2025 Tulipalooza to benefit local charities, opens Feb. 28
Tulipalooza hosts its sixth season from Feb. 28-March 16 at Getzendaner Memorial Park in Waxahachie. The annual tulip festival, which benefits multiple local charities, will again feature “hundreds of thousands of tulip bulbs,” according to the event website.
Tickets are available online now for the festival, which will be open daily, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., rain or shine.
“Tulipalooza is a true labor of love,” said festival co-organizer Bill Van Houten. “[It lets] north Texas residents enjoy a piece of Dutch heritage, as the world’s most popular flower.”
Scenes from the 2025 Tulipalooza as photographed by Mike Sackett/ITKE Contributor.
Since its inception, Tulipalooza has served to benefit local and area nonprofits. This year’s list of supported charities and the services they provide are:
• Easterseals Lonestar – special needs
• FirstLook – pregnancy and health
• Hope Health – medical and dental
• Runnin’ Free Ranch – therapy
• Special Olympics Texas – fitness for intellectual disabilities
• to be like me – disability awareness
• Waxahachie Senior Activity Center – senior care
• Waxahachie Care – food and financial assistance
“We wanted a variety of services that were directly serving people,” Van Houten said.
The bulbs are imported and planted in December, ensuring they’re up and in full bloom for photo opportunities and picking by festival time, with the website noting that daffodils have been added to the mix this year.
“The festival offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the start of spring at your local Getzendaner Park while tiptoeing in a wide assortment of tulip and daffodil varieties especially selected for the north Texas area,” Van Houten said. “Tulipalooza supports as many as eight local charities, who benefit from every ticket purchased online, as 50% of each ticket goes directly to the charity of your choice, thus making a lasting impact in north Texas.”
General admission is $15 per adult and $5 per child ages 5-12. Children younger than age 5 are admitted free. A special senior day for ages 65 and older will be held Wednesday, March 5, with tickets priced at $10. Also on Senior Day, Porch Swing Iced Tea will be on site for purchase.
March 8-9 is Charity Weekend, with several food trucks on hand, including Bluebonnet Boba, If Jesus Made Quesadillas, and Mister Softee Ice Cream, as well as a bounce house for children to enjoy. All of the nonprofits benefiting from Tulipalooza 2025 will have information tables on-site during Charity Weekend.
“Everyone can take pictures, and you may pick your own bunch of 10 cut flowers (or more) at $2 a stem,” Van Houten said, adding, “I heard there might be some Dutch ladies to visit.”
The festival will have a professional photographer offering mini-sessions. For more information and a schedule, email txtulipalooza@gmail.com.
This year’s festival is sponsored by the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Waxahachie and the Waxahachie Economic Development Corporation. Both have opted to support Tulipalooza for the next three years, which will allow the festival’s organizers to plan for “even bigger tulip displays and experiences in the years to come,” Van Houten said.
For more information, email txtulipalooza@gmail.com or visit the website at https://tulipalooza.org/.
Written by Jo Ann Livingston/ITKE.
