CELEBRATING 55 YEARS | WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO | Family Fun SINCE 1969

Carnation Festival is a celebration of our community since the city's incorporation in 1969. Once named the "Carnation Capital of the World", Wheat Ridge embraces its heritage through this spectacular event. In 2024, our 55th annual festival, Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival will be filled with food, music, culture and fun for people of all ages!

 

 

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Festival Location

Carnation Festival main events are held at Anderson Park, located at 4355 Field Street, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

Parade Route

Parade takes place on the 38th Avenue between Sheridan and Wadsworth on Saturday morning from 9am to noon. The parade showcases various aspects of the community with entries including community groups and local organizations, such as service groups, community building organizations, boy/girl scouts, local businesses, churches, special interest groups and more. The Festival announces its Count, Countess, and Grand Marshal each year from community members who had significant impact to Wheat Ridge. These dignitaries lead the parade then preside to select the winner in each category.
Each year, people crowd over to the 38th Avenue to excitedly await for the parade at their favorite spot. This year is no exception. We are looking forward to seeing your bright smiley face there, too!

  • Festival Royalty Nomination

    Nomination Guidelines: Nominations for the 2024 Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival Royalty are being accepted now. Categories include Grand Marshal, Count and Countess. All nominees should have notable service to the Wheat Ridge community via participation in associations, service clubs, charitable endeavors, schools, etc. The Count and Countess are required to be Wheat Ridge residents but the Grand Marshal is not required to be a resident. Nominees should be available for appearances on parade day, August 10th from 8:30am-Noon to lead the parade on 38th Avenue and judge entries from the grand stand. Appearances are also required on August 8th from 5-7pm for the Mayor’s Reception and August 10th from 2:30pm-3:00pm for the awards presentation on the Festival Main Stage at Anderson Park.

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A Little History of the Festival, Flower and Farmers

Every August in Wheat Ridge there’s a community shindig for a few thousand of the city’s closest friends.

The party, The Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival, is nearing the half-century mark – and is one of the longest running festivals in Colorado. The festival derives its name from the post-World War II period when Wheat Ridge was home to a thriving carnation industry. The last carnation grower in Wheat Ridge phased out their operation in 2008.

The event has changed and grown, but has always been a free locally driven and family-friendly event. In 2023, there were around 30,000 attendees at Anderson Park. Now a three-day festival, it attracts residents and visitors from around the state.

The festival is and has been a long-time of supporter of many local Wheat Ridge focused nonprofits, service clubs, as well as student and senior organizations. All monies generated by the festival go to these local entities or back into the costs of the festival itself.

The festival is a registered nonprofit with the state and is managed and ran by a board of Wheat Ridge volunteers.

The city of Wheat Ridge was incorporated and officially become a city on Aug. 15, 1969. In honor of the city’s birthday, the area’s agricultural history (the Wheat Ridge High School sports teams are the Farmers) and carnation production, a festival was born.

The carnation flower has its own lengthy history. The scientific/Latin name is Dianthus Caryophyllus, which translates into Flower of Zeus or Flower of the Gods. The carnation is one of the world’s oldest cultivars. It’s first mentioned in ancient Greek literature, as growing on hillsides.

Colorado’s abundant sunshine made for a near-perfect place to grow carnations. Carnations need ample sunlight. Wheat Ridge is close to Denver and provided the needed space for greenhouses.

In the 1960s, the city had 32 different carnation growers and sent flowers to the White House every Monday morning. The bouquet was displayed in the front foyer with a card stating: “With compliments to our nation’s capital, Wheat Ridge Colorado, Carnation City,” per the Wheat Ridge Historical Society.

The city’s moniker as being the “Carnation City,” prompted a group of people to organize an official agricultural and floricultural weekend celebration. Thus, the Carnation Festival and Parade become an annual tradition, first held on 38th Avenue.

The parade remains on 38th Avenue, with a brief hiatus to 44th Avenue at one point. The parade over the years has featured floats with mounds of carnations from the local growers. The greenhouses are gone, but the connections to the past remain. The world now receives its carnations primarily from South America.

The festival itself has had a few sites since the beginning, until finding its present home at Anderson Park.

Like so many traditions, occasions and festivals, finding the exact origins of the festival and historical specifics are as steeped in unknowns as the carnation flower itself. So many of the city’s founders and festival originators have passed – but their legacy continues.