Dallas Blooms, the largest annual floral festival in the Southwest, takes place February 23 through April 7, 2019, at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas.

Themed “Life’s A Picnic,” the spring festival showcases an explosion of color from more than 500,000 spring-blooming blossoms, thousands of azaleas, and hundreds of Japanese cherry trees. Look for larger-than-life, “picnic scene” topiary comprised of a 40-foot by 40-foot picnic blanket, a vase of flowers, a picnic basket with pie, and a giant picnic ant.

Alan Walne, Dallas Arboretum board chairman, said, “Dallas Blooms highlights the creativity of our Horticulture staff who are showcasing the garden as one of the top picnic spots in the city with the ‘Life’s a Picnic’ theme.”

Each week showcases one of the best picnic scenes from the movies. The festival begins with the 1955 film, “Picnic,” and continues with films such as, “To Catch a Thief,” “Out of Africa” and the animated film “Up.” Food specials that coincide with each week’s picnic film are offered at restaurant locations throughout the garden.

Other highlights include a presentation by author and journalist Skip Hollandsworth, who penned “The Preston Hollow Cat Burglars,” picnic-themed cooking classes and demonstrations in A Tasteful Place, and live music every weekend on the Martin Rutchik Concert Stage and Lawn.

The eight-acre Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden features 17 indoor/outdoor galleries, 150 interactive science games and an abundance of themed adventures throughout the Dallas Blooms festival.

Mary Brinegar, Dallas Arboretum president and CEO, added, “There is something for everyone at Dallas Blooms — the largest display of tulips in a public garden outside of Holland. As the tulips bloom throughout the festival, the finale is the mass flowering of the garden’s collection of 3,000 azaleas that bloom along with the Japanese cherry trees, ushering in spring with vibrant color everywhere.”

(Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum)