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Green Thumb Festival

About the Festival

St. Petersburg's annual Arbor Day Celebration, the Green Thumb Festival, brings together plant and flower lovers, as well as, individuals and families looking for a fun weekend activity. With more than 120 garden, plant and flower vendors and exhibitors, the annual event brings the community together for a weekend of fun.

Please note: This event is rain or shine with the exception of severe weather. Cancellations due to weather will be announced on our Facebook page at facebook.com/stpeteparksrec .

Festival Activities

  • Ask an Arborist
  • Tool Sharpening
  • Butterfly Tent
  • Children’s Crafts
  • Free Plant Giveaway
  • Environmental Resources Tent
  • Educational Programs
  • Environmental Groups Tent
  • Flower Show
  • Food Trucks
  • Free Mulch Delivery Raffle (must be a St. Pete resident)
  • Free Pine Seedlings
  • Garden Railroad Display
  • Garden Wagon Decorating Contest
  • Plant/Soil/Water Diagnostics
  • Tree Sale
  • Pinellas County Extension Service
  • Pathfinder Tree Climbing


Festival Map

The festival map with vendor information will be available in mid-April.

Youth & Adult Workshops

Child Holding a Potted Plant

The schedule of workshops will be available in mid-April.

Flower Show

A pink flower

The Garden Club of St. Petersburg displays their creativity through juried floral designs and crafts representing gardens from around the world. Exhibits are designed with a new theme each year

The public is invited to vote for the best of show in both the horticulture and floral design category.

Judging occurs the Friday before the festival and awards are given to the winners at the festival on Sunday at 3 p.m. inside Walter Fuller Recreation Center. All judges are from clubs within the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs District VIII and use standards set by the National Garden Clubs, Inc. For more information on the Garden Club, visit www.gardenclubstpetersburg.org.

The Garden Wagon Decorating Contest

A line of people walking with their garden wagons

Anyone is welcome to enter this fun festival event. Get creative decorating a standard four-wheel wagon or two-wheel garden cart and enter it into the Garden Wagon Decorating Contest and Showcase.

  • • Saturday, April 27
  • • 10 a.m. - Judging
  • • 11 a.m. - Showcase
  • • Registration fee: $5
  • • Registration deadline: March 29


First, second, and third place prizes are awarded in both the youth and adult categories. There are specific size limits for the wagons and carts. Please be sure to click on the “sign up here” button below for all the details.


History of the Festival

The Green Thumb Festival was established by the St. Petersburg Parks Department as an Arbor Day celebration on April 11, 1986 at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. The concept was introduced by the Parks Director at the time, Litdell “Dell” Holmes, to meet the requirements of the prestigious Tree City USA award, and as a result, the City has been a recipient of the award every year since 1986.

Festival attendance is estimated at 30,000 to 35,000 over the two-day event and more than 200 educational and environmental exhibits and vendors participate. The festival continues to be free of charge.



Partners and Sponsors

Major contributors to the Green Thumb Festival include the following:



BECOME A SPONSOR

Vendors

Registration:

Registration for all vendors closed on February 18. We are not seeking additional vendors at this time. Please mark your calendars for early 2025 to apply for next year's festival.



  • Vendor Information:
  • - Fee is $200 per space. The booth spaces are approximately 12’ x 12’.
  • - Plant vendors are REQUIRED to attach a registration certificate from the Division of Plant Industry. This certificate must be available at the festival.
  • - Limited spaces are available for show vendors.

Click here to contact us with any questions.

Volunteers

Looking to volunteer your time? We have volunteer opportunities at the festival. Our 2024 volunteer application will be available on this page until April 5, 2024. Volunteer assignments will be sent via email no later than April 19, 2024. Credit for school volunteer hours is available. A festival T-shirt will be given to each volunteer.