13 September 2009
Lichtenvoorde