News
22 October, 2025
Festival a success but are businesses missing out?
Tulip Time has been declared an overwhelming success – but some local businesses may need convincing.
Tulip Time has been declared an overwhelming success – but some local businesses may need convincing.
Wingecarribee Shire Council said this year’s event attracted 85,000 people, making it the biggest in Tulip Time’s 65-year history.
Mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick has described it as a ‘proud moment’ for the region and has thanked everyone who made it possible including council staff, volunteers and event partners.
According to council, preliminary visitor spending data from CommIQ points to the festival’s “strong economic impact” with local business spend for September reaching $79.2 million – a 4.8 per cent increase on the same period last year.
Visitor spending accounted for $22.5 million with overnight visitor spending up 27 per cent and visitor numbers up 15 per cent.
However social media content indicates local businesses are far from happy with the way the event is being run – particularly with the number of traders in Corbett Gardens from Campbelltown, Sydney and beyond.
One local business owner, Lena Privalova from Ecolena Natural Clothing, said September was “sadly the quietest and hardest month of the year” for most local businesses with visitors spending most of their money within the confines of Corbett Gardens.
She said most local businesses were down 25 per cent to 35 per cent in sales for most of September and accused council of failing to listen to concerns about the impact the festival in its current format is having on local trade.
She said outside traders were using stalls in Corbett Gardens to make a quick profit while “the real locals – the ones who live here all year, pay taxes, employ locals and keep Bowral, Moss Vale, Mittagong, Berrima and all the Highlands villages alive” – were left struggling.
Other residents agree that there should be more local stalls in Corbett Gardens – or no stalls at all because they detract from the tulip display and make it difficult to move around. One visitor said the park was “crammed” with stalls and the tulip display had become almost secondary.
A number of residents used the Ecolena post to vent their frustration over Tulip Time in general – particularly in relation to parking and traffic congestion – with some suggesting it be relocated to the Botanic Gardens in South Bowral.
One person described Tulip Time as “three weeks of hell” while others said they avoided Bowral during the festival and got what they needed from other towns.
Leisa Tozer – who has owned two cafes in Bowral – said Tulip Time was always the quietest time of the year “because the streets are over-crowded with people from out of town who don’t spend money, and all our regular locals who do support our businesses can’t get into town, drive around and around trying to find a park or just stay away completely”.
Local retailer Emma Boye said the same conversation resurfaced every year with businesses complaining about not getting a big enough slice of the ‘Tulip Time pie’.
“The question local businesses should be asking isn’t ‘What is the council doing for me?’ but ‘What am I doing to make the most of the opportunity they’ve created?’
“The council doesn’t owe anyone an income. They bring the visitors and it’s up to each business to turn that into success,” she said.
Another Facebook user suggested businesses were doing something wrong if they weren’t able to capitalise on Tulip Time and told them to “take the initiative” instead of “whinging and complaining”.
Read More: Southern Highlands, Bowral