Fall Bulb Festival

Celebrate the end of one growing season and prepare for the next. Offering fun for the whole family!

Friday, September 30
noon – 4 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday
October 1 and 2
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Market Vendors

Chicago Botanic Garden Green Youth Farm –
(Sat. & Sun.) organic vegetables, fresh herbs, and honey Vendor talk: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Demo on Extending the Growing Season

Century Farmhouse – handcrafted artisan soaps, dried lavendar gifts, and handcrafted pottery bowls

City Micro Farms – (Sat. & Sun.) organic basil, arugula, and vinaigrettes

Completely Nuts – cinnamon roasted nuts

Crumb – (Sat. & Sun.) organic, handmade breads

Culinary Landscape, Chicago Botanic Garden Café – pretzels, hot dogs, and seasonal brews

Dad's Garlic Salt – original, Cajun, and Italian garlic salts, and roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Famous Kal's – kettle corn

Faith’s Farm – free-range, drug-free meats and drug-free brown eggs

Futters Nut Butters – all varieties of nut butters except peanut

H&H Flowers/Sunkissed Organics – organically grown plants and produce

Katherine Anne Confections – handmade truffles and caramels

LocalFolks Food – ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, jams, sauces

Made from Mud – handmade pottery

McCluskey Brothers – (Sun.) organic beef, cheese, and maple syrup

River Valley Ranch – fresh mushrooms, pickled mushrooms, pasta sauces, and salsas

Toffee Traditions – multiple varieties of English toffee

Tomato Mountain Farm – certified organic salsas, preserves, soups, and pasta sauce

W&M Land Corp – vegetable and flower starts, larger potted plants, and various produce

Wind Ridge Herb Farm – organic dried herbs, herbal teas, dips, seasonings, and salad dressings

Xanadu Forests Apiary – extracted, creamed, and comb honey; beeswax candles; and soaps

PHOTO: Fall Bulb Festival

Festival Highlights
On the Esplanade, visitors can sip cider, wine, and beer, while listening to live music and shopping among more than 20 of the Garden's favorite local vendors. Have a hot dog or a soft pretzel, and enjoy the best of the fall harvest. Taste mouth-watering salsas, herbs, and vegetables. Bring home gourmet foods including baked goods, cheeses, and honey. Shop for pumpkins, pottery, soaps, and more. Children can navigate the straw bale maze, enjoy the amazing gourd display, and drop in for such family activities as leaf rubbing, a leaf hunt, and mini-scarecrows.

242 Varieties of Bulbs
Just a few steps away in the Regenstein Center, visitors will find the perfect bulbs for their gardens at the bulb sale, featuring 242 varieties of daffodils, tulips, alliums, and other specialty bulbs. The bulbs are shipped directly from Holland, just in time for fall planting.

Prepurchase a special selection of bulbs online September 8 through 22.

Garden horticulturists and staff will offer practical tips and demonstrations on bulb selection and planting.

Thanks to the exceptional generosity of the Woman’s Board, proceeds from the bulb sale directly support the care and maintenance of three living laboratories: the Woman's Board Rainwater Glen, the Ellis Goodman Family Foundation Green Roof Garden South, and the Josephine P. & John J. Louis Foundation Green Roof Garden North. Proceeds also support evaluation and research of the best plants for rain gardens and green roof gardens throughout the Midwest and in similar climates worldwide.

SCVNGR
Play SCVNGR at the Fall Bulb Festival this weekend and win a free ticket to the Model Railroad Garden! Just download the SCVNGR app for free onto your smart phone and click on Chicago Botanic Garden. We’ve got 3 challenges set up and if you complete them all, you win! Show your phone to the Info Desk at the Visitor Center to claim your prize.

Members-only Hours for Bulb Sale
On Friday, from 10 a.m. to noon, Garden members have the privilege of early shopping hours for bulbs, just before the festival begins.

Generously supported by

Comcast

Admission is free. Parking fees apply. Please park in the main parking lots and follow the signs directing you to the festival.