2025 Albany Tulip Festival kicks off, tulip queen crowned

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A Tulip Queen was crowned at the 77th annual Albany Tulip Festival Saturday afternoon amid the weekend kick-off.

The Albany Tulip Festival has been a staple in the community since 1948 — where tulips have become a symbol of Albany’s rich history and beauty. Hundreds of people joined the festival Saturday — each sharing their love for these flowers.

“The tulips are so beautiful and the weather is so nice, you can come back here a hundred times and still feel like everything’s brand new,” said Anish Kekane, an 11-year-old visitor.

“It’s just beautiful, and it’s nice to see big events like this happening in Washington Park, like in the center of Albany and it’s nice to be a part of them,” said Kevin Murray, an Albany resident.

Along with the tulips, nearly 100 vendors were lined up in the park, selling everything from food to art. Plus, there were plenty of children’s activities including face painting, bouncy houses, magicians and more.

“We saw some pretty flowers, and we played some games, we went on the slide over there,” said Kathy Hubley, a visitor of the Tulip Festival.

Perhaps the most historical part of the weekend is the Tulip Court. Abigail Williams was crowned Albany’s Tulip Queen Saturday afternoon. She celebrated her new royalty on Saturday night at the Royal Tulip Ball.

“I think it gives us and myself an opportunity to be a role model for Albany, our students, adults, literally anybody, to just show them reading is powerful, reading is knowledge,” said Williams.

For the next year, the women on the court said they’ll be working towards creating a more knowledgeable community.

“I think that collectively, we’re going to make such a large impact on the city because I know that everybody is so passionate about what we could do here,” said Alyssa Camara, a member of the 2025 court.

Additionally, some of the girls even said they share some of Albany’s rich history.

“My grandpa was in the Navy and he was one of the escorts so I really wanted to do it for him,” said Cait Tizzone, a member of the 2025 Tulip Court.

“My Aunt Barbara was on the 1961 court and she was a member of her court just like me, so I feel like this is a nice family legacy to carry on,” said Theadora Welch, a member of the 2025 Tulip Court.

The Tulip Festival will continue on Sunday, Mother’s Day, with activities such as yoga, live music, children’s activities and The Capital Region’s Best Mom Ceremony at 11 a.m. For more information on the schedule of events, visit the website.