Update: The festival is now open! Here's more information. Our original story continues below.
Spring flowers across Illinois have already begun to bloom. And at one farm in Spring Grove, "a 12-acre tulip treasure trove" will soon be open.
According to a release, the third annual Richardson Tulip Festival is set to open to the public starting at 11 a.m. Thursday.
This year, the farm predicts it could have as many as one million flowers in bloom.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
“We’re especially excited because we’re predicting we’ll have a million flowers in bloom this year,” George Richardson said in a statement earlier this month. “We’ve planted 300,000 tulip bulbs each year for three years. The bulbs that were among the first to be planted are having babies. So, this year should really be something to see.”
Richardson said that while all one million likely won't bloom at the same time due to different varieties being planted at various times, he expects at least 300,000 to be ready by the opening day.
Local
"We have anxiously been looking at and walking through our tulip fields and counting the growing-degree days," he said in a statement, adding that the farm expects the tulips will remain in bloom through May 7 "and hopefully beyond that."
What to Know if You Go
The farm offers more than 60 varieties of tulips, planting enough tulips to fill 12 football fields on the 500-acre farm.
The farm, located at 909 English Prairie Rd. in Spring Grove, will also offer live music on weekends, drinks, smoothies and food trucks.
Festival hours will be 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with the grounds closed Mondays.
Cost for those 4 and up is $16, including one free tulip per paid admission, on week days. On Saturdays and Sundays, cost is $16 for ages 4 to 12 and $19 for ages 13 and older, with one free tulip per paid admission. Additional flowers may be purchased for $2 a stem.
Children 3 and younger are free.
The annual event typically draws thousands during its season.
“What’s better than spring, and what’s better than tulips in the spring?” Robert Richardson, who first explored the idea of having a tulip fest at the farm back in 2019, said in statement. “They’re just a riot of colors. We’ve had folks come out to make marriage proposals, folks come out to take high school graduate photos ... it’s been a great addition to the offerings here at the farm.”
