On Saturday, March 4, 2023, 30-35,000 people gathered at Union Square in San Francisco, CA, to pick a free bouquet from the 80,000 tulips donated in honor of International Women’s Day. The event aimed to brighten moods, kick off spring and celebrate inspirational women. Royal Anthos presented this free event with help from the Netherlands Consulate in San Francisco, San Francisco Recreation and Parks, and the Union Square Alliance.
“Tulips signify the beginning of spring, and everyone was delighted to be together this year, surrounded by the beauty and bright colors,” exclaimed Henk Westerhof, chairman of Royal Anthos, organizers of the event.
“These tulips exemplify our City’s strong connection with the Netherlands, including our economic ties as well as our shared commitment on climate action, civil rights, and equality,” said Mayor London N. Breed. “It was an honor to welcome Her Majesty Queen Máxima to San Francisco, and I thank the Dutch people for gifting us with the stunning display of tulips in Golden Gate Park. We thrive when we connect with other communities around shared values and working together to make the world a more beautiful and vibrant place.”
“As a gesture of gratitude and appreciation, a special London N. Breed tulip has been created and planted in the Queen Wilhelmina Garden in Golden Gate Park to thank the City and the Mayor for warmly receiving Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in September 2022. As it is customary in the Netherlands to express gratitude with flowers, 5,000 bulbs of the London N. Breed tulip have been planted as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the Netherlands and San Francisco. The tulip’s vibrant hues were inspired by the colors worn by her Majesty and the Mayor on the memorable day of their meeting,” said Dirk Janssen, Consul-general of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in San Francisco.
Union Square was a vibrant and colorful scene as 80,000 fresh tulips covered the area. Visitors were invited to pick and build a tulip bouquet to gift to a woman who has inspired them. American Tulip Day brought together people of all ages and brought joy to many. The tulips, which thrive in San Francisco’s weather, were a huge hit with visitors. Many were fascinated by the intact bulbs and inquired about care for their fresh bouquets. These tulips will make a lasting impression, as they will last up to two weeks.
“American Tulip Day brought spectacular beauty and cheer to Union Square on Saturday,” said Marisa Rodriguez, CEO of Union Square Alliance. “The tulips symbolized spring, a metaphorical renewal of the District, and the perfect kick-off to our annual Union Square in Bloom Initiative. The display of 80,000 American-grown tulips, grown from Dutch bulbs, was breathtaking and even more special because they honored International Women’s Day. What a beautiful and special way to thank the extraordinary women who inspire us daily. We hope it will become a new International Women’s Day tradition to gift tulips to the women in our lives.”
The event first debuted in Union Square in 2018 and returned in 2019, and 2020. In 2021, in lieu of an in-person event, due to Covid, organizers arranged and shared 25,000 tulips with women working on the “Front Lines” throughout the country and hosted a 2-day virtual tulip event. The highly anticipated event returned in person in 2022, drawing 8,500 people. Anthos was excited to be back in person for a fourth year in San Francisco.
Royal Anthos is a Dutch trade organization that represents the trade companies in flower bulbs and nursery stock products worldwide. For more information, visit www.anthos.org.
Garden Media Group represents Royal Anthos in the United States. They specialize in the home, garden, horticulture, outdoor living, and lawn and landscape industries. They offer innovative PR campaigns to secure top media placements and partnerships with traditional and social media. For gardening tips, new product announcements, and PR and marketing tips, visit www.gardenmediagroup.com
About The Kingdom of the Netherlands The Netherlands strives to solve societal and economic challenges with local and international partners. The country ranks sixth on the Global Innovation Index, and Amsterdam is one of the fastest growing ecosystems in Europe. As a trading nation, the Netherlands has continuously ranked as one of the top five foreign investors in the U.S. for multiple years, making the Netherlands the number one country with which the U.S. maintains a trade surplus.
The Consulate General of the Netherlands in San Francisco, in partnership with Holland in the Valley and the Dutch ecosystem in the San Francisco Bay Area, empowers Dutch entrepreneurs and talent to innovate and scale in the U.S. by offering a network, content and programs. Learn more at United States | Netherlandsandyou.nl.
San Francisco Recreation and Park Department The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department currently manages more than 220 parks, playgrounds and open spaces throughout San Francisco, including two outside city limits – Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. The system includes full-complex recreation centers, swimming pools, golf courses, sports fields and numerous small-to-medium-sized clubhouses that offer a variety of sports- and arts-related recreation programs for people of all ages. Included in the Department’s responsibilities are Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, the Marina Yacht Harbor, the San Francisco Zoo and Lake Merced. In 2017, San Francisco became the first city in the nation where all residents have access to a park within a 10-minute walk, a direct result of the Department’s commitment to increasing and improving parkland in the city. Learn more at sfrecpark.org
