Posted 2/8/15 – Sierra Madre’s annual Wistaria Festival is scheduled to take place on March 15th, and tickets from the downtown area to the vine location are on sale now. The festival itself is free, as is seeing the vine. However, parking in the area can be difficult due to road closures around the vine, and the steep hills around the area make it difficult for some to walk to the vine. The shuttle gives a round trip ride to and from the vine, and helps the Chamber pay for the costs of putting on the festival.
Tickets for the shuttle are available here. Cost of the tickets are $15.00 for adults (plus $1.82 handling charge), and $7.00 for seniors and children 7 to 14 (plus $1.38 handling charge). There is a Children under 7 ride free.
Sierra Madre’s Wistaria Vine has been designated the world’s largest blossoming plant by the Guinness Book of World Records. It was planted in 1894, and at one point was said to cover more than an acre of ground and feature 1.5 million blooms. The vine, whose weight destroyed the home at which it was originally planted still covers a large segment of two properties, whose owners are kind enough to open their properties to the thousands who make the trek to see it each year.
In addition to the vine viewing, the Festival downtown features:
- Art & Craft Faire, with up to 150+ juried artisans, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Village restaurants featuring indoor and outdoor dining
- Live music featuring musical acts in several outdoor locations
- Special Wistaria Festival US Postal Stamp cancellation
- Memorial Park Kids’ Zone and Food Court