14 Most Incredible Flower Festivals in the U.S. (#7 Is So Much Fun)

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With spring in bloom, these festivals offer more than just fancy floral arrangements.
Updated April 16, 2024
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From cherry blossoms to lilacs and everything in between, there are some incredible flower festivals all around the U.S.

As spring kicks off, many cities host exhibits, festivals that last days (or even weeks), and opportunities for gardeners and botanists to showcase their most beautiful blooms.

If you’re looking to step up your travel game this spring, here are 14 delightful flower festivals around the country.

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Portland Rose Festival (Oregon)

Cavan/Adobe Portland International Rose Test Garden

For more than a century, Portland’s Rose Festival has been celebrating the beauty and diversity of the flower.

It also hosts parades, contests, art shows, and more to bring the community (and visitors from far and wide) together in May and June.

Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival (Florida)

clsdesign/Adobe Mexico Pavilion at Disney World's EPCOT

Like all things Disney, Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival is a big deal.

The event runs from February through May and features stunning displays (including Disney characters), incredible food, concerts, scavenger hunts, and so much more.


Rochester Lilac Festival (New York)

Jonathan W. Cohen/Adobe Rochester Lilac Festival

Rochester comes alive for 10 days in May with the sweet smell of lilacs.

The festival showcases hundreds of varieties of lilacs from around the world — and features live music every day, Art in the Park, and plenty more to eat, drink, and see.

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Tulip Time (Michigan)

csterken/Adobe spring tulips in Holland Michigan

Tulip Time, a week-long festival held in May in aptly named Holland, Michigan, is a giant celebration of Dutch heritage.

Visitors can bask (and snap excellent photos) among millions of beautiful tulips and enjoy live performances, artisan markets, and more.

California Poppy Festival (Lancaster)

Taiga/Adobe poppy field landscape against colorful sky

Each year, Lancaster, California, is home to a Poppy Festival.

The three-day event, which will be held in late April this year, will feature live entertainment, a beer garden, animal exhibits, hundreds of vendors, and, of course, plenty of beautiful poppies.

Historic Garden Week (Virginia)

ArturSniezhyn/Adobe wildflowers on green meadow

Historic Garden Week takes place throughout the entire state of Virginia during the final week of April.

Visitors can tour private landscapes, gardens, and historic sites across the state. The Garden Club of Virginia provides stunning floral arrangements to add extra color to the tours.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (Washington)

Dene' Miles/Adobe Pink tulips fields with colorful sunset

You really have to see the stunning (and massive) stretches of colorful tulips in Skagit Valley to believe such beauty exists.

Beyond the blooms, the festival features a bit of something for everyone — from art shows to a pickleball tournament.

National Cherry Blossom Festival (Washington, D.C.)

f11photo/Adobe Jefferson Memorial during Cherry Blossom Festival

You don’t have to go to Japan to experience beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom. The nation’s capital hosts a three-week festival with its own cherry blossoms from mid-March to mid-April.

Thousands of stunning trees, gifted to the U.S. from Japan back in 1912, draw over a million visitors each year — and D.C. hosts many events throughout the blooming season as well.

Zoo Blooms at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (Ohio)

Bob/Adobe orange tulips in the park

April is known as “Tulip Mania” at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Visitors will also find more than a million daffodils, hyacinths, flowering trees, and more, in addition to the massive array of colorful tulips blooming throughout the park.

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Asheville Orchid Festival (North Carolina)

kuarmungadd/Adobe orchid flower blooming at rainy season

Orchid lovers will want to check out the Asheville Orchid Festival in mid-April.

The festival features exhibits from world-class growers and breeders — and guests can purchase orchids and supplies, attend lectures, and more.

Holland Ridge Farms Spring Spectacular (New Jersey)

Roman Tiraspolsky/Adobe Colorful tulips field

Every April, the fields of Holland Ridge Farms, located in Cream Ridge, New Jersey, come alive with color as a whopping eight million tulips bloom.

Visitors can come to bask in the beauty, snap some incredible photos, pick their own tulips, enjoy some excellent snacks, and more.


The Maricopa County Home & Garden Show (Arizona)

DifferR/Adobe Tulip flowers in garden under sunlight

This event features stunning flowers and arrangements alongside over 1,000 home improvement vendors.

Guests can access a stunning floral showcase, a garden bar, tiny home tours, and more.


Mackinac Island Lilac Festival (Michigan)

Jennifer/Adobe Marquette Park on Mackinac Island

Beyond celebrating the beauty of lilacs and their history on Mackinac Island, this 10-day festival features something for everyone.

Enjoy planting seminars, live music, a cornhole tournament, and the crowning of the Lilac Queen.

Dogwood Trails and Gardens (Tennessee)

bettys4240/Adobe Dogwood Trees in Great Smoky Mountains

The Dogwood Trails, which cover more than 90 miles, are opened in Knoxville, Tennessee, each April.

Visitors can drive, walk, or bike through the miles and miles of natural beauty and beautiful, blooming dogwoods.

Bottom line

Mediteraneo/Adobe woman smelling yellow flower in park

What better way to ring in spring than getting out and smelling the roses (or lilacs or tulips)?

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Some of these events (we’re looking at you, Cherry Blossom Festival) are known to draw massive crowds.

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