Spring is in the air and it’s time to start thinking about flowers! The Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival is June 6 –7 and this year the festival features new workshops, tours and activities designed just for kids.

Free admission includes more than a dozen self-guided experiences such as fantastic displays created exclusively for this festival, live music, a lecture series featuring informative garden-related talks, wine and beer tasting, a scavenger hunt, Sister City displays and festivities. Chris Staudinger from Grit City Tours and Debra Prinzing from Slow Flowers will be the keynote speakers, and there will be more than 100 vendors including local artisans, businesses, farms, nurseries and delicious food options.

To enhance the experience, attendees can register now for one or more of the festival’s on-site workshops and tours:

• Guided tours for all ages of the Japanese Garden will highlight the garden’s unique features, plants and history.
• Guided walks through the NW Native Garden for youth ages 5-12, led by Point Defiance Park Guides.
• Paint & Sip (21+) and Paint & Punch (ages 5-12) sessions led by an instructor to help participants create a unique work of art.
• Make & Take Workshops featuring hands-on projects with a botanical twist.
• Wine & Beer Tasting featuring local wineries and craft brewers accompanied by live music in the Rose Garden.

Youth-specific programming includes:

• Paint & Punch workshops – these youth-friendly versions of Paint & Sip sessions are led by instructors who will help kids create a unique work of art that they can take home.
• Youth Make & Take workshops – Participants will create garden-themed craft projects that they can take home.
• Children’s Wonder & Grow Garden – Explore the storybook-themed garden area featuring nature activities for kids of all ages.
• Youth Nature Walk – this walk through the beautiful Native Plant Garden at Point Defiance is designed for curious young explorers.
• Scavenger Hunt – youth can collect stamps throughout the festival to receive a special prize.

Free activities hosted at the Pagoda:

• Taiko Drummers performance
• Ikebana Int’l Chapter #147
• Tacoma Kitakyushu Sister City Display
• P.A.P.E.R.
• Meito Shodo Kai

The Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival is held near the entrance to Point Defiance and incorporates the park’s famous displays and landmarks like the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and Pagoda.

Find more information and explore workshop options online at PtDefianceGardenFest.org.

Vendor Applications Open

Vendor applications are open now for all three of Parks Tacoma’s regional summer events:

• Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival (application deadline May 1)
• Summer Blast (application deadline June 1)
• MOSAIC: Tacoma’s Arts & Culture Festival (application deadline July 1)

A 10’x10’ vendor booth starts as low as $175 with discount pricing available for nonprofit and government agencies.

More information is available online at parkstacoma.gov/vendor-program.

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Media Contact: 

Stacia Glenn, Public Information Officer
(253) 345-0948 or [email protected]

Ryan Schroeder, Event Supervisor
(253) 325-0857 or [email protected]