9 North Carolina flower festivals in 2025

From BloomFest to Garden Jubilee, these nine flower festivals in North Carolina are sure to brighten up your 2025. Check them out here.

Although spring is technically still a few days away, you’d be forgiven for wanting to embrace a warmer mindset right now. Whether that includes mapping out your garden, throwing on a sweater and heading to the farmers market, or marking your calendar with upcoming activities, we’re all for thinking spring.

For those who want to combine a few of those tasks, planning a trip (or trips) to this year’s NC flower festivals is a good place to start. The first on our list, Art in Bloom, takes place from March 19-23, which conveniently lines up with the Spring Equinox on March 20. 

Once the Equinox happens, it’s pretty much smooth sailing from there—at least in terms of checking out flower festivals around the state. Here’s what you need to know about the nine we found. 

Are we missing any flower festivals you love and attend every year? Let us know and we’ll include ‘em next year.

1. Art in Bloom, Raleigh (March 19-23)

First up is the previously mentioned Art in Bloom. It takes place at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) from March 19-23 at the following times:

• Wednesday, March 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Thursday, March 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Friday, March 21, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, March 22, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Sunday, March 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event also offers a Sensory-Friendly Hour on Saturday, March 22 from 9 to 10 a.m. At that time, the West Building will be open an hour early to accommodate “visitors with autism spectrum disorder and those who benefit from low-sensory environments.”

If you have any questions regarding the Sensory-Friendly Hour or any other accessibility needs, NCMA asks you to please contact Molly Hull at [email protected]. 

Admission costs $50 per person but is free for children six years of age and under. With your ticket, you’ll also gain entry to “The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure,” an exhibition celebrating Black artists. 

There will be specialty menus created for the festival, as well as limited edition merch if you want to grab some Art in Bloom swag while you’re there. 

Free parking is available for attendees at the NCMA campus located at 2110 Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh. Additional information about dining, parking, and more can be found here by scrolling down toward the end of the page.

The Rodin Courtyard, located in the North Carolina Museum of Art. (Joe Wolf/CC BY-ND 2.0)

2. Biltmore Blooms, Asheville (March 21-May 22)

According to ExploreAsheville.com, there will be around 100,000 flowers in bloom at Biltmore Estate over the two-month festival celebration. Orchids will make their appearance first at the end of March, before 50,000 tulips—along with roses, irises, and azaleas—start to bloom in April. For the ultimate guide on what type of flowers you can see at Biltmore and when, click here.

Tickets can be purchased online in advance. Admission ranges from $67 to $420, depending on the type of experience you want to have. $67 tickets give you access to over 8,000 acres of grounds and gardens, whereas higher-end tickets give you access to the gardens, the Biltmore Estate itself, and its current exhibits.

The Estate is open daily, though hours vary. To determine when it’ll be open for your trip, click here to access the Biltmore calendar. Additional information regarding parking, dining, shopping, speciality tours, and overnight stays can be found at that link as well.

The stunning flower displays at Biltmore Estate. (Biltmore Estate)

3. Asheville Orchid Festival, Asheville (March 28-30)

You can also check out the Asheville Orchid Festival if you’re in town for Biltmore Blooms at the end of March. Located at the North Carolina Arboretum, the Orchid Festival costs $5 for everyone over the age of 12. The schedule for the event is as follows:

• Sneak Peek Preview Night takes place on March 28 from 4-7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, March 29: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, March 30: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Entrance to all scheduled demonstrations, educational programs, and sale areas is included in the cost of your ticket. If you would like to become a member of the Western North Carolina Orchid Society in advance, you can attend the festival free of charge. Members also enjoy free parking at the event.

For non-members, an additional parking fee is applied, per North Carolina Arboretum rates:

• Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20 fee
• Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60 fee
• Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125 fee

Thousands of orchids are available for purchase during the festival. More information about the event can be found here. Additional details about the Arboretum, including directions, can be found here. Click here for the 2025 Program Schedule and vendors list.

