Springtime Festivals

Experience the refreshing taste of spring in the country's best music, flower, and food festivals! These springtime festivals offer the best in spring entertainment, from Philadelphia in the east to Indio, California, in the west. Festivals are perfect for student groups, both celebratory and educational. Also, if you can't make it this year, all (but one) of these festivals are annual and will be available to you next year!

April

• Dallas Blooms - Dallas Arboretum - through Apr 10 - Named by Fodor's Travel among the "America's Best Spring Floral Festivals," Dallas Blooms is commonly recognized as the largest floral festival in the American Southwest. From now till April 10, you'll encounter garden beds overflowing with 500,000 blooms of over 100 species. Daffodils, hyacinth, Dutch irises, pansies, violas, and most notably, tulips. There will be a variety of activities including Spring Tea, live music, and storytelling.
• Coachella - Indio, CA - Apr 15-17, Apr 22-24 - Coachella is, without a doubt, one of the world's most famous music festivals. This year, their line up is insane with names like Ellie Goulding, Guns N' Roses, Ice Cube, Matt and Kim, Joywave, Sia, and Zedd to name a few. At this point, most of their general admission passes are sold out but if you can't swing it this season, make sure you plan for next!
• WorldFest - Silver Dollar City, Branson, MO - Apr 7-May 1 - This is the final year for SDC's popular WorldFest extravaganza so you better get there quick! Celebrating world cultures, WorldFest represents African traditions in Cirque Zuma Zuma, Trinidad & Tobago with the Stix on Steel band, and a children's singing group from the Czech Republic, Ominska. Plus you have the Tastes of the World Pavilion to experience the myriad of delectable international foods.
• Kentucky Derby Festival - Louisville, KY - April 14-May 6 - Originating as a party for the opening of the Kentucky Derby horse race, the KDF has turned into a full-on phenomenon. For nearly a month you'll get the best entertainment, food, and activities as you await the horse race. A full and a half marathon are included plus the nation's largest fireworks show, Thunder Over Louisville, hot air balloon rides, a steamboat race, the Pegasus Parade with huge flying horse balloon floats, and the exciting Kroger's Fest-a-Ville.

May

• Pungo Strawberry Festival - Virginia Beach - May 28-29 - Held every Memorial Day weekend, the Pungo Strawberry Festival welcomes over 100,000 people to the parade, pie-eating contest, pig races, art displays, and to the food booths. This is, after all, a festival to celebrate strawberries! Vendors will be selling everything from strawberry shortcake to pickled strawberries, strawberries dipped in chocolate and strawberry pizza.
• Spoleto Festival USA - Charleston, SC - May 27-June 12 - For 17 days, the historic and grand city of Charleston will be transformed into a performing arts hall. The Spoleto Festival USA is recognized as the nation's premier performing arts festival, now going into its 40th season. There will be opera, dance, theater, symphonies, jazz music, and chorus singing, among others. It's sure to be fantastically inspiring and wonderfully fun.

June

• Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival - Manchester, TN - June 9-12 - A huge music festival comparable to Coachella, Bonnaroo draws in thousands every year. Held on a 700-acre farm in Tennessee, Bonnaroo has the freedom to show off its weird and wild self with activities not offered at many other music festivals. You can find the star-studded lineup with names like Pearl Jam, Ellie Goulding, Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis, Purity Ring, Boy & Bear, and Grace Potter, among others. But, you can also participate in a group work out, shop at the many booths, sample some seriously delicious foods, or have a blast in the on-site Bonnaroo Fountain for some refreshing fun.
• World's Largest Garden Party - Philadelphia - Spanning the entire month of June, Philadelphia prides itself on the World's Largest Garden Party over 16 gardens and 35 scheduled events. It's not just flowers, though, but a series of galas, seminars, guided tours, concerts and dance performances, treehouse exhibits, and even a Day of Relaxation with Shiatsu massages, tea, and lunch in the garden.

Ongoing

• Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival - March 2- May 30 - In the brilliant tradition of Epcot, the International Flower and Garden Festival showcases incredible garden blooms, special foods at the outdoor kitchens, interactive playgrounds, and live music. Many of the gardens and topiaries are designed after your favorite Disney characters, which makes it added fun to munch on a raspberry and fudge macaron at the Fleur de Lys outdoor kitchen at the French pavilion.