The 69th Annual Tulip Festival will be taking place Saturday, May 13 and Sunday, May 14 in Albany’s Washington Park. Admission is free.

According to Albany.com, the festival will feature over 100,000 tulips in bloom (150 different kinds) along with live music, art exhibits, vendors, and more. The event stems from when Mayor Erastus Corning the 2nd declared the tuilp as Albany’s official flower on July, 1 1948. The next year, on May 13, 1949, the first Tulip Fest was celebrated with opening ceremonies still carried on as tradition today. Traditions include the street sweeping and the crowning of a Tulip Queen. The “Mother of the Year” award will also be given out, a Tulip Fest tradition since 1998. Check out Albany.com for a complete schedule of the Mother’s Day weekend festivities plus info on parking and shuttles. Get out enjoy this fun tradition with mom!

Keep in mind some simple ground rules for the event:

-No Alcohol of designated beer garden area

-No glass containers

-No animals or pets (excluding ADA-defined service animals

-No recording of performances

-All city of Albany parks are now tobacco-free

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