A now annual tulip picking campaign on Saturday lured hundreds of flower lovers to Antwerp's Opera Square, which was transformed into a colourful sea of florals.
Hundreds of people were seen lining up far beyond the Opera Square in Antwerp's city centre on Saturday 20 January for the tulip-picking event organised by the Flemish Centre for Agro and Fisheries Marketing (VLAM).
At the stroke of 13:00, presenter and actor Sieg De Doncker rang the bell signalling the start of the event, after which the gates of the so-called Pluktuin (picking garden) opened, inviting the crowds in to pick up to 15 tulips for themselves or to gift to someone. The gates will remain open until 16:00, and participants can choose from as many as 100,000 tulips.
Translation: "On Saturday, we will kick off the new flowering season! We will transform the Operaplein in Antwerp into Pluktuin, with 100,000 homegrown tulips. The public can pick 15 tulips for free."
This marked the fifth Pluktuin organised by VLAM. The event aims to mark the season of spring flowers. It is part of its 'Become a giver too' campaign with which VLAM wants to promote flowers and plants as ideal gifts to give or receive.
The action is now always organised on the third Saturday of January to announce the season of spring flowers. Besides tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and lapwing eggs will soon also become available at flower sales outlets. "They are the ideal mood makers that bring spring closer and make you forget the dark winter months," VLAM wrote in a statement.
