Why We Love the Georgetown Red Poppy Festival

Every spring, my calendar is quietly counting down to one of my favorite weekends of the year: the Georgetown Red Poppy Festival. It's colorful, a little bit chaotic, completely exhausting in the best way, and it has become such a special tradition for my family and my little wood flower business.

We've now spent four years setting up our sola wood flower booth at Red Poppy, and if everything goes as planned, 2026 will be our fifth year in a row. I grew up in Georgetown, so getting to come back to the square with my art, my family, and shelves full of flowers feels like such a full-circle moment.

In this post, I wanted to take you behind the scenes of what it really looks like for me to be a vendor at the festival—from renting the truck and packing the shelves to some of my favorite local spots and a few tips if you're planning to visit.

Why We Love the Georgetown Red Poppy Festival

If you've never been, the Georgetown Red Poppy Festival is a big, joyful celebration of spring, music, art, and community. The entire downtown square fills up with vendors, food, live music, and families wandering with strollers, snacks, and big smiles.

For me, it's not just another market—it's home. I get to see familiar faces, meet new people, and watch complete strangers walk into my booth, touch the flowers (we see you! lol), and light up when they realize they're made of wood.

Every year, I hear stories from locals and visitors about where they've put their arrangements, who they gifted them to, and how long they've had them. Those conversations are honestly some of the best parts of the weekend.

What It Takes to Get to the Festival (Spoiler: A Lot of Help)

By the time you see my booth at Red Poppy, a whole lot has already happened behind the scenes. I always joke that it takes a small village—and in our case, that village is my in-laws and a few friends, who give up their entire weekend to help me make this happen.

A typical prep week looks like:

• Finishing as many arrangements as I can in my home studio.
• Double-checking that everything is priced, tagged, and ready to display.
• Renting a truck so we can haul shelves, tables, and inventory safely.
• Carefully packing boxes so each wood flower arrives in one piece.
• Planning the layout of the booth so it feels inviting, not crowded.

On setup day, we're usually up early, loading everything into the truck, driving to the square, and then playing "booth Tetris" as we figure out how to get shelves, tables, and dozens of arrangements into a space that still has room to breathe.

Building the Booth: Shelves, Flowers, and a Lot of Lifting

Once we arrive downtown, the real work begins. We unload shelves, tables, boxes of arrangements, and all the little pieces that make the booth feel like "me"—signage, risers, props, and seasonal touches.

My in-laws help me carry everything, assemble displays, and make sure the booth is sturdy and safe. I'm usually somewhere in the middle of it all, arranging flowers, tweaking heights, and stepping back every few minutes to see if it feels balanced.

By the time the first visitors walk up, we've already put in hours of lifting, tweaking, and styling—and somehow it always feels worth it the moment someone steps in and says, "Wow, these are wood?"

The Heart of It All: My Family Behind the Booth

Even though I'm the artist who makes each arrangement, I never do Red Poppy alone. My family is right there with me from the moment we load the truck to the last tired walk back after we tear everything down.

My in-laws help me unpack, organize, and keep the booth looking fresh throughout the day. They chat with visitors, carefully wrap orders, and keep an eye on things so I can answer questions and talk about the flowers. It's a long weekend, but it's also one of the rare times we're all working side by side toward the same little goal: making this booth feel special.

There's something really meaningful about looking around the booth and seeing the people I love surrounded by the flowers I've created. It's a sweet reminder that this business is mine, but it's also very much a family effort.

What It's Like During the Festival Weekend

Once the festival starts, the pace picks up quickly. There's live music, people weaving through the streets, kids with face paint, and the smell of festival food floating through the air. My booth tends to stay busy with people wandering in to touch the petals, ask questions, and pick out pieces for their homes or as gifts.

I love seeing the full range of reactions—people who have never heard of wood flowers, locals who come back year after year to add to their collection, and visitors who just happened to stumble across the festival and decide to take a little piece of Georgetown home with them.

Local Spots We Love Around the Square

Part of what makes Red Poppy so special is the way it wraps around the heart of Georgetown's historic downtown. In between booth setup and festival hours, we always have a few favorite spots we love to visit.

One of them is Golden Rule. The food is wonderful, but what I love most is the feeling—kind people, a cozy atmosphere, and the sense that you're supporting folks who genuinely care about this community.

We also love wandering past the local shops and other small businesses that make the square feel so special. The city itself does such a beautiful job hosting this event each year, and if you're planning a visit, the official Georgetown Red Poppy Festival page is a great place to check dates, schedules, parking, and maps before you come.

Tips If You're Planning to Visit the Red Poppy Festival

After a few years of doing this, I've learned a lot about what makes the weekend smoother—for visitors and for us. If you're planning to come to the festival, here are a few friendly tips from a local vendor:

• Arrive early. Parking and crowds are both easier earlier in the day.
• Bring water and sunscreen. It's Texas. The sun loves to show off.
• Carry a reusable shopping bag. You'll probably find more things you love than you expect.
• Bring a little cash. Many vendors take cards now, but it's always nice to have options.
• Save the festival map on your phone. It makes it easier to find restrooms, stages, and your favorite booths.
• Don't hesitate to ask for help. Volunteers and the Georgetown Police Department are always around and ready to assist.

And of course, I hope you'll stop by my booth while you're there. If you see shelves full of soft, colorful flowers and a smiling crew that looks like they've been there all weekend—there's a good chance you've found us.

Where to Find Me Outside the Festival

Red Poppy might be one of my biggest weekends of the year, but the flowers don't stop there. When the tents come down and the square quiets back down, I'm back in my home studio creating new pieces for homes, gifts, and future events.

If you discovered my work at the festival and want to see what I'm working on next, you can always visit my main website or browse what's currently available:

Visit Sola Flower Sam

Shop Current Collections

Closing Thoughts from a Very Grateful Vendor

Every year, when we pack up the truck at the end of the weekend, I'm tired in that deep, satisfying way that only comes from doing something you love with people you love. The Georgetown Red Poppy Festival is busy and loud and full—but it's also full of kindness, familiar faces, and little moments that stick with me long after the crowds go home.

If you've ever stopped by my booth, waved from the street, or just admired the flowers in passing—thank you. It means more than you know. And if you haven't visited yet, I hope one year you'll find your way to the square, wander through the booths, and come say hello.