Daffodil Festival Weekend: April 24th - 26th, 2015
Celebrate Spring's Arrival..... “Daffy Style”!
From early April to mid-May, over three million daffodils of every color, shape and size bloom through out the island. The bountiful blossoms-
in shades of yellow, orange, white and pale pink-grace roadsides, gardens, window boxes and shop windows. The Chamber-sponsored Daffodil Festival (April 24th - 26th, 2015), in its 41th year, is a full-scale jubilee of winter’s thaw featuring an Antique Car Parade and Tailgate Picnic, as well as a Daffy Hat, Dog and Children's Parade. It's a joyous time for both islanders and visitors alike. Come wear your daffy hat, watch the car parade, have a tailgate picnic and welcome spring! The Antique Car Parade is the Festival’s signature event, showcasing over 100 daffodil-bedecked vintage cars (pre-registration required for participation). After winding through town, the cars make their way across the island to the charming village of S'conset where partipants join residents and visitors for the Tailgate Picnic. What better way to herald the arrival of spring than an al fresco lunch on the lush lawns of this picturesque village. Picnic fare ranges from elaborate gourmet cuisine served on fine china to box lunches and burgers. Other festival highlights include the Nantucket Garden Club’s Annual Daffodil Show, and a Daffodil 5K Race. Get a team together and take part in the family-friendly scavenger hunt, open all weekend and offering wonderful prizes from local businesses. Other Chamber-sponsored events include a picnic & free concert at Children's Beach, featuring rides n an antique fire truck, and a non-profit marketplace with a variety of food, crafts and merchandise on lower Main Street.
History of the Daffodil Festival
Daffodil Festival weekend dates back to 1974 when the late Jean MacAusland (former summer resident and publisher of Gourmet Magazine) persuaded the Nantucket Garden Club to invite the American Daffodil Society to sponsor a daffodil show on-island. The first official Daffodil Show, in conjunction with the American Daffodil Society, was held in 1975. A special sale of daffodil paintings by Sybil Goldsmith and fellow artists helped to defray both the costs of the show and the planting of bulbs in public places. Mrs. MacAusland herself donated thousands of bulbs, and the Nantucket public was asked to assist with the planting. Their goal was to plant over one million daffodil bulbs. Unfortunately, many of these bulbs planted alongside Milestone Road didn’t survive, as they were planted too close to the road and were unable to withstand the town’s annual roadside mowing. In successive plantings, the Garden Club set the bulbs out in random bunches farther from the road, a“drift planting” which protected the bulbs and gave their blooms a more natural setting. Planting methods have developed over the years, but the annual November planting has become an entrenched community event. In 1978, Mrs. MacAusland, along with late islander H. Flint Ranney, planned a classic car parade and tailgate picnic in S'conset which, with the Daffodil Show, would create a weekend-long event. Thus, the first “Annual Nantucket Garden Club Vintage Motor Car Outing” was launched. Nineteen antique vehicles were registered in the first parade, including Mrs. MacAusland’s own 1966 Van Dan Plas Rolls Royce and Ranney’s 1927 American LaFrance ladder truck. The 1980’s witnessed the Festival’s increasing popularity and thousands of people flocked to the island for its “annual rite of spring”. The Chamber of Commerce assumed the responsibility of organizing the parade and picnic in 1980 and extended the weekend festivities by including a shop window display contest. Additional activities have been added to the Festival calendar over the years, with something for everyone. The 2013 Parade featured over 100 vehicles competing for Most Authentic, Best Decorated, Best in Show and Peoples’ Choice awards.
