Photos: Pike Place Market prepares for annual flower festival

Morning at the Market: Pike Place prepares for annual flower festival

KNKX Public Radio | By Parker Miles Blohm

Published May 28, 2023 at 5:00 AM PDT

Selling flowers at Pike Place Market since 1994, Lee Lor Garden is one of the many family owned farms selling flowers to tourists and locals alike. Owned and operated by Blia Lor, Lee Lor and their son Peter, the farm sits on eight-acres just outside Carnation, Wash. and grow a variety of flowers, herbs and vegetables. — Selling flowers at Pike Place Market since 1994, Lee Lor Garden is one of the many family owned farms selling flowers to tourists and locals alike. Owned and operated by Blia Lor, Lee Lor and their son Peter, the farm sits on 8 acres just outside Carnation, Wash. and grows a variety of flowers, herbs and vegetables.

On an early Saturday morning, trucks crowded the street outside of Pike Place Market. Bucket by bucket, local farmers unloaded thousands of colorful flowers. Within half an hour, the Market was filled with a wide array of flowers from the Northwest including tulips, daffodils, irises and peonies.

Every year Pike Place Market celebrates the flower farmers and booths that make the market so vibrant and colorful. Now in its 15th year, the market's Flower Festival took place over a particular warm and sunny May weekend in Seattle.

Flowers are a fixture at Pike Place Market, even in the winter when dried bouquets brighten things up. Held on Mother's Day weekend, the Flower Festival is one of the busiest for vendors who build up extra inventory for the festivities.

More than 35 vendors brought their flowers into the city from farms located in King, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties. They arrived around 5 a.m. to set up at the empty market, with only some ambitious early morning runners in sight.

A man quickly unloads and walks a bucket of flowers in front of a white cargo van in front of the market. — Vendors arrived shortly after 5 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, 2023 to setup for Pike Place Market's Flower Festival. This year's festival featured over 35 vendors from around western Washington.

A woman places buckets full of flowers inside the market booths early in the morning. — Vendors began loading 5 gallon buckets full of flowers inside Pike Place Market in the early morning Saturday, May 13, 2023.

A woman placing buckets of tulips on a table inside a market booth surrounded on both sides by more flowers. — Pa Cha Moua, of New Garden flower farm in Fall City, Wash., places buckets full of tulips and other flowers on tables inside the Market Saturday morning. Pa Cha and her husband Thong Moua have been selling flowers grown at their Fall City farm at Pike Place Market since 1991.

Tulips of various colors in motion. — After a busy period of unloading, the Market is filled with flowers and a kaleidoscope of color.

A hallway packed with people looking at and buying flowers. — Bright spring bouquets filled the long vendor tables at Pike Place Market. Dozens of vendors sell their flowers along this section of the market, each booth representing a different farm.

A person takes a photo of the flowers inside a market hallway with their cellphone. — Tulips that look lovely in an arranged bouquet are stunning en masse. Many visitors went away with flowers, photos of flowers or both.

A man and a child, illuminated in a streak of light, look inside booths filled with flowers along the brick lined streets. The markets green roof in the background against a clear blue sky. — Additional vendors and flowers expanded beyond the Market's hallways onto the brick street outside for the Flower Festival.

Cut stems and flowers adorn the red brick streets, a person's foot stepping on the pile. — Freshly cut stems and fallen flowers quickly covered the ground around the vendors. On Saturday evening everything was cleared out, leaving bare floors behind. The next morning, it started all over again.

A woman poses a golden retriever with a flower collar outside a flower booth in the Pike Place Market. — Nhuchia Xiong poses Rosie, a golden retriever, for a photo outside the Brandon's Garden booth at Pike Place Market Saturday May 13, 2023.

A woman stands amongst flowers on all sides while adjusting a bouquet. — McShelle Jasengnou finishes an arrangement at Woodinville Valley Farm's booth. The farm has been a vendor at the market since 1988.

A streak of light illuminates pink lilacs and purple tulips at the market. — Fragrant lilacs and purple tulips wait to be selected at the Market.

Two men walk on a brick sidewalk with the sun fully illuminating them. Tents full of flowers directly behind them. — By mid-morning, the temperatures and foot traffic both increased. With thousands of flowers unloaded and bouquets standing ready to browse, the Flower Festival was in full swing.

Pink and yellow flowers wilting in large buckets outside in the direct sun. — By the end of the day Sunday, the flowers thinned and those remaining began to wilt in the 80 degree weather.

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