Bellingham bloomed during its Tulip Festival in the 1920s
Throughout the 1920s, the first week of May saw Bellingham transformed into "Tulip Town" as the city hosted its perennial Tulip Festival. Businesses competitively decorated the downtown streets and buildings, festooning them with bunting and "Welcome to Tulip Town" banners. A neighborhood campaign typically planted over 100,000 tulip bulbs each year.The Tulip Festival attracted up to 60,000 visitors during its three-day run. Events included a Tulip Queen coronation, carnival, flower shows, tulip-field tours, baseball games, concerts, a Tulip Song contest, fireworks and an athletic pageant put on by the city's school children at Battersby Field.
The festival's highlight was a lavish Tulip Parade, over two miles in length, comprised of over 100 tulip-adorned floats, as well as marching bands and decorated cars. An "electrified night parade" was added in 1922 and a kid's parade in 1924.
Bellingham could no longer afford the extravagant festival following the stock market crash in 1929. After World War II, a new festival known as "Blossom Time" would recapture much of the pageantry and splendor of the Tulip Festival. Started in 1947, Blossom Time, like the Tulip Festival, had a contest for queen, grand and junior parades, and a carnival. The festival's focus and name were changed to Ski to Sea in 1973, following introduction of a race from
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Entertainment • Sports.
Location. 48° 45.014′ N, 122° 28.722′ W. Marker is in Bellingham, Washington, in Whatcom County. Marker is on Cornwall Avenue north of East Holly Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1311 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham WA 98225, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bellingham grew up along its streetcar lines (here, next to this marker); The Great Water Fight (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bellingham Public Market Had Everything Under One Roof! (about 500 feet away); Performance Theater in Bellingham (about 700 feet away); Downtown was the hub of commercial activity (about 700 feet away); Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) (approx. ¼ mile away); Pickett Bridge (approx. 0.4 miles away); Washington State's Oldest Brick Building (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bellingham.
More about this marker. The other side of the panel for this marker is the "Bellingham grew up along its streetcar lines" marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 157 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 23, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
