A flower parade (in Dutch: bloemencorso) is a festive procession of giant floats decorated with hundreds of thousands of fresh flowers. The countryside around Amsterdam hosts two famous flower parades each year: the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek in April and the Flower Parade Rijnsburg in August. Both parades are free to watch along the route and easy to combine with a day trip from Amsterdam.
What is a Dutch flower parade (bloemencorso)?
A bloemencorso is a long-standing Dutch tradition in which volunteers spend months designing and building spectacular floats, which are then covered with fresh flowers in the days before the parade. Marching bands, decorated cars and costumed performers travel along with the floats, turning the whole route into a street festival.
In the flower region near Amsterdam, the parades celebrate the spring bulb season and the summer flower harvest. They are deeply rooted in local culture: whole villages take part, and the building halls are run almost entirely by volunteers.
Bloemencorso Bollenstreek: the spring flower parade near Amsterdam
The Bloemencorso Bollenstreek is the largest flower parade in the Netherlands and has been held every spring since 1947. Richly decorated floats covered in hyacinths, tulips and daffodils travel a 42-kilometre route from Noordwijk to Haarlem, right through the heart of the Bollenstreek flower region. The event attracts more than one million visitors every year.
The parade is officially recognised as Dutch cultural heritage: in 2021 it was added to the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Netherlands. The 79th edition took place on Saturday 18 April 2026, with a full corso week of events from 15 to 19 April 2026. The next edition will again ride on a Saturday in April; check this page or the official corso website for the exact date.
Route: from Noordwijk to Haarlem through the flower fields
The route starts in Noordwijk at the coast and ends in Haarlem, passing through several villages of the Duin- en Bollenstreek, including Lisse — home of the Keukenhof Tulip Park. Because the parade takes place at the peak of the bulb season, you can easily combine it with a visit to the flower fields near Amsterdam on the same weekend.
Corso week and build-up days
In the days before the parade, the floats are decorated with millions of fresh flowers, mainly fragrant hyacinths. The building halls are open to visitors during the build-up days, so you can watch the volunteers at work and admire the floats up close — a real insider tip for flower lovers and photographers.
Flower Parade Rijnsburg: the summer flower parade
The Flower Parade Rijnsburg rides every year on the second Saturday of August. In 2026 the parade weekend takes place from 7 to 9 August, with the parade itself on Saturday 8 August 2026. The parade is known as a “riding flower theatre”: floats, music wagons and flower-decorated cars are accompanied by more than 100 costumed performers.
While the spring corso shows off tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, the summer parade is built with dahlias and other summer blooms. Want to see where these flowers come from? Discover the Dutch dahlia fields in summer or visit one of the flower farms near Amsterdam.
Practical tips for visiting a flower parade
Watching a flower parade along the route is free of charge — no tickets are needed. Arrive at least an hour early to secure a good spot, especially in popular villages such as Lisse and Sassenheim. Grandstand seats can be booked in advance via the official parade organisations. Public transport is the easiest way to reach the route from Amsterdam; in spring you can also use the Hop on Hop off Bus Amsterdam Countryside to explore the flower region. If you want to make a weekend of it, the Bollenstreek offers plenty of hotels and B&Bs among the flower fields.
Frequently asked questions about flower parades in Holland
The Bloemencorso Bollenstreek rides every year on a Saturday in April from Noordwijk to Haarlem; the 79th edition took place on 18 April 2026. The Flower Parade Rijnsburg rides on the second Saturday of August — on 8 August in 2026.
Yes. Watching the parade along the public route is completely free. Only reserved grandstand seats need to be booked in advance via the official parade organisations.
Take a train to Haarlem, Heemstede or Leiden and continue by bus to the parade route. Travel time from Amsterdam is roughly 30 to 60 minutes. Roads close on parade day, so public transport is strongly recommended.
Yes. During the build-up days before the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek the building halls are open to visitors, and after the parade the floats are usually on display for a flower-filled photo moment.