Taos Lilac Festival (Cancelled)

The 2023 Lilac Festival has been cancelled.

The Taos County Chamber of Commerce regrets to inform you that the Taos Lilac Festival has been cancelled. We made this difficult decision to cancel because of the low participation in vendors and low participation in sponsorships/grants to cover the cost of the event.  The Taos County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors did not want to start charging an entry fee to the public for what has historically been a free community event.

After Covid, the landscape of hosting events has changed due to staff shortages and increased costs to host events. We apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation my create.

For more information, contact the Taos Chamber of Commerce: www.taoschamber.com

History

In Spring, purple lilacs bloom all over the Taos valley, usually nestled up against an adobe gate
or border. Their sweet fragrance wafting out on the breeze is a sure sign we’ll all be living outside
again after a long winter.

Lilacs are said to have arrived in Santa Fe from France, lovingly transplanted by the famous
Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy who arrived in 1851. Lamy’s struggles with Taos’ own Padre Antonio
Jose Martinez meant that he did not visit this far parish, so it seems unlikely that the Bishop
Lamy’s lilacs made their way to Taos in those early days.

With the founding of the Taos Society of Artists in 1912 flower gardens sprung up around the
valley. Many of the lilacs you see were likely planted by artists moving to Taos.