What better way to welcome spring than by wandering among fields filled with beautiful blooms?
Visitors to La Terre Farms in Kiln can do just that on April 18 and 19, as the farm invites the community to experience its first-ever Flower Festival. The celebration will feature food trucks, music, art, a makers’ market and much more.
“(This will be) community celebration of creativity and nature that will bring together families, artists and nature lovers for a weekend of beauty and connection …,” says Teri Wyly, co-owner of La Terre Farms.
The farm has partnered with the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and Arts Hancock to present the festival. More than 40 vendors will be on hand offering handmade crafts, original art, garden and nature books, natural remedies, soaps, hand-dyed yarns, pine-needle baskets, pottery, hand-woven clothing and even mini photo sessions.
“As part of our ongoing agritourism business, we wanted to include a spring festival,” explains La Terre co-owner Connor Wyly. “And while there is an abundance of festivals (blueberry, strawberry music), there are no flower festivals on a flower farm anywhere in our region. So, we thought, why not?”
Here are some of the highlights attendees can expect:
CULINARY ACTIVITIES
Chef Ernie Foundas, owner of Suis Generis restaurant, will headline a special dinner on Saturday evening, featuring locally grown, fresh ingredients. Recently featured in Country Roads Magazine, Chef Ernie will create a unique and memorable meal while guests are serenaded by a New Orleans-based band.
Additionally, St James Cheese Company – Pass Christian will host a floral cheese demo, with wine pairing from Lagarde’s Fine Wine and Spirits of Bay St. Louis. Attendees also will be treated to edible flower demonstrations, where local chefs will show them how to incorporate flowers into their cooking.
ACTIVE ADVENTURES
Bay St. Louis Running Company will host a 5K and one-mile fun run (with separate registration required via runsignup.com). The festival also will include wellness yoga and sound bath sessions, wellness workshops featuring renown speaker and author Jackie Castro-Cooper, talks by herbalist and naturalist speakers, bird-watching opportunities and more.
FUN WITH FLOWERS
Guests can join a flower crown-making workshop led by Martha Whitney Butler of the French Potager on both days, participate in floral design classes, sip-and-snip with florist Rachel Bond from Pine Hills Nursery and watch a live demonstration by Jack Bellew of Jackpot- Custom Arranging. There also will be guided trail walks, plein air painting sessions with local artists, opportunities to explore and tour the 500-acre farm, native plant educational sessions and more. Attendees who wish can pick their own blooms and create arrangements to take home.
More than just an event, Teri Wyly describes the festival as “an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply and ‘take in’ the surroundings.” For a full schedule and additional details about the festival, visit www.laterrefarms.com.
IF YOU GO
Flower Festival at La Terre Farms
April 18-19, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., makers market hours 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
La Terre Farms, 11095 Road 514, Kiln
Cost: No admission fee. Parking fee is $10 per car, and some ticketed events/workshops carry a charge.
For updates, tickets or to learn more: @laterrefarms on Facebook and Instagram, (228) 369-4438, www.laterrefarms.com/flower-festival-2026