What to Expect at the Philadelphia Flower Show

Planning to visit the Philadelphia Flower Show this year? It’s become a bit of an annual tradition for me, and I’ve now gone to the last three! Here’s everything you need to know!

Fun fact the Philly Flower Show is the largest and longest running horticultural event in the entire country. Can you imagine what the very first show in 1829 would’ve been like? There’s actually a digital archive for those of you curious about flower shows past!

The show is put on by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society (PHS), and each year the Convention Center is taken over by all things plants and flowers, and it’s such a fun way to usher in spring (or will it along). I only just started going recently, and it really is such a pick-me-up after a long winter. This last year was particularly rough with temperatures in the teens and two separate snow storms.

Anyway, now that I’ve gotten the lay of the land, I thought I’d quickly share what to expect if it’s your first time as well!

All About the Philadelphia Flower Show

2026 Details

• Dates: February 28 – March 6th
• Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center
• Theme: Rooted: Origins of American Gardening

Getting in

Transport into the City

There’s obviously a ton of paid parking around the Convention Center but do yourself a favor and just take SEPTA in! You can park at any one of the regional rail stations, take the train in (all trains are credit card tap friendly now!) to Jefferson Station. You’ll literally come out at the Market Street entrance.

The Entrances

This is like my most important piece of advice to help you avoid standing in line!! Please note there are TWO entrances into the Convention Center. One is on Arch Street and one is on Market Street. There’s a security line to get in the building, a security line to get into the convention, and then a line to show your ticket.

If you see a line out the building at one entrance, just check the other to see if it’s better. When we went, the line on Arch Street wrapped around the building while the Market Street one was empty. Of course, no one working the Arch Street entrance mentioned this was an option so… I’m telling you now!

Ticket Options

You can buy all tickets here. If you want to save money, I really recommend getting the Twilight ticket! It starts after 4:00PM and you have until 8:00PM (6:00PM on the last day). It’s a huge show, so unless you want to try the early bird tour, you’re not going to avoid crowds. It’s also all inside so if you’re a photographer wondering about the best light — it’s the same lighting whether you go at 10:00 AM or 8:00 PM.

**Please note that while this year I went as part of press, I paid for my tickets in years past!**

What to Expect When You’re There

Once you’re inside, you’ll notice there’s a lot going on! Here’s a quick break down but also just know that it’s really not that overwhelming getting around. Plus there are a ton of lovely volunteers in cheerful pink vests to help guide you.

The Theme

Every year the flower show has a theme that really dictates the over all vibe. The last two years were United by Flowers and Gardens of Tomorrow, and this year is Rooted: Origins of American Gardening. The mission is to celebrate the way gardens can travel whether it’s through time, generations, or literally across the globe. I love that it’s about storytelling and the kinds of stories gardens and flowers can tell.

The Flower Show

This is the gran fromage! Follow signs to the main flower show which is what you’ll see photographed and filmed all over social media. It’s always such a gorgeous display of everyone’s works. One half is the show stopper exhibits while the other half is more for those of you really interested in gardening.

Take your time walking around and learning about each exhibit. There are little placards with the theme and history of each, and it’s always so cool to see someone’s take on the overall show theme.

Interactive Exhibits & Vendors

Outside of the main show, you’ll see there are different vendors and sponsors set-up all over the place. The big one is the Butterfly Exhibit where you can go into an area to interact with butterflies. They take a lot of pains to make sure the butterflies are protected and it’s a cool, educational experience for everyone.

This year Netflix House sponsored a very cute Kid’s Cocoon area. The Flower Mama had the cutest truck where you can build your own bouquet. And my favorite, Modern Misfits, had an expanded area where she sold her adorable products and had a really cool set-up where you can DIY your own hats and bags. She made some seriously cute flower show-themed bags this year!!!

And, of course, there are flower crowns. Look for the Bloom Bar & Cart on the show floor.

Artisan Row / Makers Market

Further on is an area known as the Artisan Row or Makers Market where you can find all sorts of small business vendors and creatives. It’s always such a cool range from custom perfumeries to artwork to jewelry and more. Of course, everyone who sells here is an artist so no need to worry about buying drop-shipped junk. The market also usually has some sort of interactive portion where you can do things like build your own bouquet.

This year besides the cute tomato bag I got from Modern Misfits, I got the cutest cat print from Stitch Prism, this gorgeous charcuterie board print from Christine Yao, and a little perfume set from Whiff’d Fragrance Bar!

And there you have it — a quick overview of what to expect at the Philadelphia Flower Show. If you’re more intensely into horticulture, there is, of course, a ton more to do. I’d check out their site for more details. But as a normal visitor who just enjoys pretty flowers, this is pretty much what I do every year!

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