It's Apple Blossom time!

The parade starts on Saturday at 10 am on Main Street, with the festival to follow...but don't miss the pre-party tonight in Ives Park

If Chamber of Commerce director Myriah Volk has anything to do with it—and she has everything to do with it—this is going to be an Apple Blossom Parade and Festival to remember.

Oh sure, there’ll still be the homey, small-town parade with high school marching bands, antique cars, homemade floats and other fun stuff, but Volk has gone out of her way to make this Apple Blossom Festival better than ever before.

This year, she came up with the theme for the event: Blossoms in Wonderland, based on Alice in Wonderland. There will be characters from Alice in Wonderland, wandering through the parade and the festival.

In keeping with the theme, Ives Park will be decorated with giant 10-foot-tall mushrooms and other magical flora from Astrobotanicals. You can see them at their lit-up best at the free Apple Blossom Pre-party tonight, Friday, April 26, from 6 to 9 pm. There will also be a 35-foot light-up cuttle fish sculpture with a DJ booth spinning tunes.

“I thought, how cool would it be if I could make the park somehow look like Wonderland?” Volk said. “And how do you pull that off?” Happily Astrobotanicals offered 30 of his light-up sculptures to make Volk’s Wonderland fantasy come true.

The Parade

The 2024 Apple Blossom Parade starts at 10 am on Saturday, April 27. It begins at Analy High School, runs straight down Main Street and ends at Calder Avenue at noon.

The Grand Marshall this year is Stan Ramondo.

After the parade, walk over to the Apple Blossom Festival in Ives Park.

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At the Festival

Volk has added a new feature to the festival this year, an all Women’s Stage on Sunday, featuring Teresa Clark, Erica Ambrin, and the Bezhenar Sisters.

“Pie the Chief,” in which Sebastopol’s very good-natured Police Chief Ron Nelson gets pied for charity, will happen on Saturday from 2:20 to 2:30 pm.

And then, of course, there’s the music!

Here’s the stage schedule:

Saturday April 27th

Front Stage (Near Playground)

12:00-1:15  School of Rock

1:15-1:55  Gas Money

2:00-2:20  Parade Awards Presentation

2:20-2:30 Pie the Chief

2:30-4:00  Anna Jae

4:00-6:00 Casual Country

Back Stage

12:00-1:30  Foxes in the Hen House

 2:00-3:30     Sol Horizon

 4:00-6:00     Peacetown

Sunday April 28th

Front Stage (Women's Stage)

11:30-1:00   Teresa Clark

1:30-3:00     Erica Ambrin

 3:30-5:00    Bezhenar Sisters (Eleanor & Angelina)

Back Stage

12:00-2:00  Soul Section 

 2:30-4:30    Wonder Bread Five  

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For kids

There will be plenty of children’s rides, including a Mini Teacup Ride, Bounty Pirate Ship Ride, Galloping Horse Ride, Star Wars Obstacle Course, Millennium Falcon playland and a SpongeBob toddler play area.

The children’s area itself, which is separate from the rides, will have face painting, glitter tattoos, a selfie station, caterpillar making station, and a continuously running Mad Hatter Tea party.

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Festival Food

Volk advises that you arrive at the festival ready to eat. There were long lines in the food court last year, so that’s why she’s booked a whole bunch more fun food purveyors, including Rose's Burgers & Brat, World Famous Corn Dogs, HopMonk Tavern Food Truck, Amy's Drive Thru, Austin's Southern Smoke BBQ, Big Earls BBQ, Sushi Shobu, Lins Dim Sum, Nellie’s Oysters & More, and The Cajun Connect.

You can get your snack on at Hand Crafted Snow Cones, CrispyPop Kettle Corn, GetChaMunchOn, K&B Elixirs, and Mommy’s Yummys.

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AWS Art Show

The Art Workshop of Western Sonoma County (AWS) will be having their annual Apple Blossom Art Show at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, beginning with a free reception featuring music and refreshments on Friday, April 26, from 7 to 9 pm. (Drop by after checking out the pre-party.)

The exhibit continues on Saturday, April 27, from 11 am to 6 pm and Sunday, April 28 from 11 am to 5 pm. Come and view over 160 original works of art created by more than 40 local artists. Admission is free with the purchase of a ticket to the Apple Blossom Festival.

Get tickets and find out more about the Apple Blossom Festival here.