Thousands of tourists have arrived in the Southern Highlands for the annual Tulip Time festival, taking place in Bowral’s Corbett Gardens during the first month of Spring.
The festival is entirely organised by local volunteers, and features an impressive display of over 80 000 tulips. There will also be a small business market and jam packed line up of local musicians playing throughout the day.
Entertainment coordinator and local radio station “Highlands FM” Manager, Adam Stokeld said that the Southern Highlands has had a rough time trying to bring back tourism in the area, post-covid, and that Tulip Time really helps garner the interest from tourists as a strong and recognisable annual event.
“Tulip Time is a wonderful way to showcase our region, and the influx of tourism is a positive for our retail sector, which has been struggling being a regional area… particularly post-covid, so I think festivals like Tulip Time are very much welcome by the retail precinct here in the Southern Highlands.”
This year also marks the beginning of Tulips After Dark, which will keep the gardens open until 9PM, with live music performances going into the night, as well as an additional light display.
However it’s not all tulips-and-daisies for local residents, as local musician and performer Harrison Graham has stated that both driving and parking around town during the event can be particularly frustrating for residents trying to go about their day.
“We already don’t have the infrastructure to support the number of cars on our roads, so pulling more people in can really slow things down.”
With recent council elections however, plans are being made in conjunction with Tulip Time to better support and enable the number of tourists coming in without local residents experiencing these frustrating effects. No plans have been announced so far, but developments are proposed to be in use in the next season.
Despite this current predicament, Harrison has stated that he’s optimistic for the future of Tulip Time and keen to be involved.
“If they keep asking me back, I’ll keep going” he said.
The festival remains open until the end of September. Locals are granted free access, and the adult entry price is $15 a head.
