INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — On Saturday April 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., McKee Botanical Garden will be overtaken by miniature fairies and pirates in celebration of the Garden’s Fourth Annual Fairy Festival.
This year’s festival will feature a variety of themed activities sure to delight pixies and pirates alike including a wishing bush, fairy manicures, the chance to dance around a maypole, make a fairy ribbon twirler, decorate a pirate picture frame, and follow a treasure map. Adding to the festivities will be face painting, temporary tattoos, and bean bag and ring toss games.
McKee’s “Gnome Depot,” a Fairy Festival favorite, will be stocked with an assortment of natural materials such as bark, leaves, twigs, and shells perfect for building fairy houses. Fairy houses are believed to bring good luck to one’s garden and help the trees, flowers and plants to grow. Visitors will be able to view a display of sample fairy houses before building their own.
Scheduled entertainment for the event will include a performance by the Showbirdz Parrots at 10:30 a.m. followed by the Christi’s Dancers at 11:30 a.m. A costume parade will take place at 12:45 p.m. before the festival concludes at 1 p.m.
“McKee’s Fairy Festival combines fantasy and folklore with nature,” explained McKee Executive Director Christine Hobart. “It promotes creativity and imaginative play among children, and allows families to experience the Garden in a whole new way.”
Costumes are encouraged but not required. A variety of fairy accessories will be available for purchase at the on-site Pixie Boutique along with essential pirate gear.
Elizabeth’s at the Garden Café will open at 11 a.m. with a special menu of lunch and snack items.
General admission rates apply for this event. For more information, call (772) 794-0601 or visit www.mckeegarden.org or facebook.com/mckeegarden.
McKee’s fourth annual Fairy Festival is sponsored by Alex MacWilliam, Inc. Real Estate, the Charlotte Terry Real Estate Group, and YP Advertising Solutions.
McKee Botanical Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture and enhance a historic garden in a unique tropical setting for the education, enjoyment and enrichment of all. McKee Botanical Garden is located at 350 US Highway 1 in Vero Beach. General admission fees are $12 adults, $11 seniors and $5 children ages 3 to 12. Admission is free for McKee members and children under 3. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The Garden is closed Mondays.