What to Know
- Sierra Madre Wistaria Festival
- April 12
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- The annual event honors the city's famous wistaria vine, which grows across two private backyards; an arts & crafts festival pops up in the heart of town
Shades of lavender, grape, and plum swirl through the first full month of springtime, and you don't have to search too far to find these fantastical hue, both in nature and in our day-to-day lives.
Little candy eggs pop with purple prettiness, and flowery gardens do, too, and the occasional spring sunset can boast a few streaks that are vibrantly violet.
But just about the most purple thing in Southern California — and it is only in its majestic purple-a-tude for a short time, let us note — is found in a private backyard in Sierra Madre.
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Make that two private backyards: It's a wistaria vine, a plucky plant that has been fêted in the "Guinness Book of World Records."
How famous is this purple powerhouse? Flower fans, and people who are curious about unusually hearty horticulture, come from all over to admire the vast vine on one special spring Saturday.
That special spring Saturday has happened in the middle of March in past years, but in 2025 the Sierra Madre Wistaria Festival is flowering April 12.
And while this vine is not as "old as the hills," if you're seeking a colorful way to describe its impressive age, it is located in the hills, near the mountains, and about a 20-minute walk uphill from the heart of Sierra Madre.
There's a shuttle to consider, if you want to skip the stroll, and a ticket to ride? It's $15.
The arts & crafts fair, which features food trucks, music, and community booths, is free.
The vine turned 130 in 2024 and was believed to be about 250 tons a few years back.
To catch it in full bloom is to indeed feel like you're holding court with "one of the seven horticultural wonders of the world," a label that is lofty at first glance but fits this flowery icon to a T.
Or maybe we mean "to an A," for you've surely noticed that Sierra Madre prefers to spell wistaria with a center "a" rather than "e," a charming tradition the town has colorfully cleaved to for decades.
For shuttle tickets, festival information, and other ways to purple-up your April visit to the scenic, nature-loving town, stretch in this direction, like a vine tendril might, for all of the details.
Updated April 19
