Note: updated August 24th with reviews of experiences visiting any of the below listed sunflower festivals.
With all the sun and heat we have been experiencing in British Columbia this summer, everything seems to be growing faster and sunflowers are no exception. The sunflower season is opening earlier this year and I couldn’t be more excited. If you have ever had the opportunity to walk through a patch of sunflowers, you will know the beauty of these massive flowers. Did you know that there are 70 different cultivars of sunflowers? Many of these locally held festivals have many different cultivars on display. The majority of the festivals are located in the Fraser Valley.
I have compiled a list of all the Sunflower festivals and other locations (some of which are free) where you can walk through and get some nice pictures of sunflowers in bloom.
UPDATED August 1,2021
Listed in Alphabetical order:
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Campbells Gold Honey Farm and Meadery
2595 Lefeuvre Rd Abbotsford
Specializing in specialty honey and mead this farm has a patio where you can pre-book a 2hr time slot to enjoy some win and/or a charcutterie (Thursday to Sunday). You can walk the flowers and shop area for FREE and sunflower stems are available for purchase $1 each or 6 for $5.
Chilliwack Sunflower Festival
4310 Yale Road Chilliwack
Opening July 26th and going until at least Labour day. Enjoy 5-8 acres of in-bloom sunflowers and dahlias. 42 varieties of sunflowers and 3km of pathways . There is an area for u-pick sunflowers as well as a store to purchase potted sunflowers, seeds, bulbs, and souvenirs. There will also be 1-2 food trucks on site and ample hand washing and hand sanitizing stations. There are lots of props set up in the fields for unique picture opportunities amongst the sunflowers. Purchase tickets ahead online. Tickets range from $15 children/seniors and $22.25 adults. Children 2 and under are free. Save 20% by purchasing your tickets online at least a day in advance,
Review:
I was lucky to have been gifted the opportunity to check out the beautiful flower fields before they opened to the public. The fields were just starting to bloom, but there are rotating fields set to bloom at different times so that their season can last to around Labour Day. Dahlias were in full bloom and gladiolas were just about to start blooming during the first week of opening. The sunflower fields are off to the left hand side of the store this year. There are lots of varieties of sunflowers to check out from minis to giants and everything in between. There are about 7 sets of swings and several raised platforms as well as other photo props scattered throughout the fields. There were yard games out on the lawn for guests to play with. The playground was back open for kids. Chilliwack River Valley Honey is on site until Aug 15th with honey samples. The store was stocked with lots of fresh cut sunflowers and other gift items plus ice-cream and cold beverages. We got some amazing photos as always.
Cultus Lake Flower Fest
4215 Wilson Road Yarrow
Running July 17th to September 1, this family-fun festival offers on site popped kettle corn and bouquets for purchase. Open from 11am to dusk. You can bring your own food and non-alcoholic beverages to have a picnic in their picnic area. No dogs except service dogs please. Tickets are $10 each (kids under 10 are free) Pre-purchase your tickets online.
Review:
I was gifted the opportunity to check out this newer festival. We decided to go check it out in the later evening to catch the sun setting on the fields – this is personally my favorite time to go! Immediately upon parking we got a very comfortable natural vibe about the place. We were greeted upon arrival by a very nice young man who checked our tickets and gave us some directions. He also let us know that he could pick us a bouquet of flowers from the garden ranging in price from $15-$30. We wandered around the stunning gardens and was so impressed by the selection of beautiful flowers and the smells from the lavender fields that I decided to get my daughter a bouquet, as her birthday was the next day. We continued walking into the sunflower fields and was mesmerized by all the varieties and the wildflowers mixed into the fields – it had a beautifully natural vibe about it. We ran into the owner, Jesse and had a wonderful little conversation about how it all started out as a hobby garden for his family to enjoy but how he realized he needed to share it with the rest of the world. He told us how he planted the sunflowers by hand and how much he loves doing it all. You could tell a lot of love and hard work went into it. We encountered some resident goats that made us laugh, especially Lydia (but as we called her, Firecracker). There were lawn games out to play with and picnic tables to sit and enjoy a picnic and the scenery. We were sure to pick up some freshly popped on site, Kettle corn too. It was a very tranquil and less commercial-like experience – we left feeling very happy and calm. We will definitely be back.
