City of St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Logo

Green Thumb Festival

About the Festival

St. Petersburg's annual Arbor Day Celebration, the Green Thumb Festival, brings together plant and flower lovers, as well as, individuals and families looking for a fun weekend activity. With more than 120 garden, plant and flower vendors and exhibitors, the annual event brings the community together for a weekend of fun.


The festival will follow state and local as well as CDC guidelines.

Festival Activities

  • Ask an Arborist
  • Butterfly Tent
  • Children’s Crafts
  • Free Plant Giveaway
  • Environmental Resources Tent
  • Educational Programs
  • Environmental Groups Tent
  • Flower Show
  • Food Trucks
  • Free Mulch
  • Free Pine Seedlings
  • Garden Railroad Display
  • Garden Wagon Parade & Decorating Contest
  • Pinellas County Extension Service
  • Plant/Soil/Water Diagnostics
  • Tree Sale

Workshops

Child Holding a Potted Plant

Pinellas County Farm Bureau and UF/IFAS Extension are sponsoring hands-on workshops for adults (ages 18 & up) during the festival.

  • Workshop Schedule:
  • Saturday, April 23
  • 10 a.m. | Succulent Planter | Create a succulent planter for your home or garden. Selection of plants and containers are provided and will vary.
  • 2 p.m. | DIY Seed Balls | Learn to create your own DIY wildflower seed balls and herb seed tapes. Selection of seeds will vary.
  • Sunday, April 24
  • 10 a.m. | Upcycled Herb Planters | Learn how to use upcycled containers as a herb planters. Selection of herbs and containers are provided and will vary.
  • 2 p.m. | Koko Dema - Japanese House Plant Display | Create a Kokedama ball.


Workshops are free and are taught by UF/IFAS Master Gardeners.

Limited spots available. Reserve your spot online:

Register Online

Flower Show

A pink flower
Flower Shower Booklet

The Garden Club of St. Petersburg displays their creativity through juried floral designs and crafts representing gardens from around the world. Exhibits are designed with a new theme each year.

The public is invited to vote for the best of show in both the horticulture and floral design category.

Judging occurs the Friday before the festival and awards are given to the winners at the festival on Sunday at 3 p.m. inside Walter Fuller Recreation Center. All judges are from clubs within the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs District VIII and use standards set by the National Garden Clubs, Inc. For more information on the Garden Club, visit www.gardenclubstpetersburg.org.

The Garden Wagon Parade & Decorating Contest

A line of people walking with their garden wagons

Get your wagon ready for The Garden Wagon Parade & Decorating Contest. Deck out your wagon and enter the parade to win a prize for youth and adults:

  • First Place: $75 - Adults / $75 - Youth
  • Second Place: $40 - Adults / $40 - Youth
  • Third Place: $10 - Adults / $10 - Youth

Entry Fee: Only $5 per entry


CONTEST REGISTRATION has closed.

For more information, contact greenthumb@stpete.org


About

The Green Thumb Festival was established by the St. Petersburg Parks Department as an Arbor Day celebration on April 11, 1986 at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. The concept was introduced by the Parks Director at the time, Litdell “Dell” Holmes, to meet the requirements of the prestigious Tree City USA award, and as a result, the City has been a recipient of the award every year since 1986.

Festival attendance is estimated at 30,000 to 35,000 over the two-day event and more than 200 educational and environmental exhibits and vendors participate. The festival continues to be free of charge.



Partners and Sponsors

Major contributors to the Green Thumb Festival include the following:


Vendors

Do you have merchandise which is horticultural or garden related? Or are you a licensed and insured food vendor?
If you are interested in becoming a vendor, inquire at greenthumb@stpete.org.

Show Vendor Information:

  • Fee is $175 per space. The booth spaces are approximately 12’ x 12’.
  • Plant vendors are REQUIRED to attach a registration certificate from the Division of Plant Industry. This certificate must be available at the festival.
  • Limited spaces are available for show vendors.

  • REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED for festival vendors.

  • Click here to contact us with any questions.

Volunteers

Looking to volunteer your time? We have volunteer opportunities at the festival.
Credit for school volunteer hours is available.
A festival T-shirt will be given to each volunteer, and drinks will be available during shift.