Sunflower season comes but once a year, and when these golden giants are in full bloom, there is only a short window to take in this incredible scenery.

Now in its second season in the Township of Spallumcheen, Bloom鈥檚 annual Sunflower Festival is something that attracts people from far and wide. The first festival in August 2021 drew 6,000 attendees.

Bloom founder Alexis Szarek is ramping up for another busy season and encouraging anyone interested in attending to book their tickets now for this year鈥檚 event, which began Aug. 18 and runs to Sept. 4.

鈥淲e were pleasantly surprised with how many people sought out the Sunflower Festival last year, and we anticipate summer 2022 will be even busier,鈥� said Szarek. 鈥淥ur family has worked hard to ensure this year will be just as engaging for our guests, which is why we鈥檝e added in a few little additions to our programming.鈥�

Beyond wandering the local fields in full bloom, or picking your own bunch to take home, this year鈥檚 visitors will also have the chance to peruse a handful of vendors selling products on the farm.

Start or end your visit by enjoying cider from neighbouring cidery Farmstrong along with live music and food truck snacks for anyone wanting to take advantage of the on-site picnic area.

For any art lovers or aspiring painters, there will be Paint Nights hosted by Lynn at Merlot meets Merlot.

In line with Bloom鈥檚 philosophy of community-first, the family-run business has also included some sweet perks for the neighbouring communities, including a series of multi-day season passes and Locals Night, which means $12 entry on Thursdays.

In addition, kids up to the ages of 15 are free on Fridays. All the details on passes and programming can be found on the Bloom website, .

鈥淪unflower Festival is one of the prettiest times of year in this area and we want to share that with as many people as possible,鈥� said Szarek. 鈥淔or this reason, anyone planning to attend should buy their tickets in advance as this event

is expected to sell out during peak attendance times.鈥�

Visitors are also encouraged to visit Bloom outside of weekend hours which are generally a little less busy (Monday, Thursday and Friday - the festival is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday).

Bloom is a family-run operation whose deep knowledge and passion for horticulture and farming goes back three generations. It was Alexis who came up with the idea of hosting farm festivals to share their love of horticulture with locals and tourists.

As part of their business mandate, Bloom continues to donate to local charities that align with their values of creating and supporting a thriving culture and community. As of 2022, Bloom has donated more than $120,000.