Eco Dairy
1356 Sumas Way Abbotsford
Eco-Dairy is a joint partnership with Science World. Offering demonstrations and showcasing innovative and sustainable dairy farm practices in a fun, educational way. Offering tours to meet cows and tour the facility. There is also a large outdoor space with gardens, picnic tables and an indoor and outdoor petting zoo. Sharing the grounds with Natures Pickens’ – a farm market. On site ice-cream stand is usually open. Grab and ice-cream and head to the back yard area to talk through the sunflowers and garden area.
Hales End Farms
14370 Hale Road Pitt Meadows
Hales End is more than just sunflowers, they offer fresh berries, blueberry milk bars from Soft Peaks Ice-cream, corn maze, pumpkins and they even rent bikes and stand up paddle boards for you to go out on the Alouette river, right from their backyard. They are located on the Pitt Meadows Dyke. They opened for the season on July 27th. Hale Ends Farms is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11-7pm
Lakeland Flowers Sunflower Festival
39171 No 4 Road Abbotsford
Lakeland opened on July 10th with 10 acres of u-pick sunflower fields. They are open 10am to 7pm daily. In addition there will be sunset sessions on Saturdays and Sundays starting July 24th. Tickets can be purchased online for a 90 min time slot. If you purchase tickets a day or more in advance there is a$2 discount. Children three and under are free. Tickets are $12 or $10 if purchased in advance. Each ticket includes five sunflower stems.
Maan Farms Sunflower Festival
790 McKenzie Road Abbotsford
There is always something happening at Maan Farms. From the backyard barnyard to corn mazes, goat yoga, estate winery, strawberries and sunflowers you can always find an event happening on site. Starting July 30th you can pre-book your sunflower festival tickets with the option to upgrade to the secret sunflower picnic. Dogs are allowed on specified days. Open 9am to 6pm. Tickets range from $12-$26 each. Kids 2 and under are free. Purchase your tickets online in advance to save money.
Review:
I was gifted the opportunity to check out Maan Farms while they have their sunflower festival and corn maze going. We went during the day on a weekday, so it was fairly quiet. We always enjoy the play area with the zip line and bouncy pillow etc. My kids love the rabbits that run around free on the grounds. Since we had last been there, there were some newer things that we noticed. There was a new bathroom area out by outside concession. There were more pens with animals to see. The inside of the main store area has been rearranged but flows nicely. We enjoyed the daytime maze but managed to get through it quicker than I thought (which I thought was pretty amazing as we were following my 7 year old!). The sunflower patch has lots of props including old mirrors to take pics with. There is a really nice area where you can have a secret picnic in the sunflower patch. We had lunch from mama Maan’s kitchen and we picked big juicy strawberries in the fields too. We couldn’t leave without buying a honey bee icecream – it was delicious!
Taves Family Farm Sunflower Festival
333 Gladwin Road Abbotsford
Another great all-round family fun spot is Taves Family Farm. Kids can play in the “Farmville” area and enjoy the goats all around the farm. They offer seasonal strawberry, goji berries and apple u-pick and a sunflower patch with some breathtaking views as you walk through the Fraser Valley sunflower trail. An estate cidery is on site as well – enjoy a cider while the kids play with the goats ! The sunflower patch opens July 22. You can add donuts and apple cider slushies to your experience for an additional cost. Book your tickets in advance. Tickets are $18.95 per person.
Richmond Sunflower Festival
12900 Steveston Hwy Richmond
Here you will find dahlias and 20 varieties of sunflowers on 15 acres. Enjoy the estate winery with a tasting room and patio in the heart of the sunflower patch. Props located throughout the patch to help make your pictures memorable. There is also a sunflower maze. The website states that they are dog-friendly. Opening date is TBA (soon their website says). 2021 Ticket prices TBA.
VanDusen Botanical Gardens
5151 Oak Street Vancouver
VanDusen is not known for its sunflowers, but last year when we went there we were pleasantly surprised to stumble on their sunflower patch over near the maze area if I recall. There is lots to see and do at VanDusen with all the beautiful gardens. Open 10am to 5pm daily. Children 4 and under are free. Tickets range from $5.85 to $11.70 each Reserve your tickets online.
Did I miss any? If you know of a sunflower patch that I missed, send me an email tina@modernmama.com with the details!
