The Daffodil Festival Agenda 2026
Your complete guide to the 50th Annual Nantucket Daffodil Festival, April 23–26, 2026.
The daffodil arrived on Nantucket before most of its admirers did. In 1974, a small group of island merchants decided that spring deserved a proper celebration—and that a few million yellow blooms along the roadsides, a parade of antique cars, and an excuse for a tailgate picnic constituted one. Fifty years later, Daffodil Festival remains one of the most genuinely pleasurable weekends on the island calendar: unhurried, slightly eccentric, and entirely its own thing. This year’s edition carries the weight of a milestone, which the island will wear, characteristically, with good humor.
Here is the weekend, laid out.
Friday, April 24
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM: Daffodil Bazaar — Dreamland Theater, Harborview Room (17 S Water Street)
Ed. Note: Local makers, artisans, and vendors, gathered upstairs at the Dreamland. The island’s answer to a spring market, and considerably more curated than what you’ll find at a generic craft fair. Worth the first hour of your morning.
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: The Artists Association of Nantucket Spring Forward Opening (Cecelia Joyce & Seward Johnson Gallery at 8 Federal Street)
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM: NHA Flower Power Party — Whaling Museum (13 Broad Street)
Ed. Note: The Nantucket Historical Association’s annual Daffodil Weekend opener, presented in partnership with N Magazine and the Chamber. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, festive libations, a photo booth, and a prize for the best “blooming” outfit. Ticketed; 21 and older.
Saturday, April 25
9:30 AM: Antique Car Staging — Main Street
Ed. Note: The cars—pre-1980 models, draped in daffodils and driven by their owners—line up along Main Street for viewing before the parade steps off. This is arguably the best time to see them: unhurried, close, and not yet in motion. Walk the length of the staging area before the crowds thicken.
10:00 AM: Daffodil Hat Pageant — Children’s Beach Bandstand (Harbor View Way)
Ed. Note: The hat competition is one of the festival’s most earnest traditions. Entries range from tasteful to architectural. Spectating is free and encouraged.
10:35 AM: Children’s Bicycle Parade Staging — Children’s Beach Bandstand (Harbor View Way)
Ed. Note: Children decorate their bikes with daffodils and proceed from the bandstand. If you have children with you, bring a bike and flowers, and join in.
12:00 PM (Sharp): Antique Car Parade — Main Street, proceeding up Orange Street toward Siasconset
Ed. Note: The parade loops through downtown before heading out toward ‘Sconset via Milestone Road.
Shortly after 12:00 PM: Daffodil Dog Parade — Children’s Beach Bandstand (Harbor View Way)
Ed. Note: Dogs in daffodil costumes. There is no more efficient use of fifteen minutes.
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM: 50th Annual Daffodil Show — The Nantucket Inn (1 Miller Lane)
Ed. Note: The Nantucket Garden Club’s competitive flower show opens to the public Saturday afternoon. Fifty years of this show have produced some genuinely high standards—the arrangements in the more competitive categories tend toward the serious end of floristry. The amateur entries are, in their own way, equally interesting.
All afternoon: Tailgate Picnic — Milestone Road, en route to Siasconset
Ed. Note: The festival’s signature event, and the one most likely to surprise a first-time visitor. Cars park along the verge of Milestone Road after the parade, and their owners set up alongside them with tablecloths, china, real glassware, flowers, and food that reflects genuine preparation. The standard is competitive in the most enjoyable sense of the word. Foot traffic is welcome along the length of the road. A well-assembled tailgate—coordinated, seasonal, and properly stocked—will draw appreciative attention from neighbors. A blanket and a bottle of rosé will not.
Sunday, April 26
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM: 50th Annual Daffodil Show (Final Day) — The Nantucket Inn (1 Miller Lane)
Ed. Note: The show’s final hours, and often the least crowded window for viewing. The Garden Club’s arrangements peak in quality on the second day as entries settle into the space.
Before You Go
April on Nantucket runs to the low fifties, with wind off the water that carries real weight. For the tailgate, layers are essential: the afternoon will be colder than it appears from Main Street. Daffy yellow is not optional.
The 50th Annual Nantucket Daffodil Festival runs Thursday, April 23 through Sunday, April 26, 2026. Most Saturday events are free and open to the public. The NHA Flower Power Party is ticketed.