Late April is the time to go to the New England island of Nantucket, when more than 3 million daffodils paint the town and roadsides in shades of yellow and white. April weather is warm enough for picnics and everyone celebrates the arrival of spring at the annual Nantucket Daffodil Festival.
This year’s 46th annual festival may be postponed, but plans to reschedule are in the works. Events are planned all over town, but the primary event is the antique car parade, when more than 100 antique and vintage vehicles, appropriately bedecked with daffodils, drive through the streets. Nantucket saw its heyday in the mid-19th century and the buildings along its streets are almost all veterans of the town’s glory years.
The cars are decked out in daffodils and drivers and passengers wear costumes — some representing the period of the car and others in imaginative outfits. Kids who don’t care about the cars will love the bright costumes. The cars continue out of town to ‘Sconset, toward a gigantic Tailgate Picnic.
A daffodil picnic at Cog Railway, Nantucket. Photo: Stillman Rogers
The Daffodil Festival Children’s Parade displays daffodil-decorated doll and baby carriages, bicycles, tricycles, wagons, strollers, scooters, even skateboards, gathered at Children’s Beach bandstand, Harbor View Way. Riders and drivers are costumed (bicycle riders must wear helmets, which can become fanciful hats). Children under 10 should be accompanied by an adult.
Later, the Daffodil Festival Hat Pageant gets underway, with a parade of decorated, daffodil-themed hats that range from stylish and elegant to fanciful and goofy. Kids, men, everyone is welcome and prize ribbons are awarded to adults and children. This is also held at the Children’s Beach bandstand.
Families can gather at Children’s Beach for a show by Lizza Obremski’s Nanpuppets, a group of engaging handmade hand puppets. The puppets and the show are designed to entertain and encourage imagination, while teaching about music and facts about Nantucket island and the creatures that live there.
All ages love the Daffy Dog Parade, where leashed dogs dressed in costumes promenade at Children’s Beach to benefit Nantucket Island Safe Harbor for Animals. All entries are welcome.
Nantucket Harbor. Photo: Stillman Rogers
Getting to Nantucket is easy, either by ferry or by air from New York or from Boston, New Bedford or Hyannis in Massachusetts. Ferries depart regularly from both Hyannis and Falmouth, on Cape Cod. While you can take a car on the ferry, you will find it easy to get around the island by bicycle or on foot. And if you’re going for the Daffodil Festival, you’ll discover ferry spaces have been booked far in advance by owners of antique cars arriving for the parade. Bring your own bikes on the ferry or rent them once you arrive.
Events vary by year, stay tuned to the event website for updates.
Read This Next
The Creepy Appeal of Dark Tourism
Destinations
Apr 25, 2024#WhereverFamily
Insta FeedMultigenerational
Apr 19, 2024Family-Friendly Offerings from Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection
Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection includes the largest portfolio of luxury all-inclusive resorts in the world — many of them perfect for family travelers. And two current offers might entice your family even more.
Sponsored Content
Make the Most of Hamad International Airport When Transferring
Making travel plans can be exciting; did you know planning on how to spend time at the airport the right way can enrich the overall trip experience? As a transfer hub, traveling through Doha's Hamad International Airport is a unique experience, as waiting never feels like waiting at one of the best airports in the world.
Cruising
Apr 15, 2024Some of Europe’s Best Day Cruises
A week cruising along the Danube or the Rhine may be the stuff of dreams for many, but family travelers can enjoy views from the water in ways kinder to the family budget. Many riverside cities offer scenic cruises, and some Baltic or Mediterranean ports have daytrips to nearby islands or coastal attractions. In several cities you can cruise the canals, and in Switzerland you can spend a day cruising on Lake Geneva, with sightseeing stops in lakeside towns.
Multigenerational
Apr 15, 2024Enjoy Multigenerational Travel in New York with Motto by Hilton
Family Travel Agent recently found family travel will continue to grow this year, as 81 percent of families expressed their likelihood of traveling in 2024. Of that group, more than 50 percent plan to take part in multigenerational travel. If that multigen travel is taking place in New York City, two hotels, Motto Times Square and Motto Chelsea, prove ideal options.
Sponsored Content
United Airlines Celebrates its First Class of United Aviate Graduates
As the only major U.S. airline to own a flight school, United Airlines already hit a major milestone, and now the carrier celebrates another important — and historic — step as the inaugural class of United Aviate Academy pilots graduates, leading the next generation of aviators. The 51 students in the graduating class were majority, at 80 percent, women and people of color — another stride toward United’s goal of training 5,000 new pilots by 2030 with half women or POC.
Cruising
Apr 10, 2024Explore Holland America Line’s “Nieuw Amsterdam’s” Kids Club
Don’t think a cruise with Holland America Line is just for adults. Aboard the cruise line’s Nieuw Amsterdam ship, a dedicated Kids Club ensures family travelers of all ages have a good time both at sea and port.
ShareThis