USA TODAY 10Best
Holland, Michigan's Tulip Time Named Best Flower Festival!
Best Flower Festival (2016)
Nothing says 'spring' quite like flowers in bloom. These 10 flower festivals, nominated by a panel of flower and garden experts and voted to the top by 10Best readers, represent the best in the nation.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Flower Festival are as follows:
- International Cherry Blossom Festival - Macon, Ga.
- Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival - Orlando, Fla.
- Daffodil Festival - Tacoma, Wash.
- Portland Rose Festival - Portland, Ore.
- Historic Garden Week in Virginia - Virginia
- North Carolina Azalea Festival - Wilmington, N.C.
- Dallas Blooms - Dallas
- Rose Parade - Pasadena, Calif.
- Mackinac Island Lilac Festival - Mackinac Island, Mich.
- Tulip Time - Holland, Mich.
Photo courtesy of Matt Smith / International Cherry Blossom Festival
No. 10:
The International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Ga. celebrates all things pink, including the town's impressive collection of hundreds of Yoshino cherry trees. Festival highlights include a Master Gardener plant sale, youth photography contest, golf tournament, Food Truck Frenzy, live concerts and the guest favorite Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.
Photo courtesy of Matt Stroshane / Walt Disney World
No. 9:
The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is unlike any other garden festival in the United States. On display are dozen upon dozens of different gardens, all showcasing their area of expertise from Italian flowers to Japanese bonsai. The biggest draw are the Disney-themed hedge sculptures showcasing everyone's favorite characters, from Lightning McQueen to Donald Duck. Events also include how-to instructional classes and plenty of live music to keep the whole family entertained.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
No. 8:
The Puyallup and Sumner areas of Washington have long been known for their floral agriculture, and the Daffodil Festival was founded in 1934 as a celebration of one famous yellow flower. The three-day event takes over four Pierce County cities, highlighted by the Grand Floral Parade. This annual procession travels through Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner and Orting and features daffodil-covered floats, marching bands and mounted units.
Photo courtesy of Portland Rose Festival
No. 7:
The Portland Rose Festival has been a part of Portland’s cultural landscape for more than a century. Founded as part of a campaign to brand the city the “summer capital of the world,” the festival has grown into a world-famous event. Highlights of the festival include three flower-filled parades, an urban fair and the Annual Spring Rose Show — the largest and longest-running rose show in the U.S.
Photo courtesy of Historic Garden Week in Virginia
No. 6:
Historic Garden Week in Virginia, the self-proclaimed "America's Largest Open House," welcomes visitors into over 250 of the state's most stunning gardens during a period of peak springtime color. The 8-day statewide event began in 1927 as a small flower show put on by the Garden Club of Virginia in an effort to save trees planted by Thomas Jefferson at his Monticello estate. Today, this festival helps fund more than 50 restoration projects throughout Virginia.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
No. 5:
Each April Southern charm is in full bloom at the annual North Carolina Azalea Festival. The community of Wilmington hosts this celebration of spring, which includes concerts, a street fair, art shows, a circus and a parade. Festival-goers are sure to see plenty of azaleas in bloom during home and garden tours throughout the community.
Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
No. 4:
Featuring more than 600,000 spring-blooming flowers, such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, Dutch irises, violas, poppies, pansies and many more bulbs, perennials and annuals, Dallas Blooms is the ideal way to celebrate spring in Dallas! Other prominent features include the garden's 6,000 blooming azaleas and more than 100 cherry blossom trees. It takes place every year between March and April at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
Photo courtesy of AFP/Getty Images
No. 3:
What you see on television fails in comparison to viewing the Rose Parade floats up close. Adorned with only natural materials, from flowers to rice, the massive floats are majestically eye-popping. Equestrian units and marching bands join the procession through the streets of Pasadena during this iconic New Year celebration.
Photo courtesy of Eric Lanning / Flickr
No. 2:
Mackinac Island ushers in the summer season with the 10-day Lilac Festival each June. The festival began as a way to entice visitors to the island with horse-drawn rides amid the island’s fragrant flowers. Today, events include coronation of the Lilac Queen, Taste of Mackinac culinary festival, a 10k run/walk and the popular Grand Parade.
No. 1:
The spring Tulip Time festival in Holland, Mich. makes it obvious how the town got its name. Each year, some 4.5 million colorful tulips bloom in the area, with over 200,000 of them in the downtown area alone. Aside from the floral spectacle, Tulip Time celebrates Dutch heritage with dancing, a traditional marketplace, parades and food.
A panel of experts picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Cindy Brockway (The Trustees), Abby Hird (Botanic Gardens Conservation International) and Katy Moss Warner (American Horticultural Society) were chosen based on their extensive knowledge of flowers and gardens.
