Stratford residents and visitors finding a new reason to linger by the water this week, after colourful tulip-shaped chairs quietly appeared along Lake Victoria’s south shore in Stratford, Ontario. Installed by Destination Stratford the week of July 21, 2026, the year-round seating is meant to be a surprise for the community to discover.
The chairs, sourced from the Netherlands, are made from recycled plastic and stainless steel with a soft-close feature. Four groupings now sit between the Boathouse and Tom Patterson Island, adding whimsy and function to the waterfront path.
Executive Director Zac Gribble helped install the chairs in secret. “We decided to very quietly install them,” he said. “The idea was that they would grow from the community soil in Stratford.”
Destination Stratford staff will maintain the chairs year-round in partnership with the City of Stratford. The installation is part of the organization’s destination development strategy, which aims to balance benefits for residents with memorable experiences for visitors.
Future plans include more chair installations and a light trail along the lakeshore. For now, the tulip chairs have already drawn attention from people like Susan and Alex Powell of Waterloo, who stopped to use the unique furniture during a recent visit.
