Stepping Out

A welcome sight of tulips

Hofstra's Dutch Festival blooms with the colors of the season

Posted

The tulips are finally here. Those glorious blooms have sprung forth and will bring many visitors (actually thousands) to Hofstra University for one of the South Shore’s favorite springtime traditions, Hofstra’s Dutch
Festival.
The festival, with its new focus on sharing the delights of the season — and the colorful campus — with area families, celebrates its 32nd year on Saturday. Those glorious tulips that honor the Dutch heritage of founder William S. Hofstra (who traced his roots to the Dutch province of Friesland), provide a colorful backdrop to a day of entertainment and all sorts of for all ages.
Hofstra embraces spring on the South Campus with a busy day filled with musical interludes, kids’ amusements, a vendor marketplace (treat Mom to a gift or two), and even some theatrical entertainment. And, of course, those many thousands of tulips close to the peak of perfection.
“We are especially excited about this year’s Dutch Festival,” says Ginny Greenberg, Hofstra’s director of public relations. “The tulips are up and look gorgeous. We have plenty of entertainment on two stages, along with more than 40 vendors offering all sorts of gift items and fun for the family.”
All of the elements that festival visitors have come to expect are in abundance, along with participation from Hofstra’s vibrant student population.
“This year we decided it was time to highlight the outstanding talents of our students and our student musical ensembles,” says Greenberg. “Rather than bringing in as much outside entertainment as we did in the past, we felt that the festival was an opportunity to involve our students. We have so much fantastic talent in-house that we want to share what our students have
accomplished.”

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