Arundel Tulip Festival is a well established tulip festival set in the grounds of Arundel Castle, in West Sussex. It is said to be one of the finest tulip festivals in Europe and in 2025, it includes over 110,000 tulips and over 120 different types of tulip.
If you can, try and visit on a sunny day to catch the sheer vibrancy of the tulips set against the charismatic backdrop of the cathedral and the castle.
As you pass through the castle gates and go round the first bend in the path, you’re hit by the first wave of colour as red tulips herald your arrival from the banks of the castle’s footings. The castle is daunting, splendid and inspirational and the splash of colour adds just the right dash of drama!
With the first castle here being established in the 11th century, the current building was remodelled and restored in the 18th and 19th centuries by the 11th Duke of Norfolk in a Gothic architectural style.
It’s a Grade I listed building and still owned by the Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Arundel. And it’s always worth a visit, inside and out.
The Tulip Festival
Make your way up the path stopping at the Fitzalan Chapel and The Stumpery and admiring the gentle waves of colour on the lawns. Other bulbs and flowers intermingle with the tulips. As it’s early spring, you can glimpse the castle walls through apple and cherry blossom.
The Collector Earl’s Garden
A central part of the display is within The Collector Earl’s Garden and this, in its own right, is a stunning little corner, with symmetrical water gardens and gold finishing touches as well as oak Pagodas and Oberon’s Palace with a floating crown.
All with the beautiful architectural backdrop of the nearby cathedral.
The minute you enter through the regal gates you feel a sense of enchantment with tantalising glimpses of what lies ahead.
From here, just gently meander, soaking up the colours, the vibrancy, the floral scents. Look back, look forward, wander up paths, look out for the scarecrows and and on a sunny day, listen to the trickle of the water fountains and imagine you’re in Rome, Versailles or somewhere very exotic. This is unadulterated pleasure.
There are tulips cakes (great mounds of colour), tulips in beds and tulips in pots. Peep through a hole in the hedge, admire the cathedral framed in colour and explore hidden paths and borders. It feels exotic, extravagant and in the words of the Head Gardener, Martin Duncan, utterly joyous.
Once you’ve had your fill (I went around three times), just stroll back down through the grounds past the cork tree. There are lots more naturally planted tulips to enjoy here and some great photo opportunities.
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