4. North Carolina Azalea Festival, Wilmington (April 2-6)

Azaleas—though not of the Iggy variety—are front and center at the North Carolina Azalea Festival. This celebration is a family-friendly event that features a street fair, a parade, concerts at Riverfront Park, and festival royalty (AKA Queen Azalea). This year’s Queen Azalea is actress Bethany Joy Lenz. 

Fees to attend the Azalea Festival, as well as hours of operation, vary depending on what you want to do there. The Street Fair is free and takes place at various times throughout the weekend. The parade costs around $8 to attend and is held on April 5 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Additional events come with their own ticket prices, which you can browse here.

Admittance to the Queen Azalea event is not included in the standard Azalea Festival entrance fee. If you’d like to meet Lenz, as well as Miss North Carolina and the Azalea Festival Princess and Court, separate tickets are available starting at $55. Food and nonalcoholic beverages are included in the admission fee. Click here for more information.

Ribbon cutting ceremony held during the 2007 North Carolina Azalea Festival. (EVC-OnTheRoad/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

5. 35th Annual Spring Herb Festival, Asheville (April 25-27)

Okay, listen. We know that herbs aren’t technically flowers, but who doesn’t like a free festival every now and then? That’s right, the 35th Annual Spring Herb Festival includes free admission, parking, and workshops for all attendees. It takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 27.

The herb festival is located at the Exhibition Hall inside of the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. A full list of participating vendors can be found here. In addition to herbs, heirloom and exotic plants will be available, as well as medicinal oils, tinctures, and extracts.

6. BloomFest, Roseboro (April 26)

BloomFest is a free flower festival in Roseboro. The weekend-long event features a variety of activities for the whole family, including arts and crafts, shopping, dining (local food trucks are a big draw!), and more. The event kicks off on April 25 from 6 to 10 p.m. with the ‘Boro Concert featuring the Carl Newton Review Band. BloomFest 2025 takes place on April 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Roseboro.

Additional information is forthcoming. To keep track of the details between now and April 25, click here. 

A cluster of coneflowers and hydrangea in North Carolina. (Martin LaBar/CC BY-NC 2.0).

7. Bloom With a View, Asheville (May 4-19)

If you’re unable to attend the Asheville Orchid Festival but still want to embrace the spirit of spring, The North Carolina Arboretum is hosting Bloom With a View in May. This isn’t technically a flower festival, but it is “an immersive floral installation” featuring thousands of flowers.

Tickets cost $30 per vehicle, with a few exceptions:

• Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $30 fee
• Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $75 fee
• Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $150 fee

All-day access to Bloom With a View, as well as the Arboretum’s gardens, indoor exhibits, and trails is included in this price.

Bloom With a View is open during the Arboretum’s regular operational hours, which are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Artistic and floral display found within the North Carolina Arboretum. (Ken Lane/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

8. Garden Jubilee, Hendersonville (May 24-25)

Garden Jubilee is held in Hendersonville over Memorial Day Weekend (Saturday, May 24 to Sunday, May 25) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Around 200 craft and plant vendors—including local orchards and nurseries—will line up on Main Street to create a beautiful floral atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.

Gardening experts will also be on location throughout the weekend to answer any questions you may have about the type of flowers you’re buying and the best way to plant them in your own yard.

Further details and information are not currently available, but if you have questions, you can contact [email protected].

A monarch butterfly pollinating flowers in the Blue Ridge Mountains. (Robert Thiemann/Unsplash).

9. NC Rhododendron Festival, Bakersville (June 20-21)

Last but certainly not least is the NC Rhododendron Festival. The event is tentatively scheduled for June 20-21, though it’s important to note a disclaimer on the Festival website: “Please note that due to Hurricane Helene, information regarding the festival and pageant is tentative and changes of location and time for some events have been made.”

That being said, if all goes according to plan, the Rhododendron Festival will feature:

• A Craft Fair
• Food vendors
• Children’s activities
• A classic car show
• 10k run
• Street dancing
• Live music throughout the day
• Rhododendron Festival Pageant

Click here for more information and to stay up-to-date with any time or location changes between now and June. 

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.