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Flower & Garden Festival receives award for educational programming

Parks Tacoma’s Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival is being honored for the excellence of programming provided at the 2024 event. At their conference in late October the Washington Festival and Events Association presented Parks Tacoma with the award for Best Educational Program.

The award is a recognition of the thoughtful, robust and varied programming options offered to attendees including the Lecture Series, Paint and Sip program, Guided Tours, Make and Take program, the Children’s Wonder & Grow program including raised beds designed and planted by Science and Math Institute (SAMi) students, Wine & Beer Tasting and the Cultural Japanese programing, in partnership with the Sister City program and Japanese Consulate-General.  

“We want to ensure that Parks Tacoma is recognized as the experts in horticulture for our community,” said Joe Brady, deputy director of regional parks and attractions. “The renewed Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival is our showcase regional event to highlight and educate the public in this work.” Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival 2023

The Festival returned in 2023 after a 16-year hiatus with an estimated attendance of 15,000. This year’s program included six different ticketed opportunities, more than a dozen self-guided experiences through eight permanent gardens, fantastic displays created exclusively for the festival, live music and a vendor area featuring more than sixty local artisans, businesses, farms, nurseries and food options. 

This successful event requires collaboration between Parks Tacoma’ Events, volunteer, Conservatory and horticulture maintenance teams to program, staff and build the festival grounds. 

The 2025 Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival will be held on June 7 and 8. Find more information and view last year’s program.