Flower lovers, rejoice! There is a new festival coming to downtown Noblesville this spring that focuses on Indiana’s state flower, the peony.
Event Information
The Indiana Peony Festival will be Saturday, May 20, 2023 at the newly-renovated historic Seminary Park in Noblesville. The event is free to attend and open to the public from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The festival is organized by the 501 (c)(3) Indiana Peony Festival Inc., Noblesville Main Street and Noblesville Parks and Recreation Department.
Additional ticketed events include Peonies in the Park VIPP (Very Important Peony People) Event on Friday, May 19 and Brunch and Blooms on Saturday, May 20.
What to Expect
Activities include peony judging, floral arranging, bouquet contest, peony growers, food trucks, art vendors, floral vendors, fashion vendors, plants, master gardeners and more. Attendees can buy peony plants or order peonies roots for the fall.
A trolley will take attendees from the park to downtown Noblesville to shop and participate in the scavenger hunt.
The festival is meant to inspire Hoosiers to celebrate the state flower, learn about horticulture and gardening, raise proceeds for future beautification projects and peony gardens in Hamilton County, and attract visitors to Noblesville in the month of May – which just happens to be peony bloom month and the Indianapolis 500.
For more information, visit IndianaPeonyFestival.com.
Fun Facts About Peonies
Governor Eric Holcomb has declared the third Saturday in May as Indiana Peony Festival Day in honor of the festival.
In 1957, the peony became the Indiana state flower in honor of Laurence D. Baker, a distinguished Indiana politician who operated four peony farms throughout the state, mostly to keep up with the demand for peonies each May. Baker even sold peonies at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, and he presented a bouquet of peonies to Amelia Earhart. Today, his legacy lives on through his grandchildren, who are still in the flower business at Baker Flowers and Gifts in Kendallville, Ind. Ancestors of Laurence will be in attendance and he will be honored at the festival.
Historically, the peony has been used for “Decoration Day,” to decorate the graves of loved ones on Memorial Day.
Peonies bloom toward the end of May in various shades of red, pink, yellow and white.
Peony petals are edible! Make sure they are grown organically or without pesticides before taking a bite.
Both deer and bunnies do not like peonies, so they won’t eat them from your garden.
Peonies can bloom for over 100 years with the right care.
For more events in Hamilton County, check out our calendar. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see what’s happening in #VisitHC.
Header Photo via Martipaan on Unsplash
