by Kathleen Richardson

Created on: July 29, 2009   Last Updated: August 30, 2009

Staged in Highland Park - the "Lilac Capital of the World" - Rochester, New York's Lilac Festival attracts guests from around the globe. Every year this upstate, western New York community sets aside ten days for locals and visitors to come and appreciate a perennial abundance of spring colors highlighted by white and lavender lilacs.

Rochester's extended May event allows for leisurely scrutiny of all the flowers and other attractions onsite and for the fact that not all lilacs bloom on the same day or even on the first day of the festival.

Have no fear; the blooms will appear. As a matter of fact, the Monroe County Parks Department issues an annual "Bloom Report" and under consummate conditions, lilacs will share their first blooms in the early days of the festivities and reach their peak by the final day.

All one-hundred fifty-five acres of Highland Park are open to the public, and festival attendees will find twenty-two of those acres primarily dedicated to bushes full of these colorful flowers. According to Wikipedia Rochester, NY's Lilac Festival features "the most varieties of lilacs at any single place," including multiple varieties of lilacs actually developed in the area, such as the white "Rochester" brought out in 1963.

Since the first celebration in 1892, the Lilac Festival has changed and expanded. In addition to floral finery, today's attendees also expect and are entertained by top-notch arts & crafts shows, concerts on the Lilac'N'Kids Stage and the Bank of America Stage, farmers' markets, Latino Day, local wines, and Art in the Park.

Rochester-area girls - high school sophomores, juniors and seniors at least fifteen years of age - have an opportunity to compete for the title of Lilac Festival Queen. One of these lovely young women not only wins the prestigious title entitling her to appear in the Lilac Festival Parade and at other locations in the park during the festival, but also wins a $1,000 college scholarship.

The final day of the 2009 festival featured the Medved Lilac 10K and 5K runs, exiting the park to tour the town of Brighton and then returning to the park for an exciting conclusion. Locals and visitors who like to run can participate in these and future events. The 2009 run benefited the Greater Rochester Track Club and the Genesee Valley Harriers.

Rochester, NY's 2010 Lilac Festival is scheduled for May 14-23 when spring will truly be in the air and visitors can experience a floral glimpse of the summer to come.

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