We went before and after the pandemic!
Burnside Farms Tulips Festival of Spring is our family’s favorite tradition in Northern Virginia! Burnside is a family-run farm in Nokesville that has millions of tulips in the spring and thousands of sunflowers in the summer. Below are all my tips after visiting the last 3 years with my kids/
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Burnside Farms Tulips 2023 Dates & Tickets
Dates for the Festival of Spring
The dates are announced each year on the Burnside Farms website each spring. This year the Festival of Spring will start Tuesday, April 4th, and probably last 3 weeks. Always check their Field Report ahead of time for any rain delays. Due to the fragile nature of tulips, they can sometimes need to end early or add on a day.
Baskets are available to borrow when you go through the gates. Also keep reading for all the family fun activities!
Tickets for the Burnside Farms’ Tulips
Thankfully this year, Burnside will allow both reserved timed passes and same-day tickets online. You can save a couple of dollars by purchasing ahead of time. In previous years they only had one of the options and it was much harder to guarantee entry.
I’m glad this year they have different time passes, both of which need to be purchased online! No tickets can be purchased at the gate. If photographers and Instagrammers want to go at the peak sunlight hours of morning or evening, it costs a few more dollars.
Ticket Costs Burnside Farms Tulip Festival
All tickets include 5 free stems
- Advanced Tickets: Weekdays $19, Weekends $21
- Advanced Tickets Early Bird/Sunset: Weekdays $23, Weekends $25
- Same-Day Tickets (12 AM Day of): Weekdays $25, Weekends $27
- Same-Day Tickets Early Bird/Sunset (12 AM Day of): Weekdays $29, Weekends $31
- You can also get a Field Pass for $70 which allows you to go to both the tulips and the sunflowers in the summer. Unlimited entry and still 5 free flowers per day!
What to Expect at the Festival of Spring at Burnside Farms
Burnside Farms Tulip Festival is a must-see event for anyone who loves flowers in the DC area! The festival features over 150 varieties of tulips, as well as daffodils, hyacinths, and other spring blooms.
My kids love strolling through the fields, picking their own tulips, and taking pictures near the windmill, and in the giant wooden shoes. But wait, it's not just flowers! There are also a ton of family-friendly farm activities too including:
- Adorable farm animals
- Giant trampoline pillow (like the size of a basketball court)
- Bouncy slide
- Basketball hoops
- Playground, tractors and playhouses, and more!
Food at Burnside Tulip Farm
On our most recent visit, they had food trucks daily, which were listed on their Facebook page. You can also bring in your own picnic and eat on one of the many picnic tables both outside in the beautiful grass or under the protection of their pretty barn.
Restrooms
They have portable restrooms near the checkout and near the food trucks farther in the fields.
Note on Strollers, Wheelchairs, and Wagons at Burnside Farms
The tulip fields are not super stroller and wheelchair friendly but there are dirt paths to go from the main entrance to the kid's activities.
With that being said, one year we did go with a family member in a wheelchair and it worked out, just very bumpy!
I highly recommend bringing a baby carrier and a beach wagon if you have one because you will be able to bring your picnic and items around the farm along with any kid who want to hitch a ride! (We love the Amazon wagon I linked with 44k reviews and 5 stars! You can save $20 if you get a less popular color)
What to Bring to Burnside Farms Festival of Tulips
After 3 trips to the tulips fields, below are our must-haves and nice-to-haves!
- Bring snacks and a picnic! Sometimes the food trucks can have long lines or maybe not to your kids liking. Bringing a picnic ensures you can have a beautiful lunch or snack among the tulips!
- Water bottles: It can get hot under the sun, with no shade except near the barn.
- SPF and Hat: Again, it gets pretty hot out there!
- Bring a mason jar or water bottle to put your tulips in on the drive home to keep them fresh.
And… you do not need to bring a tulip basket as they have dozens at the beginning for your to borrow!
Final Tip for Tulips
Pick your tulips at the very end of your day! You get 5 free tulips with each ticket and if you don’t put them in the water right away, they can wilt in under an hour. (I had tulips as my wedding flowers, so I know!) If you want to pick more than 5, it costs $1 for each tulip and $1 for each bulb.
Left: The flag of my grandmother's province in the Netherlands! Right: They have a wrapping station to bring home your 5 free stems!
More Spring Fun in Northern Virginia and the DC Area
