<\/p>\n
2026 Tulip Queen finalists; Olivia Rose, left, Trinity Tarver, Phylicia Hinton, Alexis Savoie and Syaira Liverpool, right, pose for a photo in the tulip beds at Washington Park on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Albany, N.Y. (Will Waldron\/Times Union)<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
People stop for a photo by the tulip beds at Washington Park on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Albany, N.Y. (Will Waldron\/Times Union)<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs introduces the 2026 Tulip Queen finalists on Thursday, May 7, 2026, during a news conference at Washington Park in Albany, N.Y. (Will Waldron\/Times Union)<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
2025 Tulip Queen Abigail Williams is interviewed during a news conference to introduce 2026 contestants on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at Washington Park in Albany, N.Y. (Will Waldron\/Times Union)<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
2026 Tulip Queen finalists; Phylicia Hinton, left, Alexis Savoie, Olivia Rose, Trinity Tarver and Syaira Liverpool, right, are interviewed on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at Washington Park in Albany, N.Y. (Will Waldron\/Times Union)<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Tulips are in full bloom at Washington Park ahead of this year\u2019s tulip festival on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Albany, N.Y. (Will Waldron\/Times Union)<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Abigail Williams of Albany, after being named the 2025 Tulip Queen during a ceremony on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Albany,\u00a0N.Y. Her tenure will end with the crowning of the new Tulip Queen on May 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jim Franco\/Times Union<\/p>\n
ALBANY\u00a0\u2014 Mayor Dorcey Applyrs introduced the five finalists for Tulip Queen<\/a> amid the flower beds in Washington Park that inspired the royal title.<\/p>\n Syaira Liverpool, 22, Alexis Savoie, 24, Phylicia Hinton, 22, Trinity Tarver, 23, and Olivia Rose, 18, were selected following nominations and an interview round, which focused on their community service and leadership experience. One of the five will be crowned Tulip Queen at the Albany Tulip Festival on Saturday, and the remaining four will serve on the Tulip Court. They will focus on community outreach programs and literacy campaigns throughout the year.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cSince its inception at the first Tulip Festival in 1949, the Tulip Queen and Court has evolved from traditional pageantry into a community service program that has enriched thousands of lives here in the Capital Region,\u201d Applyrs said. \u201cWhile the Albany Tulip Queen coronation ceremony retains the grandeur of decades of local history, the Tulip Queen and Court program has become a far-reaching initiative dedicated to promoting literacy and educational projects. So gone are the days of just standing and waving and smiling\u00a0\u2014 this has become an initiative\u00a0to promote literacy and invest back into our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED: Everything you need to know about the 2026 Tulip Festival<\/a><\/p>\n Entertainment, event lineup for the 2026 Tulip Festival<\/a><\/p>\n Make the Times Union a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Over the next year, the 2026 Tulip Queen and Court<\/a> will implement educational programming throughout Albany that is focused on reading and community. Recent projects include senior book clubs, resume workshops, craft and storytimes for young children and donation drives for food, clothing and personal care items. The city\u2019s royal ambassadors also receive scholarships to support their educational endeavors. The queen will receive $5,000 while the other four members of the court will each receive $1,500.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Liverpool was eager to return to her Albany roots after receiving her degree in sociology from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She will pursue a master\u2019s degree in counseling this fall with the goal of becoming a college and career readiness counselor, and establishing a scholarship to help students afford college.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Albany community poured so much into me. They instilled so many important values that I still carry with me to this day,\u201d Liverpool said. \u201cI\u00a0want to show my gratitude and servitude and give back to the community that I love.\u201d<\/p>\n Savoie, currently studying for her master\u2019s in public administration at the University at Albany while serving as an Excelsior fellow for New York state, is a fifth-generation Albany resident. She currently works with United University Professions as an advocate for SUNY and teaching hospital staff and faculty.<\/p>\n \u201cI always grew up loving reading and writing, and I really always felt like my\u00a0voice mattered,\u201d Savoie said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping that our literacy programs can share that with other youth.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Hinton currently works as a personal aide helping rehabilitation patients in Albany. She is pursuing a career in early childhood education with the intention of owning and operating her own day care business.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy I even took the chance on following through with the nomination is I wanted to make a meaningful impact within Albany,\u201d Hinton said. \u201cI want to make that impact within the youth, within the people who are in the community of Albany, and be able to visibly see a change.\u201d<\/p>\n Tarver moved to\u00a0Albany from Maryland\u00a0when she was 9, following the death of her father. She has spent the last two years as a teaching assistant at the Center for Disability Services. In addition to serving local children, she is eager to work with her fellow court members.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to continue to grow and learn with them as we start our literacy program and serve our community,\u201d Tarver said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Rose, a fourth-generation Albany resident, is an incoming UAlbany freshman. There, she will study political science and environmental studies. She is the founder of the South End Butterfly Sanctuary<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve gotten to experience the wonderful and rich culture and community here, and being a part of the Tulip Court really gives me an avenue to actually express how much I care about the community and involve myself in projects to actually make a difference,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s queen will succeed Abigail Williams<\/a>. The freelance video game designer became a regular, friendly face in the South End neighborhood through her full-time work with The RED Bookshelf, which provides free books for children. There, she is perhaps better known by her alias, Bat Girl, and her work with the nonprofit\u2019s superhero-themed mentorship program THE T.I.T.A.N.S., which stands for Tackling Issues Through Answers, Networks and Solutions. Under her leadership, the 2025 Tulip Court expanded its typical youth-centric programming to include reading programs\u00a0for seniors at Livingston Apartments and Westview Homes, Williams said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really proud of being able to reach a group of people who we haven\u2019t reached before with this program,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThey have so much to share, but more often than not, they feel left behind or left out. Now I have something to pass down. I was tearing up, half allergies, half being sad because my whole life has been about mentorship, and now I\u00a0can mentor these lovely ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Albany crowned its first Tulip Queen, Jeanne Coakley, in 1949, the same year the festival debuted<\/a>. At the time, the coronation also included a Tulip King (Kenneth Irish), though the court evolved to the community service-centric queenship we know today.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n