Spring has sprung in Seattle!
The 2026 Northwest Flower and Garden Festival kicks off its 36th year at the Seattle Convention Center this week.
This year’s Spring Parade features over 20 display gardens, more than 115 sessions and hands-on learning activities, and thousands of unique treasures in the garden marketplace.
KIRO 7 stopped by the festival and heard from event organizers, who say that while it’s hard to garden in the northwest this time of year, they hope this event will help prospective gardeners gather ideas, figure out where to put things, and get a preview of spring.
“Whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or just starting to dig into gardening, this is the ultimate annual event to spark creativity and gather ideas for beautiful, thriving living spaces,” say the event organizers.
From large outdoor exhibits to smaller indoor spaces, they say they’ve truly got something for everyone.
“One of the beautiful gardens on the floor has combined an exterior of grasses and lush plantings for an exterior scape, along with a greenhouse filled with tropical plants and planters, so they’re showing you both ways you can have it, and still it’ll be 900 ft. x 900 ft., the size of a back lot for somebody in Seattle,” said event organizers.
Festival organizers also say it’s a great place to just come and spend the day.
“See all the gardens. Take a break. Go get some lunch. Come back and do some shopping. Learn a little bit about flower gardening or edible gardening... so lots to do, and actually some people come back multiple days, because they can’t see it all at one time,” said Show Director Jeff Swenson.
This year, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians is the festival’s presenting sponsor. They’ll have a native gardening display at the entrance to the show and will be represented throughout the festival.
Event organizers expect between 55,000 and 60,000 people to come throughout the week, and are already excitedly planning for next year.
“We’ve already had conversations about what we are doing next year, so, yeah, we are always working on the next year’s show,” they say.
The show runs from Wednesday, February 18, through Sunday, February 22. You can visit between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday, and between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday. If you’d like to attend a specific seminar or demo, you can check out the full schedule here.
If you’d like to learn more or grab tickets, visit: gardenshow.com