Providence’s What Cheer Flower Farm opens Aug. 27 for Flower Festival ’22, the farm’s first public event in three years. 2,500 dahlias will be in full bloom as visitors tour the urban flower farm. Attendees of this rain-or-shine event can snack, drink and shop while admiring magical bouquets and participating in fun flower activities for both adults and kids.

Celebrity hosts include Jared Haibon and Ashley Iaconetti, former Bachelor in Paradise contestants who later married and recently opened Audrey’s Coffee House and Lounge in South Kingstown.

At 6 p.m., the daytime Flower Festival will turn into an evening Sunset Party for adults, where attendees can enjoy drinks and live music in the fields while admiring the dahlias and watching the sun set over the farm. Rhode Island bands Beauquet and Su Casa will play live on the Festival stage.

This unique late summer event will take place over the course of twelve hours with timed tickets to reduce crowds. Morning tickets (9 a.m. to noon) are recommended for serious flower nerds, as well as senior citizens and people with mobility concerns who pay prefer a more relaxed tour of the farm. The morning drink options will include $5 mimosas as well as coffee from Audrey’s.

Family events and flower activities for kids, including temporary tattoos, will be concentrated in the afternoon (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.), making that the best time for families to visit. Children under three can receive free admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. The 21+ Sunset Party takes place from 6 to 9 p.m., with the sunset due at 7:27pm that evening.

People are often surprised to learn an organic flower farm is located just two blocks from Olneyville Square. The nonprofit farm has been remediating the site – the former Colonial Knife Factory – since 2018 with help from RI DEM and other grants and donors. All flowers grown on site are donated across the state Rhode Islanders in difficult situations, including to food banks, senior centers and shelters. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Farm’s operations.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have brought flowers to hospices, hospitals and even to public school teachers to help ease the stress,” said farmer/florist Erin Achenbach. “I’m thrilled that our festival can move forward again, allowing folks to enjoy our fields as safely as possible. Our job is to spread cheer, which may make the Festival the happiest event of the season.”

Advance tickets are $15 for the Flower Festival and $50 for the Sunset Party, with all-access VIP tickets available for $100. Additional daytime tickets will be available for $20 on the day of the event.