A crowd combs Union Square for free flowers during Tulip Day on Saturday. The annual event drew an estimated 50,000 people for more than 80,000 tulips.
Lizzy Montana Myers/For the S.F. Chronicle
In an annual rite of spring in San Francisco, thousands of people lined up around Union Square for hours Saturday for the opportunity to take home a bouquet of colorful tulips donated by Dutch growers.
More than 80,000 tulips in a rainbow of colors were given away this year, with a limit of eight per person. Organizers asked visitors not to line up for the 1 p.m. garden opening before 9 a.m., but many were already waiting at Post and Stockton streets at 5 a.m. as organizers encouraged guests to be mindful of the crowd behind them as they moved through the stands.
Jim Martinez, who lives in Haight-Ashbury, was the first in line at Tulip Day, his third time attending the event. Martinez, a gardener, said he pots the flowers when he gets home.
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“I love the people here,” he said. “I make new friends, so it’s really, really nice.”
State Sen. Scott Wiener, with his eight tulips in tow, said events such as Tulip Day play an important role in revitalizing San Francisco after difficult years starting with the pandemic. “Our city is heading in such a positive direction,” he said.
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JPMorganChase, which is boosting its philanthropy throughout the Bay Area, was the primary sponsor of Tulip Day this year, with additional support from Amazon, the Union Square Alliance, trade association Royal Anthos, the Dutch Consulate and several San Francisco agencies.
Jim Martinez of San Francisco, who was first in line at 5 a.m. Saturday, selects his free flowers during Tulip Day.
Mariecar Mendoza/S.F. Chronicole
The event was preceded by a ceremony with speakers including Supervisor Danny Sauter, whose district includes Union Square; Union Square Alliance CEO Marisa Rodriguez; former Golden State Warrior Festus Ezeli; and Theo Peters, consul general of the Netherlands.
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“We are at the place where we come together to celebrate life’s greatest moments, and this is one of them,” said Rodriguez, who estimated a crowd of 50,000 lining up for 80,000-plus tulips.
“You do the math,” she said. “We’re gonna try to be as organized as possible.
Ezeli, calling himself the Bay Area’s unofficial “minister of happiness,” reflected on the region’s cultural opportunities afforded him as a young Nigerian drafted by the Warriors.
“The ability to use my platform as a basketball player to support local businesses, to support the people who are fighting to make this place better, it’s only second nature,” said Ezeli, now an analyst with NBC Sports Bay Area.
The annual giveaway kicks off Union Square in Bloom, with events through August featuring floral installations, community events, couture and cocktails.
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San Francisco adopted Flower Bulb Day, now known as Tulip Day, from the Netherlands in 2018 to represent the strong bonds between Holland and the United States. The city is a desirable destination for the event because of its moderate climate, though this week’s record-high temperatures tested that assumption. A similar giveaway was held last Sunday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Peters lauded the Dutch consulate’s partnership with Union Square and said tulips represent hope for the new season.
“This is such a San Franciscan thing, and it’s such a Dutch thing,” he told the Chronicle before the start of the giveaway. “I hope we can keep doing this for many, many years to come.”
The tulips are grown in the United States from bulbs originating in Europe, where traders export them to more than 100 countries, according to giveaway organizers. The U.S. is by far the biggest market for tulip bulbs, with half a billion imported each year. Dutch traders also export many other types of flower bulbs to the U.S., including lilies, hyacinths, daffodils, dahlias and gladioli.
Tulip Day serves as a tribute to International Women’s Day, a global celebration of women’s achievements observed on March 8.
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Supervisor Sauter thanked the crowd before the thousands made their way through the tulip garden.
“Happy Tulip Day, and appreciate everyone for being here,” he said. “Get your tulips, and then go support all the other small businesses.”