ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Highland Park is once again full of live music, food, games, and the fragrant scents of lilacs. Thursday marks day seven of the 128th annual Lilac Festival.
Thursday’s activities include free guided tours of the park’s collection of over 1,800 lilac bushes and other flowers. You can sign up here. There will also be music from nationally touring alternative artist Joe P at the KeyBank Center Stage.
The festival runs through Sunday, May 17, for a total of 10 days in a row. On Wednesday, students at Creekside School in Fairport took center stage, performing songs from “The Lion King” and “Michael Jackson” with their steel drum band. This year, the Lilac Festival was voted as the country’s second-best flower festival in a USA Today readers’ choice poll.
Guide to closing weekend
Closing weekend will feature the first-ever Lilac Table tasting event. It will also feature the annual Lilac 5K and 10K and the return of Art in the Park and Small Business Circle. The daily walking tours of the lilacs also continue. Here’s your guide:
- Saturday, May 16: The first-ever Lilac Table, a tasting event featuring local restaurants and craft beverage producers, kicks off. The ticketed event is happening from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. behind the Lilac Adventure Zone. In addition, Art in the Park & Small Business Circle continues from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Artists from across the region will sell their work on Reservoir Avenue, up the hill from the main festival grounds.
- Sunday, May 17: The 47th annual Lilac 5K and 10K is taking place on the final morning of the festival. Both races start and finish on Highland Avenue near the purple crosswalk. The 5K begins at 8 a.m., and the 10K begins at 9:30 a.m. You can register and see a course map here.
The music lineup
Some nationally touring artists are coming to the KeyBank Center Stage in Highland Park. There will be a different headliner for each of the 10 days, along with supporting acts. Here’s the lineup for the rest of the festival:
- Thursday, May 14: Joe P (Part of the 94.1 The Zone Takeover). Support from The Demos.
- Friday, May 15: Anees (R&B, pop, and fusion). Support from Chi TheRealist.
- Saturday, May 16: JD McPherson (rock & roll, R&B, and blues). Support from Prime Time Brass.
- Sunday, May 17: Eggy (jam, funk, and Psychedelic). Support from High Fade.
Dozens of local artists are also performing at the festival. You can see the full schedule here. You can become familiar with the headliners using this playlist on Spotify.
Festival forecast
We’re tracking a cool day for Thursday, with temperatures mostly staying in the 40s and some showers in the afternoon. But the sunshine and warmth will return for Friday and the weekend. We’re tracking temperatures in the 60s on Friday and in the 70s for the weekend. See our latest forecast here.
History of the Lilac Festival
The festival all started with a local horticulturist, John Dunbar, planting lilacs in Highland Park in the 1890s, and thousands of people showing up to see them. It expanded over the decades and now draws over 500,000 visitors. The festival features the most extensive lilac collection in the northeast.
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