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Riverbend Park will celebrate peak wildflower season Saturday, April 11, with guided walks through its blooming bluebell fields and four hours of live entertainment, animal encounters and family activities.
The Fairfax County Park Authority’s annual Bluebells at the Bend festival will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 8700 Potomac Hills Street in Great Falls.
Guides will lead wildflower walks throughout the day. The festival will also feature live music by Virginia Americana singer Andrew McKnight, food trucks, vendor tents, interactive exhibits, puppet shows and other children’s activities.
Visitors can meet live reptiles and birds of prey, pose with a bald eagle mascot and explore discovery stations inside the park’s nature center. The Maryland Raptor Conservancy will bring live owls to the event.
Advance tickets cost $10 and are available online through Friday, April 10. Admission at the door will be $15.
Riverbend Park’s boat launch will be closed April 11 because of the festival.
Those hoping to see the flowers before the celebration—or avoid its crowds—can join the park’s “Bluebells and Bloodroots” tour Monday, April 6. The $14 program will cover identification of the spring ephemerals and folklore associated with them.
Family-oriented spring wildflower and bald eagle walks, including scavenger hunts and crafts, are also planned for Sunday, April 5, and April 12.
Bluebells typically bloom in early to mid-April. Other nearby places to find them include Great Falls Park, the trails at Lake Accotink Park and Bull Run Regional Park.