Tulip Day Washington Dc Brings 150,000 Tulips to the National Mall on March 15

tulip day washington dc will turn the National Mall into a tulip-picking garden on March 15, 2026, with about 150, 000 tulips available for visitors to pick free bouquets between 11: 15 AM and 4: 15 PM ET. The one-day display is Washington’s first Tulip Day and will place rows of tulips on the Main Mall with views of the U. S. Capitol.

Tulip Day Washington Dc on the Mall

The display, organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos with support from the European Union, will offer tulips in red, pink, orange, yellow, and white on March 15, 2026, and each visitor may gather up to 10 stems during the 11: 15 AM–4: 15 PM ET pick window. Event site access is tied to the Smithsonian Metro Station National Mall exit on the Main Mall, where the floral rows will be set up with sightlines to the Capitol.

How to pick and care for your tulips

Bulbs for the display come from the Netherlands and have been grown in Virginia and New Jersey, and on Tulip Day the bulbs will still be attached to the stems. Royal Anthos CEO Mark-Jan Terwindt said, “We are trying to symbolize the tulip fields we know so well at home, ” and he recommends that once you bring stems home after March 15, place the flowers in a vase, cover the bulb with some water or put the cut stems in a vase with two inches of cold water to help the blooms last.

Tickets, timing and what to expect

The event is free but ticketed; tickets will be available Monday, March 2, at 8: 00 AM ET, and visitors can register for themselves and up to three other people at once. On March 15, pick-up runs from 11: 15 AM to 4: 15 PM ET, children under age 2 do not need a ticket, and pets are not allowed because tulips are toxic to dogs and cats.