Rochester Lilac Festival

North America's largest FREE festival of its kind, the Rochester Lilac Festival is back for its 125th Edition in 2023! This year's event will be held during 10 consecutive days from May 12th-21st, 10:30am- 8:30pm each day.

Originally Written on May 11, 2023

Updated on June 25, 2024

The 2023 Rochester Lilac Festival has ended. Thank you Rochester for another great year!

You know it’s spring here in Rochester if the Rochester Lilac Festival is here.

Of course, back in the city’s famed Highland Park, the event timing and the weather are just about as perfect as it gets for the celebration of North America’s largest collection of lilacs, featuring over 1800 bushes along with over 500 different varieties.

Why is this event special?

The Rochester Lilac Festival is special to our community because it reminds us how incredibly lucky we are to live in such a temperate part of the world where we can appreciate such natural beauty, greenery and growth especially after the cold Upstate winters.

This is a great chance to take in nature, give ourselves and our families the ability to take a stroll through Highland Park and be content with what our earth has given us.

Where Can I Find Vegan Options?

There will be plenty of food vendors and food trucks at the Lilac Fest, and a bunch of them will have vegetarian and vegan options. This year, you’ll see Avenue 29 Foods, Effortlessly Healthy, Le Petit Poutine, Wraps on Wheels – to name a few. Rita’s Italian Ice also serves up frozen non-dairy treats if you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth.

The entire list of all the food vendors can be found here.

To find out all the important details including Visitor info, where to park, the Kids’ Zone, Merch Tent, Art in the Park, and so much more head over to the official Lilac Fest Website.