Daffodil Parade marches to four south Sound cities

POSTED BY
Carole Cancler

Second only to the summertime Washington State Fair in Puyallup, the Daffodil Festival is an annual celebration of the history and traditions in four Pierce County cities: Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting. The Daffodil Festival is made up of many smaller events and parades.

The Daffodil Parade includes floats decorated with thousands of fresh-cut daffodils, just like the daffodil flowers that grew in the Puyallup Valley for over 80 years (read more about the history of daffodils in the valley below). Of course, there are also lots of marching bands, clowns, and many other groups who contribute still more local flair to this community-wide celebration. The parade consists of over 180 entries and travels through the four Daffodil Festival cities: Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting, the Parade (see parade cities map below).

History of the Daffodil Parade and Festival

The Daffodil Festival originated in 1934 as a celebration of the agriculture industry in the Puyallup and Sumner area. The Daffodil Parade became an annual event where the community gathered, and the daffodil was the exalted symbol. The celebration gradually grew to make its way through four Pierce County cities in a single day.

Despite the loss of the daffodil farmers throughout the years, Pierce County is still fertile ground, continuing to sprout new ideas and ways of thinking, ingenuity, industry, and innovation.

The parade still hosts the beautiful golden flowers, but the true celebration continues to revolve around the community from which it originates, and the people whose hands have built the festival from the very beginning. The high school bands, floats, businesses and local organizations, all hold strong ties to the streets they march, walk, and ride over in the parade. It is for this reason that the Daffodil Festival still flourishes.

For more information about the Daffodil festival and parade, visit the Daffodil Festival website.

2019 Daffodil Parade, Saturday, April 6, 2019

Tacoma – 10:15 AM (Pacific Ave from 12th to 21st Streets)
Puyallup – 12:45 PM (7th Ave SW at 5th SW to S Meridian, W Meeker Ave, 3rd St SW, 4th Ave SW)
Sumner – 2:30 PM (Main ST. at Kincaid Ave to Sunset Stadium)
Orting – 5:00 PM (Washington Ave S from Bridge to Whitsell)

Here’s our Google map of the Daffodil Parade cities throughout the south Sound: