Garden Jubilee, a fixture on Hendersonville’s Main Street for a quarter century, will be moving to the countryside this year to avoid large crowds gathering downtown.
The 2020 version, renamed Garden Jubilee Nurseries & Orchards Tour, takes place over four days, Friday, May 22, through Monday, May 25.
In lieu of a street festival, people will venture out to more than 15 nurseries and orchards across Henderson County.
The modifications to Garden Jubilee follow federal- and state-mandated guidelines for cleaning, social distancing and limiting crowd sizes.
A few crafts and food vendors that normally participate on Main Street will set up at various locations with proper distancing between vendors.
“With a little creativity and flexibility, we are keeping an event going that would have otherwise been canceled,” says Beth Carden, Henderson County tourism director who oversees the festival. “This is bigger than just Garden Jubilee. It gives people hope that, at least on some level, we can get back to doing things again.”
Garden centers and nurseries countywide will sell annuals, perennials, shrubbery, herbs, trees, vegetables and hard-to-find plants. Orchards offer produce, jams, jellies, honey, cider and baked goods. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
To see a list of participating businesses and download a brochure map for this year’s Garden Jubilee, go to www.VisitHendersonvilleNC.org/Garden-Jubilee.
Brochures will also be available in the rack outside the Hendersonville Visitor Center, 201 South Main Street in Hendersonville.
For additional details, call the visitor center at 800-828-4244.