Tulip Field Featured in ‘Wicked’ Film Excites Visitors

Movie enthusiasts described the experience as “surreal” upon seeing a tulip field they had previously visited featured in a major Hollywood production. Belmont Nurseries, situated near King’s Lynn in Norfolk, served as a filming location for Wicked, the Wizard of Oz spin-off starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. The 25-acre (10 hectares) property hosted the planting of nine million tulips, where hundreds of background actors recreated the fictional Munchkinland. Jamie-Louise Phillips, a fan of Wicked, visited the site in 2023 after discovering it online, unaware of its future cinematic role. She expressed that it was “so strange” to realize she had been there. Ms. Phillips, who resides in Norwich, has returned to the location twice since the movie’s theatrical release a week prior. She commented, “I absolutely love Wicked, I was a big fan of the Wizard of Oz when I was little, so I’ve always been a fan of the story.” Phillips added, “That whole scene, regardless of being there, that is my favourite landscape in the whole film, it just looks beautiful… it’s the best film I’ve seen all year so far, it felt surreal.” Mark and Susanne Eves, the owners of the field, held discussions with a location manager and a set designer in 2022 to meticulously plan the field’s appearance, ensuring they achieved the “right colours in the right place.” For the last four years, they have collaborated with The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House, generating £93,392 for the charity in 2022 through admission charges. The hospice announced that approximately 30,000 tickets would be offered for 2025. Lindsey Atkin, the community and corporate fundraising manager, stated: “We have always found that the demand for tickets far outweighs our capacity. We need to be mindful with visitor numbers due to the rural location, proper car parking facilities, country roads and access etc. However, with careful planning and with the success of the movie Wicked, we do anticipate demand will increase in 2025 as people wish to visit Munchkinland!” Iona Thomas, 30, from Kesgrave, Suffolk, was able to visit the field in 2023. She recounted, “Before I went to see the film, I saw that the tulip field’s Instagram posted they had been keeping a secret and they had been planning it since 2022… we were all oblivious when we were there, but I knew to look out for it as soon as I got into the cinema.” Thomas suggested that next year, organizers would require a “bigger website.” She added, “They are probably going to have quadruple the amount of people and even less opportunity to get the tickets but I think that makes it even more special.” She also shared, “I took my little boy to see Wicked. I said to him when we were watching, ‘that’s where mummy went last year’, and he wants to go, so we will definitely be back, but I do like that we went before it was ‘popular’ – excuse the pun!” Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.