If There Are Only Three Flower Festivals You Ever Attend In The US, Make Them These

The Portland Rose Festival is a 16-day flower extravaganza in Portland, Oregon. Kicking off with a huge Grand Floral parade, the festival wows visitors with a full lineup of incredible events. Fireworks light up the skies over the city and blooms seem to cover almost every surface. Guests can have fun with classic carnival games and fairground foods between strolls through magnificent flower shows.

This festival is the unofficial start of spring in the city, so it’s a family-friends event that sees everyone getting involved. With more than 4,000 flowers on display, it’s the largest rose festival in the country. The celebration has been an annual tradition since 1907, so you know they’re doing something right. Stop by May 25 to June 9 to join in the fun.

The thing about flower festivals is that most of them only run as long as specific blooms are at their best, which is sometimes only a day or two. Not so with the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival – this massive flower fest at Disney World in Florida runs for a full 60 days. Guests can welcome spring’s arrival by marveling at huge array of topiary displays that feature favorite Disney characters literally sculpted from living flowers. Visitors can also walk through gardens bursting with stunning blooms that create a living carpet of color. This festival creates a fantasy world of towering flower sculptures that will have your jaw on the floor.

Of course, since this is Disney, the entrance fee is a bit steep at $102 per person. However, that ticket will get you entrance to the flower festival and everything Epcot Park has to offer, including rides and other spectacular sights.

If you love the heavenly scent of lilacs in the breeze, this festival will have you swooning. The Mackinac Island Lilac Festival in Michigan is one of the loveliest flower celebrations in the country. Held annually on Lake Huron, this fest has been going strong since 1949. The 10-day festival includes horse-drawn carriage tours of the car-free island, plenty of concerts, wine tastings, and the Lilac Festival Grand Parade.

Fit visitors can participate in a 10k Run & Walk that will take you through some of the island’s most beautiful, lilac-laden scenery, and animal-lovers should be sure to catch the Dog & Pony Show that combines beautiful blooms with stunning animals. Even though the festival draws around 15,000 people annually, the small-town vibe of the island and the lack of cars keeps things relaxed.