Every April, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) plants millions of bulbs in the city's parks for the tulip festival, renamed "Lale Bayramı" (tulip celebration) in 2024. The 2026 edition ran from 1 to 30 April; the 2027 dates have not yet been announced, but the festival follows the same calendar every year, throughout April. Entry to the parks is free. The tulip is one of Istanbul's symbols: grown in the sultans' gardens, it gave its name to the "Tulip Era" (1718-1730), under the reign of Ahmed III, a period of peace marked by a taste for festivities, gardens and pavilions along the Bosphorus. Ottoman bulbs travelled to Europe in the 16th century, before making the fortune of the Netherlands.
Highlights
Emirgan Park
On the European shore of the Bosphorus, [Emirgan Park](/fr/attractions/parc-emirgan) is the heart of the festival: in 2025, 3.12 million bulbs were planted there in beds, cascades and patterns around the ponds and the three Ottoman pavilions. You can also see the "Istanbul tulip" (Tulipa acuminata), a red and yellow variety with needle-thin petals that disappeared in the 19th century and was reintroduced from bulbs given by the Netherlands.
Gülhane Park
Below [Topkapı Palace](/fr/attractions/palais-de-topkapi), [Gülhane Park](/fr/attractions/parc-de-gulhane) received 1.6 million bulbs in 2025. It is the easiest venue to fit into a day of sightseeing in the old city.
Sultanahmet Square and the tulip carpet
Between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Square is one of the planted sites. In 2018, the municipality laid out a carpet of 565,000 tulips over 1,734 m² there, billed as the largest in the world.
Göztepe 60. Yıl Park
On the Asian side, in the Kadıköy district, this large neighbourhood park received 2 million bulbs in 2025: less touristy than Emirgan, it is mostly visited by Istanbul families. The grove of the Khedive's Pavilion (Hıdiv Kasrı), on the heights of Beykoz, completes the list of the five main venues.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Entry to all the festival parks is free. Flowering depends on the spring weather: in 2026, the peak was expected between 10 and 20 April. At Emirgan, avoid weekends, when the park is packed; on a weekday morning you will have the flowerbeds almost to yourself. The planting figures quoted are the 2025 ones published by the municipality (7.78 million bulbs across five venues); the 2026 figures have not been published. Information checked in October 2026.
How to get there
Emirgan Park: Emirgan Mahallesi, Sarıyer, Istanbul. Bus 22 or 25E from Kabataş, Emirgan stop. Gülhane Park: tram T1 to Gülhane. Göztepe 60. Yıl Park: Kadıköy, on the Asian side, reachable by Marmaray to Göztepe station.
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