Newport Gets Daffy for Daffodil Days

Newport, Rhode Island, will celebrate its 2nd annual Daffodil Days Festival April 17-19, 2015. The bright yellow flowers, planted each fall, come to life in April in neighborhoods across the City. Thanks to “Daffodillion,” a local beautification effort, 385,000 bulbs have now been planted throughout Newport.

“Our goal is to plant 1 million bulbs in Newport, becoming the daffiest city in New England,” said Hirschboeck, the project director. “Daffodils are a sure sign of spring. Our Daffodil Days Festival is a celebration of their annual renewal and beauty.”

This year’s Daffodil Days will feature fun, family events around town and over the course of 3 days – all free of charge. The complete schedule is available here: http://www.daffodillion.com/daffydays/. Highlights include:

Friday, April 17th:

5:30 pm - Opening Ceremony -- Come celebrate Spring as a Garland of Daffodils are cut to kick-off Newport’s Daffodil Days Festival. Bannister’s Wharf, Downtown Newport.

5:45 pm - Daffy Window Decorating Contest -- Winners announced and prizes awarded at Bannister’s Wharf.

5:15-7:15 pm - Live Music -- Musicians perform outdoors at Bannister and Bowen’s Wharfs. All join in for a “Daffy Conga” with Miss Newport.

Throughout the Evening - Daffy Drinks & Delightful Desserts at Newport’s favorite restaurants.

Saturday, April 18th:

12:30-1:00 pm - Daffy Doggies on Parade -- Dogs dressed in Daffy attire. Prizes for daffiest doggies!

1:00-3:00 pm - Daffodil Delights at Hillside -- Open garden at Hillside - a private garden with more than 150,000 flowers in bloom.

1:30 pm - “Tour de Jonquilles” Bike Ride -- Join the Daffy bike riders (decorated with daffodils, please) departing from Touro Park for an easy 3 mile ride to view beds of Daffodils throughout Newport

2:00-4:00 pm - Jazzy Bouquet Bar at Ballard Park -- Live jazz performed in the old quarry meadow amidst 19,000 daffodils.

Sunday, April 19th:

11:00-2:00 pm - Dabble & Doodle the Daffys -- Calling all “budding” artists to capture the beauty of the Daffodil fields. Materials provided to create your masterpiece to take home.

1:30-3:00 pm - Daffodil Car Rally – Daffodil-decorated classic cars parade through Newport, departing from the Visitor’s Center on to Ocean Drive ending at the Bellevue House.

2:00 & 4:00 pm - “Dance of the Daffodils” Live Ballet -- Performed by the RI Ballet Theatre at 2pm at Ballard Park and an encore performance at 4pm at Bellevue House

3:00-4:30 pm - Daffodil Classic Cars and Private Garden Tour -- View participating automobiles on the grounds at the historic Bellevue House, a private estate. Tour the extensive gardens, in spectacular bloom with thousands of daffodils.

In addition to the three-day festival activities, daffodil themed programs and events include:

“Birds and Blooms” A juried art exhibition at Spring Bull Gallery, 55 Bellevue Avenue.

“Daffodils en Plein Air” competition -- Open call for all artists to contribute their Daffodil themed works of art (any medium) by June 30, 2015 to the Newport Art Museum for judging and awards.

April Daffodil Days at Blithewold, Bristol RI -- Tour the 45-room historic English-style manor where Spring is trumpeted by tens of thousands of daffodils overlooking Narragansett Bay. Visit www.blithewold.org for details.

Please visit http://www.daffodillion.com/daffydays for more information. Rain dates for all activities are the following weekend, same day of week, time and venue. Check Newport Daffodil Days Facebook page for updates.