The phrase “Princess Practice” might call a select set of images to mind: navigating a dinner plate surrounded by an impossible number of forks, carefully balancing a stack of dictionaries on your head while walking heel-to-toe, or Julie Andrews instructing a young Anne Hathaway in the art of the regal wave. But for the high […]
The 2022 Princess Promenade will mark the beginning of a new Festival season, as Washington begins to tentatively open up again in the aftermath of Covid-19. As we near the end of February, Pierce County gardeners may have already started witnessing new growth in their neighborhood beds, with the sturdy, green stalks of daffodil bulbs
The Start of a New Season: How Hope is Rising with Promenade 2022 Read More »
The Daffodil Festival has long been a celebration of the beautiful flowers that once grew throughout the Puyallup Valley, but back in March of 2020, all that seemed to be growing locally was a state of uncertainty: with Covid-19 case numbers rising and schools, businesses, and more closing up shop, many were left without much
By Kelly Hewitt, Daffodil Festival Alumna & Historian Although the first official Daffodil Parade was held on March 17, 1934, yearly themes were not introduced until the year 1952. The first theme for the Daffodil Festival was “Alfred in Wonderland.” The theme was a reference to the King Alfred daffodil, Puyallup’s most famous export. The
History Corner: The History of Daffodil Festival Themes Read More »
What images come to mind, when you think of a “princess”? A big ballgown, a glittering tiara, and maybe even a pumpkin carriage or towering castle, right? Do you think of a fairy tale maiden, one who likes to spend time with animals, or sleep a lot? Or are you more inclined to think of
So, You Want to Be a Princess? : Everything You Need to Know About Daffodil Selection Read More »
You know what they say: the more things change, the more things stay the same. On Monday, April 26th, the Daffodil Festival’s Queen’s Coronation reflected the difficulties of living through the past year in a pandemic, while still continuing to celebrate the achievements of a whole new class of Daffodil Princesses. Clan Gordon was still
Queen’s Coronation 2021: A Lesson in Resiliency Read More »
There’s nothing quite as impressive, in the course of the Daffodil season, as the rolling splendor of the Grand Floral Parade. As we’ve been dazzled by the many gorgeous floats, marching bands, and group displays in the past – all bedecked in bright, cheerful swathes of yellow daffodils – it’s hard to even consider the
A Conversation with Parade Director, Bob Sudderth Read More »
Everyone loves a parade… but perhaps not quite as much as those who live in Pierce County. After all, it isn’t just one parade that we love, but really four, trekked across the streets of Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting, all in one day. For almost nine decades, the Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade has
The Grand Floral Parade, Past and Present Read More »
The 2020 Royal Court in a smiling group photo at last year’s Princess Promenade event.Out of the prominent Festival events in the Daffodil calendar year, none is quite as inscrutable to the outside observer as Princess Promenade. While the Grand Floral Parade is not only steeped in public tradition, but also generally easy to understand
What is Promenade? Read More »