Tulip Time 2021 preparations continue amid COVID-19

HOLLAND — There’s never been a year quite like 2020 for Tulip Time.

First, the organization was forced to cancel the festival for the first time since World War II. Then came the realization the nonprofit would need to raise $1 million to keep the lights on.

After raising more than 80 percent of the necessary funds at breakneck speed, Auwerda was able to make her first positive announcement in months: There would be another Tulip Time.

With fundraising at 95 percent and continuing to grow, Auwerda and a truncated staff are working to plan Tulip Time 2021, even as COVID cases continue to rise.

Following the increase in case rates and the repeated tightening of restrictions, Auwerda outlined where the nonprofit is — and what Hollanders can expect next year.

Your team usually spends an entire year planning the festival. COVID has made that difficult. Where are you right now in planning for Tulip Time 2021?

Auwerda: “We’re planning our outdoor events. We don’t expect to have a concrete schedule until January. The most recent spike in cases hasn’t changed our planning process, because we’re planning based on the restrictions we have right now.

“Once we get through this fall and into the winter months, we’ll see if there are new orders from the health department and we’ll take those into consideration.”

At what point do you say, “This is what we’re working with?”

Auwerda: “We’ve been stable with many of the guidelines for the last couple of months. If things loosen up for the better, that’s great. But I think we can manage to have a festival with the guidelines we have today.

“At some point, you have to draw a line in the sand. Waiting so long to have a schedule is difficult, especially with a smaller staff. We won’t have the ability to add things come April.”

How will Tulip Time 2021 look different than previous years?

Auwerda: “We’re looking at a reimagined Tulip Time. It’ll be smaller. Not only because of the pandemic, but because we’re working with less staff. Many of us will still be wearing masks and social distancing come spring, so we’re planning events around that.

“We don’t anticipate being able to have indoor events like the concerts and shows we’ve done in the past. But we’re trying to be flexible. We have some things in our back pocket that we could add, even in February, if things improve.”

How is your situation in planning the coming festival different than your situation in canceling Tulip Time 2020?

Auwerda: “We know what we’re dealing with now. Back in March, we were under a stay-home order. We didn’t really have any options. But we’ve learned a lot as a nation, I think, over the past six months.

“So, we’re planning ahead. We’re focusing on the safety of our participants, our volunteers, our guests. The tulips are in the ground. They’re going to bloom. Anything beyond that, we’ll know next year.”

— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at cassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.