The Rochester Lilac Festival is an art, music, food and flora festival hosted annually in early May in Highland Park in Rochester, New York. Highland Park possesses a huge collection of lilacs, featuring more than 1800 bushes and over 500 different varieties.[1]
Lilac Festival 2005 at the Highland Park
The festival is started with a parade and frequently hosts concerts and other attractions during the week. The Highland Park arboretum and nearby Ellwanger Garden[2] can be toured free of charge and are open to all visitors. The fields surrounding the arboretum host a myriad of vendor's tents and food stands. The festival ends each year with the annual Lilac 10K road race and 5K Family Fun Run.[3] The 10K Course is USATF certified.
In 1888, nurserymen George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry endowed the Rochester community with 20 acres (81,000 m2) of gently rolling hills that are now known as Highland Park.[4] It was noted as one of the nation's first municipal arboretums. Renowned park designer Frederick Law Olmsted was responsible for final development of Highland Park. The park's lilac collection was started by horticulturist John Dunbar in 1892 with 20 varieties, some of which were descendants of slips of native Balkan Mountain flowers that were carried to the new world by early colonists. Today, over 500 varieties of lilacs cover 22 of Highland Park's 155 acres (0.63 km2).
The inspiration for the festival dates to 1898 when 3,000 people came to the park one Sunday in May to see the lilacs. Ten years later, 25,000 people came to the first organized lilac festival.[4] Since then the number of viewers has grown to over 500,000 and the festival is held over the course of ten days.
With the 2020 edition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 123rd was deferred to 2021.[5] The schedule was adjusted from the ten day format to three weekends in 2021 and 2022, and is planned to return to its original format in 2023, running May 12 to May 21st.[6]
^. Rochester Events. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
^Mills, Wendy. "Rochester's secret garden, the Ellwanger Garden, is a stroll through the city's horticulture history". Spectrum Local News. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^"The Lilac Run presented by the Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester". Rochester Events. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
^ ab. Democrat and Chronicle. May 7, 2009. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
^"Rochester Lilac Festival postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak". Rochester First. March 20, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
^Bourtis, Evan (December 20, 2022). "Lilac Festival 2023 will be ten days in row instead of three weekends". WHEC-TV. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lilac Festival (Rochester, New York).
rochester, lilac, festival, music, food, flora, festival, hosted, annually, early, highland, park, rochester, york, highland, park, possesses, huge, collection, lilacs, featuring, more, than, 1800, bushes, over, different, varieties, lilac, festival, 2005, hig. The Rochester Lilac Festival is an art music food and flora festival hosted annually in early May in Highland Park in Rochester New York Highland Park possesses a huge collection of lilacs featuring more than 1800 bushes and over 500 different varieties 1 Lilac Festival 2005 at the Highland ParkThe festival is started with a parade and frequently hosts concerts and other attractions during the week The Highland Park arboretum and nearby Ellwanger Garden 2 can be toured free of charge and are open to all visitors The fields surrounding the arboretum host a myriad of vendor s tents and food stands The festival ends each year with the annual Lilac 10K road race and 5K Family Fun Run 3 The 10K Course is USATF certified Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory editIn 1888 nurserymen George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry endowed the Rochester community with 20 acres 81 000 m2 of gently rolling hills that are now known as Highland Park 4 It was noted as one of the nation s first municipal arboretums Renowned park designer Frederick Law Olmsted was responsible for final development of Highland Park The park s lilac collection was started by horticulturist John Dunbar in 1892 with 20 varieties some of which were descendants of slips of native Balkan Mountain flowers that were carried to the new world by early colonists Today over 500 varieties of lilacs cover 22 of Highland Park s 155 acres 0 63 km2 The inspiration for the festival dates to 1898 when 3 000 people came to the park one Sunday in May to see the lilacs Ten years later 25 000 people came to the first organized lilac festival 4 Since then the number of viewers has grown to over 500 000 and the festival is held over the course of ten days With the 2020 edition cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic the 123rd was deferred to 2021 5 The schedule was adjusted from the ten day format to three weekends in 2021 and 2022 and is planned to return to its original format in 2023 running May 12 to May 21st 6 See also editHighland Park Lilac FestivalReferences edit Rochester Lilac Festival Rochester Events Archived from the original on May 1 2013 Retrieved April 4 2015 Mills Wendy Rochester s secret garden the Ellwanger Garden is a stroll through the city s horticulture history Spectrum Local News Retrieved 10 December 2023 The Lilac Run presented by the Louis S Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester Rochester Events Retrieved January 11 2023 a b Ellwanger and Barry gift has lasted more than a century Democrat and Chronicle May 7 2009 Archived from the original on June 2 2009 Retrieved April 3 2015 Rochester Lilac Festival postponed due to COVID 19 outbreak Rochester First March 20 2020 Retrieved January 11 2023 Bourtis Evan December 20 2022 Lilac Festival 2023 will be ten days in row instead of three weekends WHEC TV Retrieved January 11 2023 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lilac Festival Rochester New York Official website43 07 39 N 77 36 35 W 43 127484 N 77 609714 W 43 127484 77 609714 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rochester Lilac Festival amp oldid 1189275960, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
