Wild Flower Festival
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The WildFlower Festival takes place in Kings Park, Western Australia every year. The festival is the largest and most varied Scientific, Educational display of Native Plants and Wildflowers. The festival provides horticultural information for all those who attend.
Richardson WildFlower Festival is held annually in Richardson, Texas which typically has a turn out of approximately 50,000 people.
The Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival began in 1993 as a small community event held in a local park in northeast Richardson, Texas, and got its name from the March through May celebration season when wildflowers blossom throughout the city. Having just celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2007, Wildflower! is now a three-day event attracting upwards of 60,000 attendees and has grown to become one of North Texas’ most recognized and anticipated music festivals.
Completely produced and managed by the City of Richardson, Wildflower! is located a few minutes north of Dallas at Galatyn Parkway and US 75.
The name Wildflower!, when referring to the festival, is always spelled with an exclamation point after it to signify that it’s much more than a small beacon of color- At any one time and at any one place inside the festival you can be exposed to multiple elements of culture, music, food, and the arts.
Festival programming includes two main outdoor performance stages featuring local, regional and headliner bands, the Kidz Korner, the Acoustic Café, strolling entertainers/buskers, interactive displays and exhibits, the Wild Marketplace, the award-winning Singer/Songwriter Contest and Stage, the Battle of the Bands competition, the Art Guitar Auction, the Budding Talent Competition, the Taste of Texas Food Court, and the Wild Ride- a bike ride to benefit cancer research.
History
Begun as a springtime community event to celebrate the wild flowers planted throughout the city Wildflower! quickly “blossomed” in 1995 when headliner bands were added.
Growing crowds and subsequent logistical challenges lead the festival to its first move from Breckinridge Park to the Greenway Corporate Office Park at US75 and Campbell Rd. It was here that the fledgling event was able to expand to three days and eventually grew to cover over 30 acres featuring multiple stages, arts, music, exhibits, and family activities.
Experiencing more growing pains the event moved in 2002 to its present location, the Galatyn Park Urban Center. With its new home the festival was now able to offer the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts, a festival plaza, a DART light rail station, the Renaissance Hotel as well as use of the greenway space belonging to Countrywide and Nortel.
Lineups
1995- The Dixie Chicks, Lee Greenwood
1996- Firefall, America, Michael McDonald, Chuck Negron, Toto, Tracy Byrd, The Temptations, Mickey Thomas of Starship
1997- 5th Dimension, Loverboy, .38 Special, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, David Kersh, Eddie Money, Marty Stuart, Survivor, Randy Bachman
1998- Dan Fogelberg, The Commodores, Christopher Cross
1999- The Beach Boys, David Clayton Thomas, Huey Lewis & The News, Kenny Loggins, Sister Hazel, Robert Cray, Spin Doctors
2000- The Bacon Brothers, A.J. Croce, Isaac Hayes, Don McClean, ELO, Bruce Hornsby, WAR, Steven Bishop, Neal McCoy
2001- America, Collective Soul, The Go Go’s, The Doobie Brothers, En Vogue, Hank Williams Jr., Grand Funk Railroad, Flock of Seagulls, The Kentucky Headhunters, Cowboy Mouth, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, Shawn Mullins, Sam Moore, Percy Sledge, The Romantics, Splender, Sugarbomb, Loverboy, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
2002- (one-day festival) Wilson Pickett, Colin Haye, Southern Culture on the Skids, Trout Fishing in America
2003- Peter Frampton, Morris Day and the Time, Smash Mouth, Taylor Dayne, Roberta Flack, Joe Bonamassa, Nine Days, Jonny Lang, Gin Blossoms, Fattburger, Cathy Richardson Band, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Chuck Negron, Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Old 97s, The Kingston Trio, The Marshall Tucker Band, Shemekia Copeland, Steve Azar
2004- Paul Rodgers, Blues Traveler, Tanya Tucker, The Polyphonic Spree, Brian McCommas, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Blue Oyster Cult, The Classical Mystery Tour, Ken Navarro, Chris Duarte, Stephanie Urbina Jones, Ruthie Foster
2005- Cheap Trick, The Neville Brothers, Julie Roberts, Miranda Lambert, Rick Springfield, Darryl Worley, Leon Russell, Ryan Cabrera, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Cowboy Mouth, Bugs Henderson, Joe Ely, Mickey Thomas of Starship, Pure Prairie League
2006- K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Bowling For Soup, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Spinners, Loverboy, Gregg Rolie, Jonny Lang, Cowboy Mouth, The Click Five, Lisa Loeb, Shawn Colvin, The Vanished, The Knack, Jimmie Vaughan, Ruthie Foster
2007- Grand Funk Railroad, Better Than Ezra, Morris Day and the Time, Fastball, Jo Dee Messina, Foghat, Shooter Jennings, The Original Family Stone, Chuck Negron, Soul Asylum, The Romantics, Eddie Money, John Waite, Tracy Byrd, Austin Lounge Lizards, Paramount’s Laserspectacular featuring the music of Pink Floyd, Le Freak
The Crested Butte Wild Flower takes place in July in Crested Butte, Colorado, USA. The festival raises awareness of environmental issues, and the importance of preservation and appreciation Wild Flowers in the city.
The Spring Wild Flower Pilmgrage is a week long affair held annually in late April in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Guided walks and hikes are led by professional botanists, rangers, and informed amateurs.
