BILLINGS — The Sunflower Festival at Flowerstead Farms returns this weekend to the Billings West End— and what started as a small idea has grown into a full weekend experience for families, friends, and even couples planning their big day.
Watch what is new to the festival and what draws people in:
Aubrey Hopkins launched the farm in 2023 after spotting a gap in what Billings had to offer.
"The year before I decided that I wanted to start something new here in Billings so I thought it would be fun to try a sunflower farm," Hopkins said Friday. "It just goes to show Billings needs something like this, we need more outdoor events, more family-friendly events."
That first patch of about 5,000 flowers has since expanded into row after row of bright blooms.
"We are just adding more and more in this small space. We are bursting at the seams here," Hopkins said.
The festival is now more than just a flower field. This weekend's lineup includes a charcuterie class, a painting class, and a bouquet class — and the farm has become a sought-after wedding venue.
"I've already got people booking for weddings for next year too which is super cool," Hopkins said.
Admission is $10, and guests can pick five flowers; children 5 and under get in free and can pick two.
It's a detail that stood out to best friends Kadi Kruger and Jessica Perez, who made the trip out to the farm.
"It's super nice, especially because like the admission gets you like five flowers anyways. That's really nice," Perez said. "And she likes to pick what she likes," Kruger said.
For others, the festival has become an annual tradition. Carley Jones, Shaylee Williams, and Jessica Ullery make the trip together each year to celebrate a birthday.
"We usually come together as a group," Ullery said. "It's like her birthday that we always come to celebrate," Jones said.
For many, the appeal goes beyond the flowers themselves.
"We look forward to it. I think it's super nice. It is very nice to have something, especially in Billings like this, to go do as a group. And it's not like going out or going to dinner or lunch. It's going out and picking flowers that we all love," Ullery said.
For Hopkins, watching the crowds return year after year makes every seed worth planting.
"It blows my mind every year and I'm so happy to see people keep showing up," Hopkins said.
The festival is located on the corner of Shiloh Road and Grand Avenue and continues on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
