31st annual spring garden festival

The Spring Garden Festival is an annual celebration held at the  Kanapaha Botanical Gardens located in southwest Gainesville, Florida.  The Festival has over 100 booths including many where patrons can  select from a variety of plants to add color, shade and beauty to their  yards and gardens. Patrons can also purchase garden related products  including tools, furniture and outdoor decorations.

In addition there  are booths staffed by local gardening and environmental organizations  where patrons can gather information about plants, ponds, pests, the  environment at large, and a variety of other topics. There are also a  number booths presented by artisans who create a wide range of fine arts  and crafts for your home or garden. No festival would be complete  without a large variety of foods available along with picnic areas where they can be enjoyed. 

The Festival has a stage featuring live local  entertainers on Sunday. Young visitors will enjoy our free Children’s Activities  Area where they can pot plants, design  newspaper hats and be involved in a wide variety of supervised  activities. 

The Spring Garden Festival is filled with activities and  opportunities to gather information, and purchase plants or other garden  related products.  There is plenty of food, and entertainment, and  seating areas so everyone can enjoy their stay at the festival.   Comfortable shoes, broad brimmed hats and sunscreen can make the hours  of meandering through the festival more enjoyable. The festival is  located in grassy areas and under trees so we recommend strollers,  walkers or wheelchairs with inflated tires.  We do not provide a tote-n-carry service to transport purchased goods to your vehicle. For those of you who expect  to purchase large plants, numerous small plants or many other items, we  recommend that you bring a wagon or small pull cart.  We recently purchased 6 acres of land so that all parking is on-site during our special events; we no longer have shuttle parking. No pets are allowed during these festivals

This is Gainesville's premier horticultural event. The Spring Garden  Festival features over 100 booths offering plants, landscape displays,  garden accessories, arts and crafts, educational exhibits and, of  course, foods. Also featured are a children's activities area and live  entertainment. Parking is free. Please no pets at this  event. Bring your own wagon.

 Kanapaha is a private non-profit and we do not allow people to solicit signatures, flyers or solicitors of any kind.

The children's area is free with regular admission price. The  children's area will include photo opportunities, bean bag toss, a face painter, and  crafts, such as making paper hats. Children have the opportunity to  plant and take home with them a flowering plant compliments of Hatchett  Creek Nursery.

The main stage is located under a large live oak tree near the  entrance to the Festival. Performances are scheduled on Sunday from 11am-5pm. Entertainment is provided by a diverse  group of performers from folk dancers to drum ensembles. Tables and  seating are provided under the tree so patrons can enjoy food from the  adjacent vendors while they enjoy the entertainers on stage.

2023 Itinerary

Sunday 

11 AM: AELEA

12 PM: Emmett Carlisle

1 PM: Lost safari Drummers

2 PM: Brian McMahon Band

3 PM: Klezmer Katz

We will not have vendors set up in our building and our gift shop will be closed due to COVID. All activities are outside for this year's event.
 

There are over 100 booths filled each year with a wide variety of garden related materials.

Each year over 40 booths are filled by local and regional nurseries  and growers who bring a wide variety of plants to show and sell at the  festival. Plants are available in a multitude of sizes and varieties  including fruit trees, landscape trees, large potted plants, herbs,  vegetables, and houseplants. Plants are available that will thrive in  many conditions from sun to shade, in wet areas, dry areas, or even  ponds and water features. Plants that are native to this area are  featured alongside tropical or exotic selections. Local plant societies  provide information and sell roses, bromeliads and other specialized  plants as fundraisers for their organization.

Over 20 booths feature products to help in your gardening activities  or to make your garden more beautiful. Vendors sell gardening tools,  pots, birdhouses, wind chimes and yard art to fill that special spot in  your garden. A number of booths have representatives available to  discuss garden services from tree trimming to irrigation systems.

Over 50 booths contain a wide variety of nature inspired handmade  products that can be used to beautify you home, garden or person.  Stained glass, turned bowls, tee shirts, incense, soaps, and  weathervanes are among the many items available from the Arts and Crafts  booths.

Several booths present original art inspired by nature. These items include paintings, photographs, quilts and blown glass.

Information booths are set aside for local non-for profit plant societies and  environmental organizations to present their specialties and answer  questions from visitors. The Camellia and Orchids Societies exhibit  plants grown by their members and answer questions from visitors. There  are booths staffed by members of environmental organizations with  specialized information that can help answer almost any environmental  question that might be raised.