Spring is about to take over downtown Leesburg again.
The town’s 36th Annual Flower & Garden Festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, bringing two days of plants, garden displays, food, music and heavy foot traffic to the heart of the historic district.
Hosted by the Town of Leesburg and presented by Loudoun Medical Group, the festival is expected to draw big crowds with nearly 150 vendors selling flowers, plants, gardening supplies and outdoor living items.
For longtime Leesburg residents, the festival has become one of those spring weekends that marks the change of season. It also gives local shops and restaurants a boost as visitors fill the downtown streets.
Beyond the shopping, the event will include landscape displays, live music on the main stage, family activities in the Garden Patch, a rooftop beer garden and festival food throughout the weekend.
Anyone heading into town should plan ahead. Several downtown streets will close starting Friday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m. for festival setup.
The affected streets are:
- Market Street from Wirt Street to Church Street
- King Street from North Street to Loudoun Street
- Cornwall Street from North King Street to Wirt Street
Cornwall Street from Church Street to North King Street will be closed to through traffic, although residents living on that block will still be able to reach their properties.
The town expects the full area to reopen to traffic around 10 p.m. Sunday.
Festival organizers are urging visitors to use the free shuttle from Ida Lee Park, which will run continuously during festival hours. Parking will also be available in the Pennington parking lot and garage, which has 700 spaces. Some additional parking will be available at the Loudoun County parking garage and the Town Hall parking garage through the Loudoun Street entrance.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The event will be held rain or shine. Visitors are also being asked to leave pets at home.
This year’s other sponsors include Loudoun Credit Union, John C. Flood of VA, Integrated Wealth Advisors, Universal Windows Direct, The Bath Authority, Power Home Remodeling, Renewal by Anderson, Mountcastle Medical Spa and Laser Center, KitchenSaver, Brain Treatment Center Ashburn, Capital Remodeling, Inc., Catoctin Veterinary Clinic, All Tech Services, Loudoun Now, M.E. Flow, Washington Gardener and Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
For more information, call Ida Lee Park Recreation Center at 703-777-1368 or visit flowerandgarden.org.