Additional nominees for this category included the Boston Flower & Garden Show, Chrysanthemum Festival, Magnificent Magnolias, National Cherry Blossom Festival, Philadelphia Flower Show, Sakura Matsuri, San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, Sequim Lavender Festival, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and the South Carolina Festival of Flowers.
Congratulations to all our winning festivals!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Abby Meyer
Abby Meyer is Executive Director of the U.S.... Read More
Abby Meyer is Executive Director of the U.S. office of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, based at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles. Abby works to develop tools and information to support botanic garden plant conservation programs and collections. Abby received a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and went on to complete a Master’s in Public Horticulture Administration through the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware and Longwood Gardens. Prior to her work with BGCI, she was a Putnam Research Fellow at The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University where she developed new approaches for assessing the conservation value of living plant collections. Now in Los Angeles, Abby enjoys hiking and gardening with her husband Evan and their 3-year old daughter Violet.
Abby Meyer
Abby Meyer is Executive Director of the U.S. office of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, based at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles. Abby works to develop tools and information to support botanic garden plant conservation programs and collections. Abby received a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and went on to complete a Master’s in Public Horticulture Administration through the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware and Longwood Gardens. Prior to her work with BGCI, she was a Putnam Research Fellow at The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University where she developed new approaches for assessing the conservation value of living plant collections. Now in Los Angeles, Abby enjoys hiking and gardening with her husband Evan and their 3-year old daughter Violet.
Cindy Brockway
Lucinda A. Brockway is the Program Director for... Read More
Lucinda A. Brockway is the Program Director for Cultural Resources at The Trustees, a Massachusetts conservation and preservation organization with eleven public gardens ranging in size and botanical diversity from Martha’s Vineyard to the Berkshires. Deepening the public connection to plants for all ages, The Trustees is strengthening the resiliency of gardens in the the Northeast’s extreme weather conditions. An award-winning landscape designer and preservationist, Brockway’s work has been recognized by the Garden Club of America, the Garden Club Federation of Maine, American Society of Landscape Architects, Preservation League of New York State, the Massachusetts Historic Commission and others. Her work has been featured in Public Garden magazine, Old House Journal, Colonial Homes, Nineteenth Century and Accent as well as numerous professional and trade publications.
Cindy Brockway
Lucinda A. Brockway is the Program Director for Cultural Resources at The Trustees, a Massachusetts conservation and preservation organization with eleven public gardens ranging in size and botanical diversity from Martha’s Vineyard to the Berkshires. Deepening the public connection to plants for all ages, The Trustees is strengthening the resiliency of gardens in the the Northeast’s extreme weather conditions. An award-winning landscape designer and preservationist, Brockway’s work has been recognized by the Garden Club of America, the Garden Club Federation of Maine, American Society of Landscape Architects, Preservation League of New York State, the Massachusetts Historic Commission and others. Her work has been featured in Public Garden magazine, Old House Journal, Colonial Homes, Nineteenth Century and Accent as well as numerous professional and trade publications.
Katy Moss Warner
Katy Moss Warner is currently President Emeritus... Read More
Katy Moss Warner is currently President Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society (AHS), a national, not-for-profit, member-based organization with a bold vision of “making America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens.” Katy is also Past President and City Judge of America in Bloom, a national not-for-profit organization that promotes nationwide beautification through community involvement. Katy has traveled extensively hosting garden travel study programs for the American Horticultural Society in Italy, France, England, Belgium, Czech Republic, Argentina, Morocco, Spain, New Zealand as well as many destinations within the USA. Katy has been featured in numerous books, newspaper and magazine articles. She co-authored the book “The Gardens of Walt Disney World Resort.” She is often asked to deliver presentations on various topics including the importance of quality landscapes to the vitality of communities, garden tourism and the power of flowers.
Katy Moss Warner
Katy Moss Warner is currently President Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society (AHS), a national, not-for-profit, member-based organization with a bold vision of “making America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens.” Katy is also Past President and City Judge of America in Bloom, a national not-for-profit organization that promotes nationwide beautification through community involvement. Katy has traveled extensively hosting garden travel study programs for the American Horticultural Society in Italy, France, England, Belgium, Czech Republic, Argentina, Morocco, Spain, New Zealand as well as many destinations within the USA. Katy has been featured in numerous books, newspaper and magazine articles. She co-authored the book “The Gardens of Walt Disney World Resort.” She is often asked to deliver presentations on various topics including the importance of quality landscapes to the vitality of communities, garden tourism and the power of flowers.
