The 100th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival runs April 23 to May 2, 2027, in Winchester. Parades, carnival, fireworks, closures, parking and bag rules.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. The 2027 event schedule, ticket prices and road closures have not been published yet; the details below are from the 2026 festival and marked that way.

The 100th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival runs April 23 to May 2, 2027, the festival says on its own site. It is Winchester’s biggest event of the year: nine days of parades, dances, luncheons, a carnival and fireworks that have grown from a one-day celebration on May 3, 1924. The 2028 festival is already set for April 28 to May 7.

Who to call

  • Festival office: Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, 135 N. Cameron St., 540-662-3863, thebloom.com
  • Events and tickets: thebloom.com/events
  • City of Winchester (closures, parking): 540-667-1815, city festival page
  • Towed car: city non-emergency line, 540-662-4131

The 100th festival in 2027

The festival announced on Sept. 23 that planning is underway for what it calls a “Centennial Extravaganza.” The plans it listed include a centennial exhibition at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley from March through August 2027, a homecoming reunion for past queens, court members and honorary guests, a community-wide scavenger hunt, a commemorative coin and a “Bloom the Town” challenge asking residents and shops to decorate in pink and green. Bridget Aikens is the festival president for the 100th and 101st festivals.

The events page says tickets will go on sale in mid-November. Event times, dates and places are subject to change. For the 2026 festival, tickets went on sale Nov. 20, 2025.

The big weekend

The festival’s own weekend guide lays out the final Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the busiest days:

  • Friday: the Coronation of Queen Shenandoah at John Handley High School in the afternoon, the Firefighters’ Parade in the evening, then fireworks at Handley.
  • Saturday: the Sports Breakfast in the morning, the Grand Feature Parade in the afternoon and the Country Music Party at night.
  • Sunday: the Apple Blossom Carnival at Apple Blossom Mall and the Contemporary Christian Concert.

In 2026 the Firefighters’ Parade and fireworks were on Friday, May 1, and the parades and the Apple Blossom 10K were on Saturday, May 2, according to the city’s festival page. The festival says the Firefighters’ Parade, first run in 1929 as a torchlight parade, is the nation’s oldest and largest parade of its kind.

Parade seats

Watching from the curb is free. The festival also sells reserved seats. In 2025, the latest year it published prices, seats cost $13 for the Firefighters’ Parade and $18 for the Grand Feature Parade on West Cork Street, at Handley Library and on Handley Boulevard, and $29 in the Queen’s Courtyard and Garden for the Grand Feature Parade. Local youth nonprofits also sell seats along the route as fundraisers. In 2025 both parades were shown live on Glo Fiber Channel 7 and streamed on the festival’s website.

Fireworks and carnival (2026)

  • Fireworks: free at 8 p.m. Friday, May 1, 2026, on the John Handley High School campus, 425 Handley Blvd. The free TREX Music Fest plays first. The show runs a little over 20 minutes and stays mostly under 200 feet, so the festival says it is best seen from the Handley grounds.
  • Carnival: at Apple Blossom Mall, 1850 Apple Blossom Drive, from April 24 to May 3, 2026. Entry was $5, cash only, with children 5 and under free; an unlimited-ride wristband was $40. Anyone 17 or younger needed an adult at least 21 with them, one adult to four minors. Music and ride lights were off for sensory friendly hours from noon to 2 p.m. on the first Saturday and Sunday.

Road closures and parking (2026)

The City of Winchester’s festival page carries the closures, detour maps and parking rules. In 2026:

  • About 30 downtown street segments closed from 3 to 10 p.m. Friday and 7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday of parade weekend, including parts of Braddock, Cameron, Loudoun, Kent, Washington and Stewart streets, Handley Boulevard and Tennyson Avenue.
  • Parking was banned on dozens of streets from 7:30 a.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Saturday, and cars in parade line-up zones were towed.
  • The Old Town Midway closed Piccadilly Street, Fairfax Lane, Indian Alley and part of Loudoun Street from 5 p.m. Thursday, April 30, until midnight Saturday.
  • The four downtown parking garages, a block from the parade route, charged $25 at the gate on parade days and $20 for Wine Fest, credit card only. The Braddock garage closed from noon Friday to midnight Saturday, with no way in or out once the gate shut.
  • About 50 accessible spaces were in the Handley High School lower lot, first come, first served, with a placard required.
  • Winchester Transit’s Loop and Laurel Ridge bus routes did not run on parade days; WinReady ran with limited access downtown.

What to know

  • Clear bags: the festival’s clear bag policy allows clear bags up to 14 by 9 inches or a 1-gallon clear plastic bag at ticketed events, the carnival and Wine Fest among them. Purses, backpacks and fanny packs are not allowed; diaper bags and medical supplies are exceptions.
  • No outside food or drink at those events, and no coolers, alcohol or aerosol cans.
  • Pets: not allowed at ticketed events. In 2026 the city also banned pets from the blocks around the Loudoun Street Mall from 10 a.m. Friday to 10 p.m. Saturday, except service animals.
  • First aid: medical stations were at Gerrard and Cameron streets, at the end of the parade route, and on North Braddock Street near Handley Library.

More in town: Old Town Winchester, things to do in Winchester and Mother’s Day, which falls the Sunday after the 100th festival ends.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Apple Blossom Festival in 2027?

The 100th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival runs April 23 to May 2, 2027, in Winchester, according to the festival. The 2028 festival is set for April 28 to May 7.

When do Apple Blossom Festival tickets go on sale?

The festival says tickets will go on sale in mid-November. Tickets for the 2026 festival went on sale Nov. 20, 2025.

Is the Apple Blossom fireworks show free?

Yes. In 2026 the fireworks were free at 8 p.m. Friday, May 1, on the John Handley High School campus, after the free TREX Music Fest.

Where do I park for the Apple Blossom parades?

The city recommends its four downtown parking garages, which charged $25 at the gate on parade days in 2026, credit card only. About 50 accessible spaces are in the Handley High School lower lot, first come, first served.

Can I bring my dog to the Apple Blossom Festival?

Pets are not allowed at the festival’s ticketed events, and in 2026 the city banned pets from the downtown core around the Loudoun Street Mall from 10 a.m. Friday to 10 p.m. Saturday of parade weekend, except service animals.