Spring Fever in the Garden: The Bloom & Grow Festival on Plant Street
Why Winter Garden's signature spring festival is on every Orlando-area gardener's calendar
Spring Fever in the Garden is an annual two-day garden festival held each April along Plant Street in downtown Winter Garden, FL, hosted by the Bloom & Grow Garden Society in partnership with the City of Winter Garden. The free festival draws approximately 70,000 visitors and features more than 100 vendors selling plants, garden décor, and artisan goods, plus live music, a Kid Zone, the Chalkin' It Up sidewalk art contest, and an Ask the Experts booth. The 2026 edition, the festival's 24th year, ran April 11-12, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Festival proceeds fund higher-education horticulture scholarships and local planting and education initiatives. Bloom & Grow Garden Society was founded in 1997 and has more than 180 members.
If you've ever wondered why Plant Street suddenly transforms into a sea of hanging baskets, ferns, and orchid tents one weekend every April, you've discovered Spring Fever in the Garden — hosted by the Bloom & Grow Garden Society, the all-volunteer nonprofit that's been making downtown Winter Garden prettier since 1997. It's one of Central Florida's largest spring garden events, drawing roughly 70,000 attendees over two days and shutting down a half-mile of Plant Street.
What Exactly Is Spring Fever in the Garden?
Spring Fever in the Garden is a two-day, free-to-attend street festival held every April along Plant Street in Downtown Winter Garden. It's the Bloom & Grow Garden Society's signature event and biggest fundraiser of the year — proceeds support horticulture scholarships and local beautification projects.
The festival features more than 100 vendors (the 2026 edition advertised over 200 booths) selling exactly what you'd hope: orchids, palms, native plants, edible gardens, succulents, herbs, fairy garden gear, garden décor, and handmade pottery. Sprinkle in live music, kid-friendly activities, expert horticulturalists answering questions, and the sidewalk chalk art contest, and you've got a weekend.
A Quick History: From Three Blocks to a Half-Mile
Spring Fever started 24 years ago as a modest three-block event and now spans roughly a half-mile in each direction with 15 volunteer committees and over 650 volunteer hours per festival. Bloom & Grow itself was founded in 1997 by Gretchen Boyd around a simple idea: plants and gardens make communities better places to live. The society now has more than 180 members and partners with the City of Winter Garden on dozens of beautification efforts, including the flower baskets hanging downtown.
Why Should Orlando-Area Residents Care?
If You're a Plant Person (or Want to Be)
Florida-suitable plants chosen and grown by people who actually know Florida is a rare combination. Big-box garden centers sell you anything; the Spring Fever vendor lineup skews toward Florida-friendly natives, edibles, and tropical specimens that will survive a Central Florida summer. The Ask the Experts booth — staffed by professional horticulturalists and nursery owners — is genuinely useful if you've been trying to figure out why your hibiscus keeps dying.
If You're Considering a Move to West Orange County
Spring Fever is a great preview of daily life in this corner of metro Orlando: walkable downtown, brick-lined streets, the West Orange Trail running right through it, locally-owned shops and restaurants, and a community calendar packed with events like this one. If you're scoping out homes in Winter Garden, Ocoee, or Horizon West, you're a short drive from all of this.
If You Have Kids
The Kid Zone is no afterthought. It includes face painting, balloon artists, a fairy hair station, plant-potting activities, the DinoDig sandbox, mascots, and crafts. The Chalkin' It Up sidewalk art contest in front of City Hall is also kid-magnet territory — judging happens Saturday afternoon and the chalk masterpieces stay on display through Sunday.
The Practical Stuff: When, Where, How
The 24th annual Spring Fever ran April 11-12, 2026. The 2027 edition is expected to follow the typical first- or second-weekend-of-April pattern (it shifted to the second weekend in 2026 because Easter landed on April 5).
Hours are typically:
- Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The festival runs along West Plant Street from Dillard Street to Park Avenue. Plant Street and connecting streets close from roughly 2:00 a.m. Saturday through 8:00 p.m. Sunday. Closed connecting streets include Central Avenue, Highland Avenue, Lakeview Avenue, Boyd Street, Main Street, and Woodland Street.
Parking and the Shuttle (Important)
Don't try to park downtown. The City of Winter Garden runs a free shuttle service with two pickup locations:
- Dillard Elementary School — 311 N. Dillard St.
- 848 E. Plant Street parking lot — across from the Winter Garden Library
Each lot has its own dedicated shuttle, so don't board the wrong one or you'll end up at the wrong car. Shuttles run continuously, but allow up to 15 minutes for a round trip. Additional parking is available at the Downtown Parking Garage (160 S. Boyd Street) and the Sam Williams Little League Complex.
Pros and Cons: An Honest Take
The Pros:
- Free admission, rain or shine
- Florida-specific plant selection from real growers, not big-box stock
- Free expert advice from professional horticulturalists
- Excellent kids' programming
- Beautiful walkable historic downtown setting
- Money goes to scholarships and community planting projects
The Cons:
- It's busy — 70,000 people over two days means crowds, especially mid-day Saturday
- Limited food and drink vendors (organizers prioritize garden-focused exhibitors)
- Parking requires the shuttle unless you arrive very early
- Bringing home large plants and a stroller through crowds takes strategy
- April in Florida means it can be hot — 80s aren't unusual
Make a Day of It on Plant Street
You're already in downtown Winter Garden, so there's a built-in plan for after you've loaded up on plants. Plant Street Market — Florida's premier artisan food hall, anchored by Crooked Can Brewing Company and home to Michelin Bib Gourmand sushi bar Norigami — is a few steps away, with 50-plus restaurants within a short walk along the brick-lined downtown core. The West Orange Trail also runs right through the festival footprint, so you could realistically bike in from Ocoee or even Apopka and skip the parking situation entirely. For more, see our guides to Winter Garden's dining scene and year-round events.
Insider Tips from People Who've Done This
- Go Sunday morning if you hate crowds. Saturday afternoon is peak chaos. Sunday at 10 a.m. is the most pleasant window of the weekend.
- Bring a wagon or wheeled cart. You're going to buy more plants than you planned to. Everybody does.
- Hit the Ask the Experts booth early. Lines build through the day — ask your questions before lunch.
- Wear sunscreen and a hat. April in Florida means 80s aren't unusual, and Plant Street has limited shade mid-day.
- Eat before you go or plan a real meal nearby. Food options at the festival are limited by design.
What the Locals Know
Spring Fever in the Garden isn't a tourist event — it's a community event that happens to be enormous. The 150-plus volunteers running it are your future neighbors, the vendors are mostly Florida growers (not traveling festival circuit folks), and the scholarships fund local kids studying horticulture. That's the part that matters when you're deciding whether Winter Garden or somewhere nearby like Horizon West, Ocoee, or Windermere is your kind of place. Festivals like this don't just happen — they get built and rebuilt, one volunteer hour at a time, by people who actually live here.
Mark your calendar for early April 2027, and bring a wagon. 🌱
For current dates, vendor lists, entertainment schedule, and event maps, visit Spring Fever in the Garden. For street closure and shuttle information, see the City of Winter Garden festival page.
Thinking about making West Orange County your home? Explore our guide to Winter Garden's parks and recreation scene, or contact us for personalized advice on neighborhoods, schools, and finding the right home in Winter Garden or surrounding communities.
