Atlanta Dogwood Festival
Atlanta
In 1936, in the depths of the Great Depression, a wealthy Atlanta family launched the Atlanta Dogwood Festival in an attempt to encourage a positive attitude among residents of the city. Now 80 years later, the event has blossomed into one of the country’s foremost fine-arts festivals.
“We have more than 260 artists from around the country that compete every year to be able to exhibit here,” said the festival’s executive director Brian Hill. “It’s the start of the annual art season, so most of the artists show things that they have produced over the winter and that have never been seen before. It has become one of the places that collectors come to pick out new art, and it has a really good reputation for the quality and diversity of the art.”
The festival takes place in Piedmont Park, a large green space in midtown Atlanta. Some 200,000 attend the events, which take place over three days on the first full weekend in April. The dogwood trees throughout the park are often in bloom, lending a natural beauty and a sweet fragrance to the event.
In addition to the art show, festivalgoers will enjoy the International Stage, which highlights Atlanta’s world heritage.
“It features performance groups representing over 20 countries that have communities in the Atlanta area,” Hill said. “You get anything from Samoan fire dancers to Irish folklore. A lot of times it’s the first opportunity for these performers to participate in something outside their own communities, so it’s really inspirational. The stage goes on all weekend, and it’s standing room only most days.”
The festival also features a ticketed event called Barbecue and Brews, which highlights craft beer and smoked meat from restaurants around Atlanta.
Towsontown Spring Festival
Towson, Maryland
Each year during the first weekend in May, the Baltimore suburb of Towson, Maryland, comes alive for the Towsontown Spring Festival.
“This is the 49th year of the festival,” said Nancy Hafford, executive director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce. “It started out as one block, and now it’s up to 10 blocks. We have about 250,000 people that come and 450 vendors.”
Vendors at the festival exhibit a wide range of arts, crafts, food and service. Hafford said there are more than 40 types of food vendors with a variety of offerings, among them corn dogs and a local favorite called pit beef.
“Pit beef is a Baltimore favorite,” she said. “It’s totally different than a roast beef because it has a great, smoky taste. It’s a real crowd-pleaser.”
The festival also features an entertainment schedule with a number of distinctive acts. Regular performers include the Amish Outlaws, a group of men who have left their Amish communities and perform rock’n’roll in traditional Amish clothing. Visitors also hear performances by musical groups from nearby schools.
Rochester Lilac Festival
Rochester, New York
In the late 1800s, locals would gather in Rochester, New York’s Highland Park to see blooming lilacs at an event they called Lilac Sunday. Today that tradition continues with the Rochester Lilac Festival, a 10-day event that takes place in early May.
“This will be the 119th year of the festival,” said Jeff Springut, CEO of the producing organization Rochester Events. “Now it has grown to be the largest collection of lilacs in the country. The park has more than 1,200 bushes with 900 varieties of lilacs. The lilacs are the stars of the show, and we create events around the lilacs.”
Springut said the 500,000 attendees to the festival include 30 to 40 tour groups. Groups can take a driving tour of the 115-acre park to see the lilacs, the rhododendrons and the pansy garden. After that, they can watch a parade, visit the 160 exhibitors at the arts-and-crafts show or participate in a number of ticketed events.
“Some groups buy tickets for our Craft Brew Fest or the Wine and Chocolate Tasting, which takes place on Thursday and Friday. Some of the groups are skewing a little younger, and they’re all about craft beers.”
The Lilac Festival also includes a home-and-garden show, foot races and an entertainment stage that features concerts with nationally known touring artists.
Washington State Apple Blossom Festival
Wenatchee, Washington
For 11 days in late April and early May, residents of north-central Washington celebrate spring at the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival. The 2016 festival will be the 97th installment of the event.
The festival covers two weekends. Festivities during the first weekend focus on youth and children, and feature a parade with more than 5,000 children. The second weekend is the highlight for many adults.
“The second weekend is our big parade,” said festival administrator Darci Waterman. “We have bands and floats from all over the state. There are specialty groups like bagpipers or a band where everyone is over 70 years old.”
In addition to the parade, the second weekend features entertainment in Memorial Park, as well as a luncheon, a golf tournament and an arts-and-crafts fair with more than 130 arts vendors.
One of the most popular recent additions to the festivities is a beer garden.
“We totally did it the right way,” Waterman said. “We do high-end beers that are locally brewed, as well as local wine.”
