SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- One of Northern California's newest spring traditions, American Tulip Day will transform San Francisco's iconic Union Square into a colorful 'tulip garden,' with more than 100K tulips on display Saturday, March 2, 2019. Blanketing Union Square, the pop-up tulip garden will be open between the hours of 1:00 – 4:30 p.m., with the public invited to pick their own bouquet of free tulips and bring home a little bit of spring. Access to the tulip garden is free-of-charge and includes a self-picked bunch of tulips. Press are invited for an exclusive preview from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. to film, take photos and speak with event organizers before the garden opens to the public. View a video of last year's American Tulip Day here.

The tulips on display in Union Square are produced directly from Dutch flower bulbs in The Netherlands, but grown in the U.S. Dutch bulb traders export their flower bulbs to more than 100 countries worldwide, including the U.S., with nearly 500M tulip bulbs exported to America every year. Forty to 50 percent of the total number of Dutch tulip bulbs exported annually to the U.S. and Canada are bought by consumers. The remaining 50 to 60 percent are sold to professional tulip growers, who sell through to consumers.

"We're thrilled to once again bring tulip bulbs – one of the first signs of spring – to San Francisco's historic Union Square for everybody to enjoy," said Henk Westerhof, Chairman of Royal Anthos and iBulb. "American Tulip Day is not only a fun celebration; it also raises awareness of the cut tulip bulbs produced in North America from Dutch-originated bulbs, which is the Netherlands' biggest export market for tulip bulbs."

American Tulip Day is presented by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Royal Anthos and  iBulb, with support from co-sponsors, Rabobank, Denkers and International Freight Services and the help of San Francisco Recreation and Parks and the Union Square Business Improvement District. Volunteers from Miracle Messages and Downtown Streets Team will be put in the spotlight for their work in helping the homeless in the Union Square District.

"The Netherlands is famous not only for its tulips, but also for its innovative spirit," said Gerbert Kunst, Consul General of the Netherlands. "In horticulture, we invest in sustainable production methods. The Netherlands shares this love for flowers and innovation with the United States. I'm happy to welcome American Tulip Day once again to San Francisco."  

Press can schedule an interview to preview the tulip garden by contacting hello@wearemgp.com. A press kit can be accessed here. 

SOURCE Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands