The Volksparade

Tulip Time Festival has three parades celebrating Dutch heritage.

The first is the Volksparade - the parade of the common people.

Prior to the parade, the townsfolk, dressed in dutch costumes.

scrub the street until it is "dutch clean"

The colorful costumes and darling children

 make the street scrubbers as much fun to watch as the parade itself.

  Street scrubbing is serious business

Dutch kids learn early how to use a broom!

 Finally the parade begins

 There are floats,

Marching bands,

 Baton twirlers,

And lots of wooden shoes

The Holland High school band marched and danced in wooden shoes.

That's no easy feat for the feet!

It was a klompen good time!

Tulip Time Festival

Every May, the town of Holland Michigan celebrates

 its Dutch heritage with the Tulip Time Festival.

Being of Dutch descent myself, I attended when I was child

and wanted to go back as an adult and relive the memories. 

The festival didn't disappoint!

The whole town gets involved and the residents dress in dutch costumes.

And there are Dutch Dancers in the parks.

Holland has it own authentic working windmill.

This is DeZwaan (the swan), one of the last windmills exported from the Netherlands.

 And, of course, there are tulips.

Everywhere.
As in over 6 million planted all over the city!