Butterfly House

Each year Greathouse Butterfly Farm erects a large screened tent and fills it with native butterflies. Admission to this tent is free. As you stroll through the enclosure where hundreds of butterflies flit among flowering plants, you may be lucky enough to have one of the butterflies land on you. This display provides many opportunities to see butterflies up close and to talk with the attendants about butterflies and their habits as well as learn about butterfly attracting plants for your garden.

Children’s Area

A large shaded area is set aside for our free supervised children’s activities. This area is organized and supervised by The Gainesville Garden Club, Inc. with assistance from  Chick-fil-A. Activities include garden related craft projects, potting plants, story telling and visits from special guests like Smokey Bear, Compost Kid,  and the Chick-fil-A Cow and Baby Cow. This is a Make-and-Take area where each child can leave with something they have made.

Main Stage

The main stage is located under a large live oak tree near the entrance to the Festival. Performances are scheduled hourly from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Saturday and 11:00 am till 5:00 Sunday pm.. At 1:00 pm Saturday the Live Auction takes over the stage and lasts for the remainder of the afternoon. Entertainment is provided by a diverse group of performers from folk dancers to drum ensembles. Tables and seating are provided under the tree so patrons can enjoy food from the adjacent vendors while they enjoy the entertainers on stage.

Sugarberry Stage

A second stage is located in the center of the east end of the Festival. It is a smaller venue with live performance from solo singers, small groups of singers, dancers and instrumentalists. Tents, tables and seating are provided in this area so that visitors can enjoy food from the adjacent vendors while they listen to the music on stage.

Live Auction

Members of The Frontrunners Chapter of the Florida Nursery, Grower and Landscaper Association, donate a wide variety of plants and garden supplies to be auctioned off Saturday afternoon at the live auction. This provides an opportunity to make major additions to your garden at very reasonable costs. Proceeds from this auction benefit the Frontrummers Chapter of the FNGLA and are used to fund research and scholarships for students in area horticulture programs.  The Auction is from 1 pm until 5 pm on Saturday.

Silent Auction

Many of the vendors at the Festival donate items from their booths for inclusion in the Silent Auction. These items are on display and available for bidding from 10:30 am Saturday until 1 pm Sunday. Proceeds from the silent auction benefit the Gainesville Garden Club, Inc. and are used for beautification projects throughout Gainesville.

Summer House Display

Displays for the 2011 festival will be announced at a later date.

Seminars

The seminars for this year's festival have been cancelled.