The Sunflower Festival, which is a multi-week celebration of summer, kicked off on Sunday at Foreman Farms, just a 10-minute drive from downtown.
“We had this idea, because we do have Foreman Farms, of bringing something kind of light and bright and fresh and new to Prince George,” said Sarah McKinley, events manager for Northern Estate Lights Winery.
“And really getting an activity for all kinds of people - every kind of demographic out there.”
The walk-through family attraction is being hosted by the winery which owns the Foreman Farms property.
McKinley said they thought sunflowers would be picturesque and planted over 30,000 seeds transforming a field on the property into a garden and new summer destination.
“We wanted it to be a fun activity for every group to come out and just kind of check out so there's something to do all summer long since the season is so short in Prince George.”
While the sunflowers are now blooming, the number of flowers is expected to increase and they’ll grow even taller over the next few weeks.
“We had a pretty late start to the sunshine in our season, as everyone well knows. So, they definitely took a little bit longer to get going, but they are still in the process of blooming,” said McKinley.
“They're kind of average height right now but we're hoping that the sunshine we're seeing that is so gorgeous right now will just keep them going, which will be fun.”
In the midst of the sunflowers is a measurement tool allowing visitors to see just how tall the sunflowers will get by the end of the season.
There are also numerous photo stations set up amongst the sunflowers so visitors can take as many pictures as they want and showcase the beautiful scenery that is in and around Prince George.
“We're getting such rave reviews about the little park that we have set up and the sandbox. We've got some adult-style games as well, there's corn hole and beanbag toss. There's Jenga and Connect Four and fun things kind of everywhere,” added McKinley.
There’s also a small animal area in the back of the sunflower field with chickens, ducks, rabbits, and goats.
Northern Lights has also set up the Bloom Café at Foreman Farms which is offering grab-and-go style snacks and ice cream. It is also sourcing local merchandise and products made-in-B.C. like sodas, jams, and candles.
“Really the idea is just to create memories in Prince George and kind of draw people from surrounding areas as well, and have those memories because that's what we're kind of all about these days,” said McKinley, adding that the first day of the festival was a resounding success.
“Everybody who has come in has had really positive feedback so far about all of the offerings and things that they have to do. We are getting good notes on all of the food that we've got here as well and it can't hurt that it's a bright, beautiful sunny day.”
Tickets for the Sunflower Festival, as well as directions to Foreman Farms which is located at 1965 Foreman Road are available online through the Northern Lights Estate Winery website.
The Festival takes place from Sunday to Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
